Often, we mix image enhancement with image upscaling. But they differ in many ways.
The differences between the two processes are often revealed once you look under the hood.
This piece looks at image enhancement and image upscaling, how these processes are executed, and why they’re actually different.
What is Image Enhancement?
Image enhancement is the process of improving the overall appearance of a photo.
It has no effect on the resolution or size of the image.
In image enhancement, certain physical attributes of the photo are adjusted, leading to a better-looking image.
No new pixels are introduced.
What is Image Upscaling?
This process adds new pixels to the image, changing its size and resolution.
Image Upscaling lets you change the photo’s resolution and size as you deem fit.
Reasons to Upscale an Image
People upscale photos for different reasons. To upscale, one must increase the image’s resolution and size. The purpose behind such a move usually includes:
- Revamping Old Photos
As an image gets older, it gradually loses its visual appeal. This affects how people see the photo.
To restore the quality of such old photos, you can upscale them.
This often involves adding new pixels into the image, and the size and resolution are altered depending on its use.
Upscaling helps such old photos attain the desired quality the user needs.
For instance, an old family photo can be restored to its glory days by upscaling.
- For making high-resolution images
People upscale images to boost the resolution of the pictures.
Specific situations require high-resolution images, so brands have no choice but to comply.
E-commerce giants like Shopify require product photos in different categories, including the 4K formats.
Businesses lacking high-resolution product photos have to upscale an existing image.
- Professional Images
Businesses and brands require images of specific sizes in certain areas.
A website banner might require a larger, high-resolution image, but the original photo isn’t big enough.
A photo upscaling tool can enlarge the image so it fits in well.
Professional photos are needed in different aspects of a business.
How Does Image Upscaling and Image Enhancement Work?
The difference between image enhancement and upscaling is often in their modus operandi.
Photo upscaling involves adding new pixels to an image to increase its size and resolution. The quality of that resolution boost depends on the nature of the pixels added.
The tool used determines the photo upscaling technique applied.
Many photo editing software rely on creating pixels based on the context of the image. They use the distance and size of the image pixels to create new ones in the upscaled photo.
With AI tools, machine learning technology digests millions of images, relying on pattern recognition achieved by heavily data-trained models.
This leads to the creation of truly relevant pixels for the image.
These AI tools do this by analyzing the image.
Only a thorough evaluation of the photo can help them decide what type of pixel is needed for the image.
With the analysis results confirmed, they predict the correct pixels for the photo.
Once these new, relevant pixels are introduced, you often get a high-resolution photo that’s bigger than the original image.
Besides, photo enhancement aims for a visually appealing image. No attempt to expand the photo or its resolution.
New pixels aren’t introduced in a photo enhancement. It’s why the image’s resolution doesn’t change.
Instead, photo enhancement tries to make the original photo look better.
Photo enhancement tools use photo editing techniques to reduce noise, erase blur, improve color accuracy, and others.
They denoise the image, removing grain where visible. The depth of the grain smoothing depends on the tool used.
Also, the image’s color is corrected during photo enhancement. If the photo has its colors all over the place, the enhancement tool helps manage color confusion, resulting in a more vivid image.
You also see the by-products of a photo enhancement in the image’s contrast.
The Difference Between Photo Enhancement and Upscaling
Photo enhancement makes an image look better without tampering with its pixel count.
Photo upscaling increases the image’s resolution and size while subtly affecting its visual appearance.
Also, a photo enhancement doesn’t add new pixels to the image, but an upscaled photo is loaded with newly generated pixels.
Why the Confusion Between Photo Enhancement and Upscaling?
Many believe the processes are the same.
Photo upscaling tools didn’t help. They allow users to upscale and enhance an image in one sitting.
This led many to believe photo enhancement and upscaling are the same. They are not.
This reinforces the need for photo editing tools to properly delineate their services to avoid confusion.
Photo Upscaling Challenges
Photo upscaling has its issues, and they are usually more pronounced with certain tools than with others.
Photo upscaling is all about increasing image resolution and size. If the original photo has blemishes or flaws, some photo upscalers just magnify these faults in the upscaled image.
Pixel quality is not a given. The tool used and the visual quality of the original image determine whether the upscaled photo looks great.
Image Enhancement Issues
The major problem with image enhancement is usually tied to user expectations.
Most users expect to convert their photo to 4K using an enhancer. This shouldn’t be the case.
An image enhancer improves the appearance of the photo, not upscale it.
Converting an image to 4K is the forte of a photo upscale.
