5 free artificial intelligence tools to improve photo quality

We all love using AI tools like Dall-E and Midjourney to create new and creative images. But can we use artificial intelligence to improve the quality of our old or poor photos? In this field, fortunately, attractive artificial intelligence tools have been developed, and below we will discuss 5 tools that you can use for free.

How to increase the quality of the photo?

When we look at a low-quality image, it is most likely because of its low resolution. This means that the image is made up of fewer pixels; Therefore, there is little information to show it. Upscaling is a process that increases the quality of an image by increasing its size.

Traditional upscaling methods determine the color of a new pixel in a higher-resolution image by averaging four nearby pixels. Some methods also use a special formula to calculate the weighted average of 16 adjacent pixels to produce the new pixel color. However, AI can enhance the quality of images using Super Resolution Techniques.

Artificial intelligence tools contain models trained on massive data sets. This helps the AI ​​to evaluate the available pixels, understand the pattern and predict additional pixels to improve the image quality. Artificial intelligence models have significantly improved the way images are upscaled, and we want to introduce you to five free tools that you can use to enhance the quality of your photos.

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How to check these tools

In order to better understand the performance difference between these tools, we have done a small test for each of them, and we will go into the details of these tests below:

• Our first test involves a low quality image (120 x 120 pixels). In this scenario, the artificial intelligence needs to reproduce the existing details instead of highlighting them. So, expect artificial looking results. This test helps you evaluate how well the software is able to add details that blend seamlessly with the image.
• The second test involves enhancing a low-quality, noisy image. While the resolution of this image (300 x 300 pixels) is better than the input image in the first test, it allows you to evaluate how the software improves the image details.
• Not all of you may be looking to drastically improve an image, and sometimes you just need a mild upgrade. That's why we included the second test.
• In both test images, personal photos are used; This forces the tool to add details that specifically match the person's face without making them look unrecognizable.

Now, considering this issue, we will start the review of these tools.

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AnyRec: The best free tool to improve photo quality

Most of the image resolution enhancement tools we found online only offer up to 4x resolution enhancement in their free version. But with AnyRec, you can increase the resolution of images up to 8 times for free. Check out our test results where we enlarged two low quality images to 8x resolution.

In the first test, we enlarged a low-quality image of the set of images by 8 times. Due to the lack of details in the original image, this tool uses artificial intelligence to compensate and add more details. Therefore, the results may seem a little artificial. However, this is the most realistic result for the first test compared to the other tools on this list.

The performance of this tool in the second test is also excellent. There is a significant difference in image quality. The other tools on this list delivered us a very high-resolution image, but AnyRec does a pretty good job of keeping the balance.

Overall, this is the best free photo enhancement tool we've found online. Fortunately, the free plan of this tool does not have many limitations and is considered completely free.

Price: completely free

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Iloveimg: Second place in the best tools

iLoveIMG is a simple tool to increase the quality (resolution) of images by two or four times. To use this tool, just upload your images and select the amount of quality increase. This program allows you to upload three images at the same time and adjust the quality increase for each image separately.

In the first test, iLoveIMG has an acceptable performance. As expected, AI interference is evident in the result, but the image quality hasn't dropped so much as to be unusable. Especially if you look at the image from a distance, the distortions will not be visible.

iLoveIMG also has a great performance in the second test. The results obtained from this tool in increasing the image quality up to 4 times, were better than any other tool that we used. As you can see, the detail and image quality has improved significantly.

iLoveIMG is free to use, but you must register to use it. However, there is a limit to the number of images you can zoom in on. You can get the paid version of this tool to access unlimited image zoom and remove ads. The premium version also increases the maximum resolution you can zoom the image to.

Price: Free / Paid version: $4 or more per month

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Img.Upscaler: Free enlargement of 20 photos per month

Img.Upscaler is another artificial intelligence tool for enhancing the quality of photos that allows you to increase the resolution of your images up to 4 times. The user interface of this tool is simple and you can upload images in JPG or PNG format. In the following, you can see the performance of this tool in two different tests in which we increased the images up to 4 times the original resolution.

The results of the first test were satisfactory. Image details were restored with some distortion, but still acceptable. Obviously, if you look at the image from a distance or use it as a thumbnail, the image quality looks decent.

In the second test, the image was very sharp and we were satisfied with the overall result. However, if you look more closely at the image and zoom in on the eyes or glasses, you'll notice some artificial details. This was not observed in the tools we reviewed earlier. Despite this, Img.Upscaler significantly improves the quality of the input image.

By signing up to Img.Upscaler, you get 20 free credits per month. This means you can upgrade up to 20 images per month with this tool for free. To increase the number of monthly credits as well as the final resolution of the output images, you can use the premium plans of this service so that you don't have any special restrictions to increase the quality of the photos.

Price: Free / Paid version: $19 and up per year

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Upscale.Media: Increase the photo resolution by 4 times for free

Upscale.Media is a convenient alternative photo upscaling tool that allows you to enlarge images up to four times their original resolution. This tool can be useful if you don't have access to the top three tools mentioned in this list. We upscaled two test images to 4x their original resolution with Upscale.Media. We also used the “Enhance Quality” option that was available. But does this option make a difference? Let's check together.

The short answer is no, it doesn't make a difference. In the first test, the results were average. Most of the image details are not well reproduced and the image looks quite unnatural. However, we don't want to judge this tool based on just one sample image; Because it may perform better on an image with less detail or an image whose details can be easily reconstructed by artificial intelligence.

In the second test, Upscale.Media performs fairly well. But if you zoom in on the image, you'll notice that some elements look like they've been painted. However, the tool is still usable and we are not unhappy with its performance.

With Upscale.media you can upgrade three images for free. Beyond that, you need to purchase additional credits that allow you to upgrade and download images as well as increase the output resolution.

Price: Free / Extra credit: $9 for 10 credits

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Pixelcut.ai: Increase the quality of the photo up to twice the resolution

Pixelcut.ai is another suitable tool for improving photo quality. Pixelcut.ai software for free only provides the possibility of increasing the resolution of images by a maximum of two times. However, it's still a good option if you don't have access to other tools.

In the first test, the performance of this tool is surprisingly good. Although the image looks somewhat artificial, its performance is better than the previous tool and is on par with the other top tools on the list. The image output does not contain many artificial details and the face is still recognizable. Therefore, this software can perform better for images with reproducible details.

As expected, this tool performs well in the second test as well. The output images have good resolution and their texture does not look artificial when zooming.

Pixelcut.ai allows you to upscale a limited number of images for free. By purchasing the paid version of this software, you can remove the limit on the number of images and increase their resolution up to four times.

Price: Free / Paid version: 9.99 and above per month

final word

In this article, we discussed 4 artificial intelligence tools that have a lot to say to improve photo quality. As we explained, one of these tools is completely free, but the rest, although they offer some of their features for free, you must use their paid version to take advantage of more features.

Source: Guiding Tech