Best 13 AI Tools to Enhance the Quality of Your Phone Photo

If you want to blow your photo up for a custom print, but you’re worried your print is going to blurry when enlarged you’re in luck! Thanks to recent advances in AI technology, graphic designers and photographers are no longer limited by the resolution of their original image. Now, AI can eliminate pixelation, sharpen edges, reduce noise, and more

And we’re sharing 13 of the best AI tools to enhance your photos. 

But before we dive into the AI solutions, let’s understand…

How Can AI Enhance Photo Quality to Reduce Pixelation?

AI is able to enhance photo quality and reduce pixelation through processes such as upscaling, denoising and sharpening, image restoration and retouching, and super-resolution. 

In an oversimplification, the AI system is able to analyze the image and then recognize patterns, textures, structures, etc. Then depending on the algorithm, the AI tool will add pixels, restore damaged pixels, remove and replace low quality pixels, and more. 

Why Is AI Better at Enhancing Photos Than Photoshop?

AI is better at enhancing photos than photoshop because AI is able to physically restore details and put pixels in place. Photoshop is only able to smooth blurry edges. 

When attempting to reduce blurriness of images in photoshop, distorted pixels are smoothed. However, this doesn’t fix the quality issues with the photo.

AI  collects data from and analyzes high-quality images. It then uses this information to make intelligent changes to pixels in your photo. AI goes beyond smoothing edges. It physically restores and reconstructs missing details, resulting in remarkable improvements in image quality. 

The Best 13 AI Tools to Enhance the Quality of Your Custom Print

When using AI to enhance the quality of your photo, it is important to choose the correct AI so that its algorithm is specifically trained to enhance the problems in your photo. 

Image Upscaling Tools

AI image upscaling tools focus on increasing the resolution and the size of an image while preserving details and reducing pixelation. The AI upscaling algorithms use deep learning, a lengthy process of learning from millions of images, to upscale images by creating new pixels based on learned patterns and structures. The goal is to create a larger, high-resolution image that appears sharper and more detailed than the original.

1. Topaz Gigapixel AI

Topaz Gigapixel AI is an exceptional AI image upscaler that can enhance your image’s detail and resolution by 600%.  After learning from millions of images, the upscaler can believably increase resolution on a wide variety of subjects (portraits, wildlife, landscapes, architecture, etc) and image types (DSLP, web/ compressed, CG). This technology is trusted and used by companies such as Netflix, Apple, Disney, and more. 

You can try Gigapixel AI for free or buy access for $99.99.

2. Let’sEnhance.io

Let’sEnhance.io upscales your pictures up to 16X without losing quality, making your pictures HD, 4k, or even higher resolution. This intuitive, one-click AI editor lets you add extra detail and pixels to edit your photos better than a professional. 

You can try their software for free with 10 free credits (1 credit = 1 image processing) or get access by purchasing a subscription (starting at $9/month) or one-time bundles (starting at $9 for 20 credits). 

3. Adobe Photoshop’s Preserve Details 2.0

Adobe Photoshop’s Preserve Details 2.0 is the best image upscaler available in Photoshop’s suite of editing tools. It is available in Photoshop CC 2018 and later. This algorithm is an advancement over Adobe Photoshop’s previous image enhancing technology, Preserve Details and Bicubic Smoother. 

You can find directions on how to use Preserve Details 2.0 in your up-to-date Adobe Photoshop here. 

4. Hitpaw Photo Enhancer

HitPaw Photo Enhancer is the self-proclaimed “Best AI Photo Enhancer.” After launching the enhancer software, simply upload your image(s), select one of their many AI models (AI Image Enlarger, AI Color Correction, AI Imager Sharpener, or AI Anime Upscaler) and edit images with just one click. 

A free trial of HitPaw Photo Enhancer software is available for both mac and windows. Full access starts at $17.99/ month or $99.99 for lifetime access. 

5. Fotor

Fotor is a multi-platform photo editing and graphic design tool that has been awarded the “Top Developer” designation by Google Play and was dubbed “Photoshop Lite” by the BBC. 

This free photo editing software that allows you to generate AI images and art, and edit photos. It is one of the most versatile, robust, and easy-to-use free AI photo editing software systems currently available.

