AI Video Upscaler
Upload a clip, choose one of three Topaz enhancement models, select 1080p or 4K, and create a higher-resolution version without overwriting the original.
Increase footage resolution for larger screens.
Powered by Topaz Labs models
When AI video upscaling makes sense
Which video upscaler should you use?
Astra 2, Proteus and Starlight all ship with every plan, and they treat your footage differently. The practical difference is how much new detail each one is willing to invent.
Topaz Proteus: stay closest to the source
The precision option. Proteus sharpens the structure that is already in the frame and adds the least new texture, so the result reads as the same footage at a higher resolution. Pick it when exact appearance matters more than maximum detail, or when the source is already clean.
Topaz Astra 2: the balanced default
The highest-quality creative model. Astra 2 reconstructs noticeably more fine detail than Proteus and still holds together on faces and product shots. A sensible first try for general footage, and the strongest of the three on compressed, noisy phone video.
Topaz Starlight: rebuild a difficult source
A diffusion model built to improve realism, and the most interpretive of the three. It generates the most new texture, which helps when the source is badly degraded and there is little left to sharpen. On faces it can add skin detail that was never in the original, so review it closely.
We ran all three upscalers on the same five clips
Every clip below started as the same 854x480 source and was upscaled to 1080p by Topaz Astra 2, Topaz Proteus and Topaz Starlight. All four versions play side by side at 100% crop, because at full-frame size the differences are hard to spot and some of them only show up in motion.
1080p or 4K: which should you pick?
You choose the target before you run the job, and bigger is not automatically better. 4K from a very soft source does not create information that was never captured, and it can make model interpretation easier to spot.
- Pick 1080p for standard web, social and short-form delivery
- Pick 4K for larger displays, retail screens, digital OOH and crop or reframe headroom
- Rerun the same source at a different target if the spec changes, without restarting the project
What to check after upscaling
Faces and skin
Look at eyes, teeth, hairlines and skin texture, and watch them in motion rather than on a single frame. A still can look excellent while the same face shifts subtly between frames.
Text, logos and packaging
Small type is where interpretation shows first. In our own tests, two of the three models rendered crisp label text that did not match the letterforms in the source. If typography has to be exact, check it at 100%.
Motion and fine patterns
Fabric, grids and repeating textures can start to shimmer once new detail is added. Play the clip at full speed and watch whether the added detail stays put or crawls.
Upscale, or re-export from the original project?
Upscaling is the right move when a finished render is all you have. If the project file and a native high-resolution master are both still available, exporting again from the timeline will usually give you a cleaner result, especially when typography has to be exact.
Upscale the rendered clip
The render is all that is left
A finished 720p or 1080p export is enough to start. Drop it in, pick a model and a target resolution.
The project is archived or gone
No timeline to reopen, no access to the original assets, or the project lives on someone else's machine.
The clip came from a video model
Generative models often output below the resolution you need to deliver. Upscale it without leaving getimg.ai.
Re-export from the project
- You still have the project file and a native high-resolution master
- Titles, logos and packaging copy have to be exactly right
- The edit may still change, so you will be exporting again anyway
- You have time for the round trip through the timeline
Video Upscaler specs
What the Upscale video Action accepts and returns.
Explore other AI video tools
Frequently Asked Questions
An AI video upscaler creates a higher-resolution version of your footage using machine-learning models. getimg.ai returns it as a separate file at the resolution you pick, and your original clip stays in the gallery untouched.
They differ in how much new detail they are willing to create. Topaz Proteus is the precision option: it sharpens what is already there and adds the least. Topaz Astra 2 is the highest-quality creative model and reconstructs noticeably more fine detail, which makes it a good general default. Topaz Starlight is a diffusion model aimed at realism and is the most interpretive of the three, which helps on badly degraded sources but means more of the result is the model's estimate. If exact appearance matters, start with Proteus; if the source is very soft, compare Astra 2 and Starlight.
AI video upscaling reconstructs each frame at your target resolution instead of stretching pixels. Where the source has no information left, the model estimates what the missing detail should look like, so part of what you see is interpretation rather than recovered data. How far that goes depends on the model: Proteus stays closest to the source, while Astra 2 and Starlight add more. Unlike text-to-image generation, upscaling keeps the framing, motion and content of your clip. It changes how much fine detail is present, not what happens on screen.
Yes. Results depend on the source: cleaner inputs hold up better, while heavily compressed or very small files have less for the model to work from. Going straight to 4K from a very low-resolution clip does not recover detail that was never captured, and it can make invented detail easier to see. Start from the best master you have.
Yes. The audio track from your source is carried over to the upscaled file unchanged. Upscaling only affects the video track.
No. Upscaling changes spatial resolution only. A 30 fps source comes back at 30 fps with the same number of frames, and no new frames are generated in between. If your clip stutters or judders, that is a timing issue and an upscaler will not fix it.
An MP4 with an H.265 (HEVC) video track and your original audio track alongside it. Output dimensions follow the aspect ratio of your source, so a clip that is not exactly 16:9 lands close to 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 rather than exactly on it. If you are delivering to a strict spec, check the final dimensions, codec and container before you hand the file over.
Up to 100 MB and 5 minutes. That covers most ads, short-form social clips, AI generations and recorded segments. For longer projects, split the input, upscale each part, and rejoin them in your editor.
If you still have the project file and a native high-resolution master, re-exporting from the timeline will usually give you a better result, especially when titles, logos or packaging copy have to be exact. Upscale when the project is archived or unavailable, when all you have is a finished render, or when the clip came out of a generative model below the resolution you need.
Both. Upload any video that fits the file and length limits, or pick Upscale video from the three-dot menu on a clip already in your gallery. Phone recordings, archival cuts, AI generations and editor exports all work.
Paid plans include commercial usage rights for eligible getimg.ai outputs, subject to your plan terms. Upscaling does not grant new rights to footage you uploaded, so you still need the necessary rights or permissions for the original source material.
Upscale your first clip
Open a clip, pick a model and a target resolution, and the higher-resolution version lands alongside your original. Paid plans include commercial rights for client work and ads.