Increasing the resolution of an image is easy:
1. Download Movavi Photo Editor.
2. Add your image to the program.
3. Adjust the width and height of the image.
4. Apply the AI enlargement effect if necessary.
Ever wondered how to increase the resolution of an image or how to enhance a photo while maintaining detail? With many software available, it’s hard to know which is the best way to increase the resolution of a photo but there are a few apps that stand out as the best when it comes to upscaling your imagery whilst retaining detail.
Quick summary
Best value software for optimal results: Movavi Photo Editor
Best for increasing the resolution of a photo: Adobe® Photoshop®
Best free option for those with no budget: GIMP
At Movavi, our primary goal is to provide you with only verified information. Here’s what we do to ensure this:
When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.
All the products in this article have been tested by Movavi Content Team.
We compare the key characteristics of every product, including photo scaling and cropping, object and background removal, image restoration, and other significant features.
We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.
We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.
How to enhance a photo with Adobe® Photoshop®
Best for: increasing resolution and all-round image editing
OS: Windows 10 64-bit or later and macOS Big Sur (version 11.0) or later
In this guide, we’ll show you how to increase the resolution of an image using two methods in Adobe® Photoshop®. The first tried and tested method is to increase the image size itself.
You may be wondering how to change the resolution of an image using Artificial Intelligence? A newer way to increase the resolution of a photo is to add a neural filter.
Pros:
Industry-standard image editing software
Has both standard and AI tools for resizing
Cons:
Monthly subscription only
May be too complex for basic users
How to change the resolution of an image without Adobe® Photoshop®
Best for: great value to increase resolution of images
OS: Windows and macOS
If you need to resize the resolution of an image using Movavi Photo Editor, then it couldn’t be simpler.
Pros:
Speedy resolution resizing
Superb value for occasional users
Also available via Steam
Cons:
Limitations in the free trial version
Best for: free resolution resizing of images
OS: GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows, and more
To begin resizing an image in GIMP, either drag and drop a photo into the software or go to File > Open and navigate to your image.
Pros:
Absolutely free
Smooth operation
Can alter source code and redistribute
Cons:
Not as sophisticated as some apps
Results not quite as robust
Preview on macOS
Best for: free, pre-installed, and speedy operation
OS: all macOS versions
If you don’t have any specific software installed on your Mac device, you may be wondering how to improve the resolution of an image or how to make low resolution pictures high resolution. In order to do this you can use the in-built software Preview.
Pros:
Software is pre-installed on all macOS devices
It’s completely free
It opens compatible files quickly and easily
Cons:
There are limited editing tools
It doesn’t open every single image file type
Confined to macOS devices only
Best for: artificially Intelligent image resizing on a Mac and PC
OS: macOS 10.15.6 and above, Windows 10, 11 (current maintenance releases, 64 bit only)
After launching ON1 Resize, navigate to your desired image and double-click it to open it up in the software.
Pros:
Face recovery features aid portraits
Detail refinement processes
Noise removal tool for noisy images
Works as a plug-in for Adobe® Lightroom® and Photoshop®
Cons:
Sharpening features can be too strong
More detail equals bigger file sizes
Best for: web use – no download required
OS: all OS (web-based)
A web-based image resizer, Let’sEnhance.io allows you to upload any photo in JPEG, PNG, or WebP file format up to 50MB in size and will then automatically upscale the image by increasing its resolution by at least double its original size. There are three methods to image resizing using the site: Photo, Digital art, and Smart Enhance. Each option will also give a different set of controls to use. Photo, as the name suggests, is ideal for any image captured by a digital device such as a digital camera and offers an Enhance face details button for portraits. Digital art is anything that falls under the umbrella of drawings, illustrations, paintings, cartoons, anime, and more. And Smart Enhance works best on small images where image quality retention is the most important factor rather than upscaling to a specific size, as it processes and cleans the image from unwanted artefacts. When you’re ready, either use Auto or select Custom and choose a Factor to multiply the image size by, either: 2×, 4×, 8×, or 16× but remember that some options are grayed out depending on the type of Upscale type you choose. Then just click Start processing in the bottom-right of the window and Let’sEnhance.io will provide a download link at the bottom of the screen.
Pros:
Web-based so can use from anywhere
Can be used by almost every device
Cons:
Requires internet connection
Processing can be much slower than dedicated software
Bad quality when on poor internet
Best for: quick online image upscaling use
OS: all devices with compatible browsers
ImageUpscaler is an image enlarging site that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automatically increase image resolution by up to 4× the original size without making photos blurry. It’s simple layout is quick and easy to use, just click on the Resize Image Now! button and you’re taken to a new page where you can select your desired image (just be sure to turn off any ad blockers you have on your browser as this may stop the upload box from appearing, but beware distracting adverts that may include download links to products, rather than your resized image). Click Browse and then, after selecting your image, click Upscale Image. Image files must be below 1000 pixels on either side for this site to work though, which other resizing apps aren’t restricted with.
