Download Upscayl 1.2.0 (Mac) – Download Free

Image upscaling models are becoming more advanced every day, and open source applications that provide high-quality results are becoming more accessible. They allow you to salvage low-quality pictures or simply blow up standard-resolution images for various purposes.

upscale is a new open source upgrade application that currently relies on the (also open source) Real-ESRGAN model. It’s fairly basic at the moment, offering few customization options and a basic user interface, but it can still prove very useful.

Installation requirements on macOS and GPU

Before running the application, it is important not to skip the steps detailed here. Just open a terminal and enter the commands listed, otherwise the application won’t work.

It’s also worth noting that Upscayl requires a dedicated GPU, although it seems to work fine on an M1 Mac with an integrated GPU. If you have an Intel Mac with integrated Intel graphics, you may not be able to use this application.

Intuitive but not customizable

If nothing else, Upscayl is a very intuitive application. Just load the image, choose the enlargement type, set the output location, and start the enlargement. Once the process is complete, you will be able to compare the original and modified versions of the image.

The results are pretty good, but there are no parameters to customize other than using presets for photos or digital art. Upgrades are locked at 4x, you can’t change noise cancellation settings, and no other models are available.

Promising open source upgrader

If you just need a quick and easy way to increase the resolution of your images, Upscayl will do the job well, but the lack of customization will limit its usability, and only one upgraded model is currently available.

The development team seems to be planning to add some of these features in future releases, so this app may become a better option in the future.