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D.a.l.e
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- Dec 21, 2023
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I was expecting great things from Super Resolution, so after working with it, this is the response from the printer about SR and other upscalers:
================================================================================
AGAIN.........Please do not encourage anyone to enlarge their images using any programme, including those specifically marketed as “upscalers” or “AI enlargement” tools.
Here is why.
When an image is enlarged, no matter how clever the software claims to be, the programme is not revealing hidden detail. It is inventing pixels. Those pixels are guessed, not real, and the guess is often wrong.
On screen, especially on a phone or small monitor, this can look acceptable. At print size, it frequently falls apart.
What we see when an enlarged image reaches production:
• Soft or smeared detail where crisp edges should be
• Plastic looking textures, especially in skin, fur, clouds, and foliage
• Haloing around edges
• Artificial sharpening artefacts
• Banding in skies and gradients
• Noise patterns that were not present in the original
• A general loss of natural depth and realism
Once printed, these flaws are magnified, not hidden. A print that looks “fine” online can look cheap, muddy, or frankly broken on paper or canvas.
This is not a printer issue. It is not a settings issue. It is a source file issue.
We often refuse to print enlarged files because:
• We cannot correct invented data
• We cannot guarantee print quality
• It risks disappointing the customer
• It reflects badly on the artist and the platform
• It leads to complaints, refunds, and reprints
No reputable print lab will knowingly accept upscaled files for professional printing unless they were created at the required size from the outset.
Important point
AI upscaling and enlargement tools are not the same as working at proper resolution. They do not “restore” detail. They simulate it. Printing exposes that simulation immediately.
This is why we always say:
Create at the correct size.
Export at the correct size.
Do not enlarge afterwards.
If a file has been enlarged beyond its native resolution, even with specialist software, it may be refused for printing. That decision protects the customer, the artist, and the platform.
This is not negotiable, and it is not opinion. It is how print works.
================================================================================
AGAIN.........Please do not encourage anyone to enlarge their images using any programme, including those specifically marketed as “upscalers” or “AI enlargement” tools.
Here is why.
When an image is enlarged, no matter how clever the software claims to be, the programme is not revealing hidden detail. It is inventing pixels. Those pixels are guessed, not real, and the guess is often wrong.
On screen, especially on a phone or small monitor, this can look acceptable. At print size, it frequently falls apart.
What we see when an enlarged image reaches production:
• Soft or smeared detail where crisp edges should be
• Plastic looking textures, especially in skin, fur, clouds, and foliage
• Haloing around edges
• Artificial sharpening artefacts
• Banding in skies and gradients
• Noise patterns that were not present in the original
• A general loss of natural depth and realism
Once printed, these flaws are magnified, not hidden. A print that looks “fine” online can look cheap, muddy, or frankly broken on paper or canvas.
This is not a printer issue. It is not a settings issue. It is a source file issue.
We often refuse to print enlarged files because:
• We cannot correct invented data
• We cannot guarantee print quality
• It risks disappointing the customer
• It reflects badly on the artist and the platform
• It leads to complaints, refunds, and reprints
No reputable print lab will knowingly accept upscaled files for professional printing unless they were created at the required size from the outset.
Important point
AI upscaling and enlargement tools are not the same as working at proper resolution. They do not “restore” detail. They simulate it. Printing exposes that simulation immediately.
This is why we always say:
Create at the correct size.
Export at the correct size.
Do not enlarge afterwards.
If a file has been enlarged beyond its native resolution, even with specialist software, it may be refused for printing. That decision protects the customer, the artist, and the platform.
This is not negotiable, and it is not opinion. It is how print works.
