In-Depth Analysis: Topaz Gigapixel AI vs. Photoshop CS vs. Upscayl – The Ultimate Upscaling Software Showdown

In this comprehensive article, I bring together insights from my previous comparison between Photoshop and Topaz Gigapixel AI in 2021 and a new, detailed evaluation that includes the addition of Upscayl. This exploration aims to determine the best upscaling software for various digital art needs in 2024.

This article contains an affiliate link to Topaz Gigapixel AI 7.0. By using this link you support my blog because I can earn a small fee when you purchase the software. The price stays the same for you of course. If you rather not click the affiliate link a normal link is below on the page also. I am not sponsored by Topaz and not getting anything in return for this article but I am a long-time (critical) user of the software.

[After writing this article I also tested and reviewed Magnific.ai which can also be used as a pretty good upscaler but because of the costs this tool is not really comparable with Topaz Gigapixel, Upscayl or even Photoshop.]

Background: The 2021 Comparison Previously, I had compared Photoshop Enhance and Topaz Gigapixel AI, focusing on their upscaling capabilities for larger prints and detailed compositing. In that comparison, Topaz Gigapixel AI emerged as the preferred choice due to its superior detail retention and handling of compression artifacts, despite being slower and more resource-intensive than Photoshop. The detailed findings from that comparison are available here.

The 2024 Showdown: Expanded and Updated In the latest comparison, I evaluate the newest versions of Photoshop CS, Topaz Gigapixel AI, and introduce Upscayl, based on their performance with an AI-generated image featuring shallow depth of field.

• Adobe Photoshop CS (2024 25.3.1) Adobe Photoshop link: Photoshop’s upscaling tool, ‘Preserve Details 2.0,’ is known for its ease of use and integration within the Adobe suite. When you upscale an image using this tool, the process is quick, but the outcome is generally softer, giving a slight blur to the details. This feature can be particularly useful for images where a dreamy, soft-focus background is desired. However, for images requiring crisp, clear details, this method might not be the best. It’s like turning a slightly blurry photograph into a larger one without much change in its clarity.

• Topaz Gigapixel AI (2024 v7.0) Topaz Gigapixel AI – Affiliate Link: Topaz Gigapixel AI, particularly in its ‘High Fidelity v2’ setting, is a more advanced tool, offering greater control over the upscaling process. This software examines the smaller details in an image and works to enhance them effectively, which can be crucial for images where every detail matters, such as in portraits or intricate designs. The details in the image much sharper than the Photoshop version but a little more soft than the Upscale results. The background is nice and soft and rendered without mistakes. When the AI face enhancement feature is turned on the results are particularly impressive, as it can bring out details in faces that are often lost in upscaling, making the subjects in the images appear more lifelike and sharp resulting in the best upscaling result of the three upscalers.

• Upscayl (Version 2.9.8) Upscayl link: Upscayl is a newer addition to the upscaling software arena, offering a user-friendly interface and a straightforward approach to increasing image resolution. Its main selling point is the simplicity of use, making it accessible even to beginners. However, it currently limits the scaling options to 2x and 4x, which means it doubles or quadruples the image’s dimensions.
  While it performs well in sharpening the details, there can be issues like over-smoothing, especially in areas of skin or backgrounds, which might result in a less natural look. At the used settings the image features are the sharpest compared to Photoshop and Gigapixel (without the face enhancement).
  The blurry background is the softest of the three upscalers. I would prefer a little more grain detail, but that is easily fixed in Photoshop. The only problem with the background was that Upscayl had some rendering errors with high contrasts in the blurry background (signs) as you can see in the image. It could be fixed manually or perhaps a new attempt with another model but the other two upscalers didn’t have any rendering errors.
  

Rendering time: Upscayl also took the most time on a MacBook Pro M1pro but unless you are converting batch work this isn’t a big deal (for me personally). Photoshop and Gigapixel both took about the same time to upscale and about 2/3 of the time it took for Upscayl to work it’s magic.

Pricing: Because I think most professionals will already use Photoshop the upscaling feature is of course included at no extra costs. Topaz Gigapixel AI will cost you $99 so this is definitely the most expensive option while Upscayl definitely should be on your computer as a free software option that beats the quality of Photoshop’s own upscaler.

Conclusion:
The very clean results of Upscayl (not taking the rendering errors into account) do make it a very good upscaler for 3D objects or painted/drawn art since the results will be clean with nice sharpening. If this is your niche or if you have no money to spent on an upscaler this is the obvious winner. If you also want to upscale textures like skin, want more control over the process and don’t mind spending the money Topaz Gigapixel AI 7.0 might be the better (professional) option.
This in-depth analysis underlines the significance of choosing the right tool based on specific requirements. While Upscayl provides a commendable free solution, Topaz Gigapixel AI, with its advanced settings and detail retention, is the superior choice for professional-quality results. Photoshop, although convenient for quick tasks and blurred backgrounds, is overshadowed by its more specialized competitors in this scenario.

PhotoAI: Topaz Labs also offers PhotoAI which can upscale similar to GigaPixel. If you are in the market for Gigapixel and you want to know the difference with PhotoAI please read the comparison I wrote here.

Disclaimer: Both Upscayl and Gigapixel offer various models and settings beyond what I used in this test. Results with other settings could differ significantly. I intentionally stuck to more general settings to mimic the approach a beginner might take with these tools.
The links to Topaz software contain an affiliate link which costs nothing extra to you but helps me keep writing these free articles.