Denoising and Sharpening Tools

AI denoising and sharpening tools improve image clarity by selectively reducing random variations or disturbances in pixels that are not part of the original image content. The AI denoising and sharpening tool algorithms analyze the image and selectively enhance details, edges, and textures while removing graininess, fluctuations in color, or random speckles.  The goal of these tools is to produce crisper, more refined images and reduce blur. 

6. Topaz DeNoise AI

Topaz DeNoise AI effortlessly reduces noise while recovering real detail in high-ISO and low light photos. The algorithm uses deep learning intelligence to distinguish between real image detail and noise. If you have high-ISO or low light photos, this tool is especially powerful for removing noise and recovering important photo details. 

You can try the software for free in a 30-day trial. Access is then available starting at $79.99. 

7. Skylum Luminar AI Neo

Skylum Luminar AI Neo is a photo editing software for casual and semi-professional photographers. The system has a faster-editing process than Lightroom and an easier-to-use interface that performs complex edits in seconds with one-click. Not only can you improve image quality, but you can also control lighting, add atmosphere, and replace the sky in your photo. 

Skylaum Luminar AI Neo starts at $9.95/month or has lifetime access available for $149. Although there is no free trial, they have a 30-day month back guarantee. 

8. Adobe Photoshop’s Smart Sharpen

Adobe Photoshop’s Smart Sharpen tool detects edges and sharpens them, without blurring or increasing noise. It is available as part of the Adobe Photoshop suite of tools. It creates thinner, less noticeable halos around edges, resulting in cleaner images. Smart sharpen also controls fading in both highlights and shadows so clear edge contrast is maintained. 

You can find directions on how to use Adobe Photoshop’s Smart Sharpen tool here.

Image Restoration and Retouching Tools

AI image restoration and retouching tools repair and enhance damaged, old, or imperfect images. The AI image restoration and retouching tools can remove scratches or dust, restore missing details, and improve color accuracy. The goal of these tools is to improve the appearance of the image while preserving the original content. 

9. Remini

Remini is a powerful AI tool that gives your low-quality visuals a HD upgrade. It can restore old photos to incredible details and elevate your content to a professional level. Their AI has the ability to unblur and sharpen, restore old photos, denoise, enhance faces, fix colors, and enlarge images up to 2X without sacrificing quality. Their easy-to-use app is available for both iOS and Android. It has 40 million monthly active users and 15 million monthly downloads. 

You can edit one image per day with Remini for free, or get unlimited editing access starting at $4.99/month. 

10. Adobe Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill

Adobe Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill allows you to quickly remove objects from your photo. The AI then fills in the background as if the object were never there. It is available in Photoshop CC 2020 and later.  Simply draw a section around an object or area. Then the tool will instantly fill in new image detail from the surrounding area. The fills are applied non-destructively so the original image is never harmed. 

You can find directions on how to use Adobe Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill here. 

11. Image Colorizer

Image Colorizer AI can add color to black and white photos, restore, enhance, retouch, and repair old photos.  All photos uploaded to the platform are secure and private. They use advanced encryption and security protocols and remove all uploaded photos in 24 hours. 

Edit and enhance 20 images on Image Colorizer for free each month. Purchase additional credits starting at $9/ month. 

Super-Resolution Tools

AI super-resolution tools generate high-resolution versions of low-resolution images. The AI super-resolution algorithms rely on deep learning and neural networks to infer and generate plausible details for the missing pixels in the low-resolution images. The goal is to create sharper, more detailed images that closely resemble the original image by increasing the level and detail and reducing pixelation. 

12. Waifu2x

Waifu2x is an image scaling and noise reduction program for anime-style art and other types of photos. The system uses Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.  The system can double the size of your image or photo in seconds while also reducing noise and improving the image’s appearance 10X. 

Waifu2x is completely free to use. You can scale as many images as you would like, at any time.

13. ESRGAN

ESRGAN (Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Network) is an AI tool that is able to produce photorealistic results through a perception-driven approach for single image super-resolution. 

You can access the tool using Google Colab, a free service hosted by Google that allows users to share documents containing live code. You don’t have to download anything to use it, you just need an internet connection. Although this system doesn’t have an intuitive user interface, you don’t need any coding knowledge to use this free super-resolution tool.

It is worth noting that while these tools can significantly enhance image quality and reduce pixelation, they still have limitations based on the original image’s resolution. While there can be overlaps in functionality, these tools have distinct objectives and approaches in enhancing image quality. You should try experimenting with different tools and settings to find the best results for your specific photo and custom print requirements.