Originally posted over 4 years ago by Brandon Zell, Web/UI Designer
Imagine taking a tiny, pixelated image and magically transforming it into a higher-resolution version that’s up to 4× larger. That’s the promise of Let’s Enhance, a tool that aims to recover details from low-res photos—and Brandon Zell was genuinely blown away.
The Promise of “Magic” Resolution
Brandon shared his excitement after testing Let’s Enhance. The tool promises to turn a small, pixelated image into a “magic” version with a significantly increased resolution. This capability can be a huge help for designers or clients who only have low-res photos (or even logos) at hand for websites and marketing materials.
Brandon’s tests revealed:
- Pixelated Photos: When starting with a clearly pixelated photo (for example, an image off Facebook), the results can be impressive. In one case, an image was transformed from a small, pixelated version to one that was 4× larger, recovering details in a way that traditional upscaling in Photoshop simply couldn’t match.
- Normal-Res Photos: On the flip side, when using normal-resolution photos, the process took significantly longer and produced smoother, but not necessarily more detailed, images.
Community Reactions
The discussion around Let’s Enhance was lively and multifaceted:
- Performance and ETA:
Brandon noted varying processing times—initial tests showed an ETA of around 2 minutes for small photos, but later tests with a 200×200 pixel image reported up to an hour. Some users joked about the wait time, with one remarking, “ETA: 3 hours. Ain’t nobody got time for that.” - Quality and Use Cases:
Several users found the tool particularly useful for clearly pixelated images. Brandon himself emphasized that the tool works best with images that have an obvious pixelation, such as Facebook photos. One user shared that while low-res logos improved somewhat, they didn’t become “game changers,” and for normal-resolution photos, the tool didn’t add much detail beyond smoothing. - Privacy Concerns:
A few commenters raised issues regarding the need to provide an email address to use the service, warning that it might be misused. Others suggested using temporary or alias email addresses to protect personal information. - Comparisons with Photoshop:
One notable comment from Dennis Schmidt compared the results favorably against traditional Photoshop scaling techniques, stating that the enhancement is “about 1 million times better” than simply enlarging an image by 400% in Photoshop.
Final Thoughts
Let’s Enhance shows great promise—especially for designers dealing with low-resolution images that need a boost. Its ability to upscale pixelated photos into usable, higher-resolution images is impressive, though its performance may vary depending on the source image. If you’re in a pinch and have only low-res images at your disposal, this tool could be a real lifesaver. However, for more subtle enhancements or non-pixelated images, traditional methods might still be your best bet.
In a nutshell, while Let’s Enhance isn’t perfect for every situation, it’s a fascinating example of how AI-driven tools are beginning to change the way we handle image resolution issues. Whether you’re experimenting with client assets or testing out a new logo, it’s worth giving this “magic” tool a try.