Best Setting For Upscayling Movie Stills?

[PalaceDepression1963]

On the Windows 10 desktop version of Upscayl, which setting is best for enlarging movie photos, without adding more grain or excessive sharpness? Google advised me to use the Ultrasharp setting, which I was wary of since I thought the original image had enough of that. But the descriptions of the different modes are so broad, I can't figure out the best one for this. Here's a preview of my attempt from last night (my PC is so old I have to leave it on for about 12 hours, just to finish one increase). I did try using the web version, but those settings were all horrendous beyond reason.

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @PalaceDepression1963! I'm Dosu and I'm helping the Upscayl team.

For movie stills where you want to avoid adding grain or excessive sharpness, here are the models I'd recommend trying:

1. High Fidelity — This is designed specifically for "realistic details and smooth textures" [1], making it a strong fit for photographic/cinematic content without over-sharpening.

2. Ultramix Balanced — If High Fidelity feels too soft, this offers "a balance of sharpness and detail" for natural images [2]. It sits between the softer commercial models and the aggressive sharpening of Ultrasharp.

3. Remacri — Another middle-ground option with "added sharpness and detail" for natural images [3], often recommended for texture preservation.

Ultrasharp is explicitly focused on maximizing sharpness [4], so your instinct to be wary of it was well-founded — it's likely to add more sharpening than you want for movie stills that already look good.

Note that Ultramix Balanced, Remacri, and Ultrasharp are all non-commercial use only [5]. If that's a concern, High Fidelity is your best commercial-licensed option.

I'd suggest starting with High Fidelity and comparing it against Ultramix Balanced on a cropped portion of your image to save time, then running the full upscale with whichever you prefer.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[PalaceDepression1963]

@dosu So far, Ultramix introduces too much additional sharpness. High Fidelity is smoother, but the details like hair and clothing are blurred out a bit. Do you think the Remacri setting would solve this?