Upscaling: enlarge your images the right way
With careful upscaling you can increase almost any image to the size you need.
We all have been there; sometimes a client gives us an image he wants to use for a printed material but the image is at 72 dpis for web and it is the only image he has, he can’t replace it.
Normally this is a disaster and you would need some antacids. But with a careful upscalling you can increase the size of the image and use it even for printed material.
When you make an image larger you have to contend with the problem of inventing extra information that isn’t present at the original.
Photoshop uses a method of interpolating pixels. The problem is that interpolating tends to produce results that are fuzzy and blurry. You can’t put data that wasn’t in the original.
There are several methods to correct this. The first one is using a Plugin. Alien Skins Blow up http://www.alienskin.com/blowup/ brings a lot of detail. The downside is the price $ 199
The second method can be used directly in Photoshop, doing increases by 105%.
Sample Image: this image is 300 x 200 pixels at 72 dpis.
Step 1. 105% Increases
a) Select image size: image > Image Size
b) Multiply the width for 105%. In this case the result is 315.
c) Select Resample image: Bicubic Smoother
Step 2 Repeat the process
Repeat this process several times until obtaining the desire size. You can create a simple Photoshop action to perform this task. I repeated the process several times until my image was 800-pixel width.
By repeating many small enlargements you retain much of the crispness.
Step 3 Surface Blur
Filter > Blur > Surface Blur. Set it to 7 radius and 7 threshold.
Step 4 Smart Sharpen
Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. Set the amount to 100% and play with the radius to obtain the desire result.
Here you can se a comparison of and image scaled directly to 800 pixels and the other with 105% increments.
800 pixels directly
105 % increases
In spite of the hard edges of the calculator we have a very good result. It works better in smooth surfaces as skin.
About The Author
Javier Cantero
I'm a graphic/web designer, entrepreneur and the founder of Designer Freelance. I hope we can share lots of information and ideas. You can follow me on Twitter @designerfree
You may also like these stories:
5 Comments to Upscaling: enlarge your images the right way
Deals
Gallery
Interact with us
Popular Posts
-
Colorful light burst text effect
20 Sep 2010
-
Flaming ghost Car
02 Apr 2010
-
Create a Ki energy ball
07 Sep 2010
-
Cool force field tutorial in photoshop
18 Mar 2010
-
Advanced masking method 1
12 Oct 2010
Recent Articles
Recommended Links
-
Royalty-Free Stock Vectors @Depositphotos.com
- Use your favorite design to make custom checks
- La Guia Inmobiliaria Vida y Estilo
Find homes and departments in Queretaro - Trazo Publicidad
Great Post.Thanks for it sharing.
Superb tip!! This image tutorial is totally useful. thanks for sharing dear.
wow its a great technique! thanks for sharing, its useful for us.
This is great! What about the resolution, though? Could you increase it in increments along with the re-size? Or, would that never do?
I appreciate this article! Thank you!
Su
[...] files in Photoshop I found this great article on the web for enlarging files in Photoshop. Upscaling: enlarge your images with photoshop | Designer Freelance I haven't tried it yet but it looks like a great way to enlarge and sharpen at the same time. Its [...]