Pros:
Use from anywhere by simply uploading files
Quick to operate and download images
Simple to use with basic upload/download format
Cons:
Speed depends on internet connection
Limited to 10 downloads before purchase
Best for: those who want a basic enlarger
OS: all devices with compatible browsers
A fast loading site and no frills means you get stuck into image resizing quickly using PhotoEnlarger. On the main page simply click the Browse button and navigate to an image stored on your computer on the window that appears. Next, an enlargement factor setting appears on the page. A long blue slider offers a helpful guide to adjust the scale of the resize and can work from 100% minimum and raise up to 213% maximum. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to be precise with your scale size simply type a number between 100-213 in the number box below, or type a specific width or height size into the adjacent boxes. Then click the Enlarge! button and the site will offer four different resized images, each with bespoke settings based on the type of image you may have uploaded. Simply download, or crop and then download for your finished image.
Pros:
Basic upload tool
No fancy editing tricks
Cons:
User interface feels dated
Only four options for enlargement generation
How to improve a resolution of an image on your phone
Best for: image resizing on mobile devices
OS: iOS 13.0 or later, iPadOS 13.0 or later, iOS 13.0 or late, macOS 11.0 or later, and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later
Images taken on smart devices typically tend to have a lower resolution than digital cameras. If you want to know how to improve the resolution of an image you’ve already taken, then the app Image Size might be a good choice. Image Size, available for both Android and iOS, is a simple app that allows image resizes with lots of control. Upon launching the app on a smart device you’ll notice that there are five control options at the top of the app. Click on the top-left picture icon, or in the white square in the middle, to navigate to your local images on the device. If you’d prefer to take a photo ready for resizing then the camera icon next to the picture icon will start the picture-taking process (with permission from the user). Initially, the image will be locked in a 1:1 aspect ratio, so click the chain link icon in the middle of the Width and Height text boxes to remove this. Next, type into one of the text boxes to resize the image in pixels. Alternative units of measurement can be selected from the tabs running across the window at the top, with options for pixel, greater than or equal to pixels, millimeters, centimeters, and inches. Next to the options for mm, cm, and inches are two hamburger buttons which offer up an array of preset sizes from you to choose from, which makes it easier to keep things consistent if printing for a frame such as 6 × 4, for example. Save the image to your phone by clicking the down arrow in the bottom-left, share it with others via the share button in the bottom-center, or print it using the printer icon in the bottom-right.
Pros:
Available for all major Apple mobile devices
Good software for use on-the-go
Cons:
Not available for Android devices
User interface looks a little dated
Best for: resizing multiple photos simultaneously on mobile
OS: Android phones and tablets
A nicely presented, simple user interface greets us at first launch in Photo Resizer to show us how to make low resolution pictures high resolution. Immediately we have three options to choose from: Select photo (choose this option if you already have a photo on your smart device you wish to use), Take photo (if you wish to capture an image from within the app), or File mode (if you have an image saved somewhere on the smart device but it isn’t in the usual directory). Grant the app permissions to search your device once an option is selected and then choose your desired image. From here you can choose from two preset sizes or enter a Custom size by typing into the number boxes that appear. Be careful here as there is no aspect ratio lock automatically in force before saving. Once the image is saved, navigate to the correct file directory as displayed in the pop-up window to find your image. Alternatively, you can now share your photo or resize another photo with the two options that appear after saving has completed.
Pros:
Free use on Android devices
Can resize multiple images for different social media
Cons:
Tracks your approximate location
Ads on free version
Best for: AI image and video editing
OS: Android and Apple mobile devices
This smart device app isn’t just a one-trick pony but rather offers many tools for photo editing on Android and iOS devices. For that reason getting to the resize option is a tiny bit more convoluted than other bespoke image resizers. In the main window, select on a photo or use one of the pre-existing free images as part of the PicsArt package. Next, head down to the bottom toolbar and click on Tools which has a crop icon, before clicking on Resize. A new window will appear with Width and Height number boxes in which to type your new image resolution. The aspect ratio is locked, so any change you make to either Width or Height will automatically make an appropriately scaled change to the other. At time of writing, there’s no way to disengage this. You can resize the image to any size up to a maximum of 12 Megapixels (2999 × 4000 pixels).
Pros:
Can be used on both Apple and Android mobile devices
Capable of editing pictures and video footage
Cons:
Reported issues with image generation
Recently some more features have moved to the ‘premium’ version
Tips on choosing a method to increase the photo resolution
Summary
Whether you need editing software to change the resolution of a picture on laptop or desktop computers, or you’re in need of mobile editing apps for smartphones and tablets to make images look better, our guide shows you how to change the resolution of images and rounds up the best software available today. Our roundup includes software and apps that are either completely free, free with ads, or available for a small subscription fee or can be bought as standalone editing software to keep forever so there should be something for everyone.
Movavi Photo Editor
Easily enhance images and get professional-grade results in a snap.
*The trial version of Movavi Photo Editor has the following restrictions: you can save up to 10 images with added watermark, screenshots are disabled.
Jason Parnell-Brookes
An award-winning photographer with more than 10 years of experience. A qualified teacher and Master’s graduate, he also writes for TechRadar, Creative Bloq, and Digital Camera World. He won Gold in the Nikon Photo Contest 2018/19 and was named Digital Photographer of the Year in 2014.
Have questions?
If you can’t find the answer to your question, please feel free to contact our Support Team.
Join for how-to guides, speсial offers, and app tips!
1.5М+ users already subscribed to our newsletter