Upscayl - Increase Resolution of Images/Textures?

[GeorgeH]

I used to tell everyone that it is impossible to increase the resolution of an image or texture without increasing artifacts. Then artificial intelligence started being used which changed everything. I first tried it on this website which I thought was good at the time until I tried the Upscayl program which is much better:

Upscayl - Free and Open Source AI Image Upscaler

Free and Open Source AI Image Upscaler for Linux, MacOS and Windows

upscayl.github.io

The interface is very simple. I normally use the "Digital Art" option and "Double Upscayl". The "General Photo (Real-Esrgan)" has more shading whereas "Digital Art" has crisper edges. "General Photo (Real-Esrgan)" would probably be better on photos although most pinball art is digital (with a few exceptions). I don't use the other options that are available. Upscayl produces quite large images that you will need to downsize. Sometimes "Double Upscayl" produces images so large that my normal image editor won't open them. I have found that Paint.net seems to be able to open anything so that you can downsize with it. The following textures show the original image on the left that I found on the internet and the image on the right shows the same image after the Upscayl was applied using the "Digital Art" and "Double Upscayl" options:

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

That looks absolutely incredible!

When I try to improve graphics sources, I usually start with BigJpg and/or Waifu2 before dipping in to GIMP / PS for detailed work.

I've never heard of Upscayl before.
I don't want to diss my homeys, but so far it looks like my friends are kinda slacking!

 

[xenonph]

@GeorgeH
This is the same version I downloaded, and doesn't work without the Vulkan thing.
Do you have a version you could send me or post here, that doesn't insist on using the Vulkan thing?
Thanks my friend!

 

[AnonTet]

For the more technically inclined towards image manipulation or simply require more control maybe chaiNNer is an option.

 

[Popotte]

I have the v2.0.1 version. Is this the latest version?

 

[xenonph]

I have the v2.0.1 version. Is this the latest version?

Yes that is newest version. v2.0.1

 

[GeorgeH]

I have the v2.0.1 version. Is this the latest version?

Yes, it will automatically update to the newest version.

 

[GeorgeH]

@GeorgeH
This is the same version I downloaded, and doesn't work without the Vulkan thing.
Do you have a version you could send me or post here, that doesn't insist on using the Vulkan thing?
Thanks my friend!

I have attached version 1.5.5. I had a problem with version 2.0 always producing decryption errors on every image. The only way I was able to use version 1.5.5 after uninstalling 2.0 was to unplug my connection to the internet because it would automatically update to the current version. I never got the Vulcan error so it may not work for you. The problem went away when I upgraded to v2.0.1.

I discovered by accident that you can extract the "Upscayl-Setup-1.5.5.exe" file to a folder and it runs like a mobile app. So you can leave the current version and run 1.5.5 like a mobile app and just say later to the message asking if you want to upgrade.

 

[GeorgeH]

You might try clicking on "Advanced Options" of version 2.0.1 and try entering 0 then 1 then 2 into GPU Id and see if it works using one of those numbers.

There is more detail on the following website. Search for "What's the GPU ID for?"

GitHub - upscayl/upscayl: 🆙 Upscayl - #1 Free and Open Source AI Image Upscaler for Linux, MacOS and Windows.

🆙 Upscayl - #1 Free and Open Source AI Image Upscaler for Linux, MacOS and Windows. - upscayl/upscayl

github.com

It works for me to leave GPU ID blank.

 

[xenonph]

Tried the older version and didn't work. I guess I have an older GPU or something.
Here is what I found on your page link from above.

NOTE: You'll need a Vulkan compatible GPU to upscale images. Many CPU and iGPUs do not work but no harm in trying.​

 

[GeorgeH]

Tried the older version and didn't work. I guess I have an older GPU or something.
Here is what I found on your page link from above.

NOTE: You'll need a Vulkan compatible GPU to upscale images. Many CPU and iGPUs do not work but no harm in trying.​

You might try chaiNNer which Anon suggests. I have never used it before but it looks like it is more complex. I verified it does upscaling though.

 

[Popotte]

nVidia are Vulkan compatible, AMD, not.

 

[GeorgeH]

nVidia are Vulkan compatible, AMD, not.

The GitHub link above says you can use AMD iGPU. It says to run Upscayl in command line mode and it will tell you what to enter on GPU ID for folks that have Multi-GPUs. I don't know how to make command line mode work though.

 

[xenonph]

Funny thing is, I am running a NVIDIA GPU.
NVIDIA Ge Force GTS 450, to be exact.
I will try chaiNNer.
Thanks.

 

[AnonTet]

Funny thing is, I am running a NVIDIA GPU.
NVIDIA Ge Force GTS 450, to be exact.
I will try chaiNNer.
Thanks.

Well, Vulkan is available on more recent GPUs from NVidia, but that one is old so, unfortunately, no Vulkan support as far as I know.
But you may have a look at the links here and choose your version. Just in case, have current drivers ready in case you need to roll back.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

@GeorgeH,
Do you remember what scale and noise reduction you outputted to?

So far I've tested at 4x scale and both low & medium noise reduction with my tools, and Upscayl is decisively better so far.

But-- BigJpg goes up to 16x scale, and the quality may be much improved at that setting.
Hence, why I'm curious.

 

[GeorgeH]

I always use "Double Upscayl" which outputs to 8x scale. "Double Upscayl" performs better than the 4x option. Upscayl has no options for noise reduction. I have noticed that the noise reduction is not as good for the two General Photo modes that are not "Real-Esrgan" but are not labeled as low or medium.

I have used the BigJpg site and the 16x scale option is not free. I have compared their 8x scale option at various noise reduction levels to Upscayl's 8x and found that Upscayl performs better.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Whoops, it sort of looked like 16x scale on BigJpg was available with email signup, but you're right, it's paid. So much for that.

I did try installing Upscayl, only to confirm that it doesn't work with CPU's that handle GPU duties. I.e. looks like you absolutely must have a dedicated GPU. Interestingly, in advanced options I do see there's a place to enter one's GPU ID, so maybe that helps some people who can't get it working otherwise?

In terms of "chaiNNer," from what I'm reading, it's really more of a front-end that helps you flowchart batch graphics and/or complex graphics tasks without actually offering upscaling tools itself.

That said, I did find three pages of modern enlargement tools. Some online, some meant for download:

https://alternativeto.net/category/phots-and-graphics/image-upscaling/

I'm still not sure how Upscayl does its art enlargement specifically, but seems like it maybe uses ESRGAN or Real-ESRGAN as a base. At least that might help narrow down some other app that might work for poor sods the likes of me. (preferably online)

 

[AnonTet]

GPU ID works as affinity for CPU in this case. Useful if you have multiple GPUs or if for some reason, iGPU is taking precedence and you need to force the GPU.
Usually, the best option is simply to disable the iGPU in BIOS and/or select the GPU as primary.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

hello,
How can I get this file? Is this a backglass for a pinball machine?

James Bond 007 (Gottlieb, 1980)(alt)(IkeS-BGResto) Backglass

pinballnirvana.com

Just right-click and save. Dimensions are 1280x1280.

Actually, looking closer at this one, I'm not too thrilled with it. Needs sharpening obviously, but the source wasn't great IIRC and the software I used wasn't as good as the one in this thread.

I can't run Upscayl (see OP) on my system, but if you want a much better result, I'd recommend using that one instead.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Oof. Well I spent some hours today trying to figure out which possible tool might come close to Upscayl's ability. My main limiter is still that this clunky PC doesn't have a separate GPU.

Of course another issue is that there's so many different tools these days, and when it comes to the online ones, most folks are recommending the ones I already use (Waifu2 & BigJpg). That mainly leaves all the non-GPU download tools, which would require days of installs, testing and research to wade through.

Then I realised that my humble REVVL V+ (T-Mobile) phone probably has the required hardware. So I looked around on the Play Store and found the top-rated Image upscaler, called "SuperImage," and gave it a try at 16x, generic-filter. Got a mediocre result after 8min. Now I'm trying it again at 16x drawing-filter, which looks like it's going to take 40+ minutes. Fingers crossed.

Btw, one of the other online tools I tried earlier was "Remini," which actually recognised the face and proceeded to add individual teeth and texture to the lips! XD

​

Anyway, one last thing about even the mighty Upscayl-- it's that looking closer in the OP, one can see that it still goes wrong with various details. For example misinterpreting the iris lines in the android's right eye, or the way it handles the 'X' and connecting lines on the forehead.

In future, I guess what might be pretty interesting is for an all-in-one app to generate upscales based on multiple techs, then layer them, and let the user pick & choose how they blend, for example highlighting various areas they preferred in the final result.

Oh well. I'll probably edit in later how the test I'm running works out.

EDIT: Yeap, it was 85mb this time, but equally-awful. I don't know how this app got rated so highly, as it's a complete waste of time at this point.

 

[GeorgeH]

No matter what tool you use, an original high-resolution image is always the best.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Should I look for some kind of graphics card to add to this old clunker, so that I can run Upscayl? Or maybe I should just try to upgrade the whole dang machine. I'm often paralysed by these kinds of decisions.

What I do know is-- looking back through a lot of the image work I've done the past couple years, so much of it looks mediocre to me, and probably not worth using without additional work.

It's not like image enhancing software is the only factor here, still it's a critical part of the process, and I've come to realise that my current tools are borderline obsolete. (not GIMP, which is still awesome)

Mr-Do from the MAME scene was saying that most good MAME artwork starts at... I guess it's like 600dpi or so. Right now the stuff I'm working on is ~half that. So, right now, even if I do produce something the community can use, people might just say 'that's crap, we need better.'

Bah.

Thanks for listening to my bitching & moaning, assuming anyone did.

 

[AnonTet]

If it is that old, just update everything. No point in having a nice GPU if you'll be CPU bound all the time because you'll simply not use all the GPU capabilities.

This is why I kept my rig (.see sig) when I bought a new one in 2021

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

If it is that old, just update everything. No point in having a nice GPU if you'll be CPU bound all the time because you'll simply not use all the GPU capabilities.

Matey, I barely do any 'gaming' anymore that involves more than the power of a calculator. Haven't you seen my many posts about the kinds of things I like? You know, simple web games and ancient MAME games?

To the point-- I have a physical disease that gets a little worse every year, and replacing my whole rig just to run a single dang program is indeed a puzzler in my situation. Like, I mentioned the word "paralysis" above, no?