In this Gigapixel AI review, we’re looking at the latest version of Topaz Labs’ superb AI image upscaling application. Unlike traditional image resizers, which enlarge your photo by blindly turning one pixel into many, Topaz Gigapixel AI uses artificial intelligence to anticipate and insert additional detail where none existed before.
Does it work? Yeah, it does. However, Topaz Gigapixel AI does not stand alone. First, it must contend with the likes of ON1 Resize AI. And how does Gigapixel AI compare against its stablemate, Topaz Photo AI? Let’s find out. Jump to Conclusion.
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Just Gigapixel AI. Includes no-quibble 30-day Refund
$99.99
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Includes Gigapixel, Sharpen AI, and Denoise AI
$199.99
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Table of Contents
- What is Gigapixel AI
- What does Gigapixel AI do?
- How much does Gigapixel AI cost?
- What is Topaz Image Quality Bundle
- Gigapixel AI Trial
- Gigapixel AI Trial limitations
- Gigapixel AI Promo Code
- How to Use Gigapixel AI
- Gigapixel AI Test
- Does Gigapixel AI work?
- Is Gigapixel AI good to use?
- Gigapixel AI Compared
- Conclusion
What is Gigapixel AI
Topaz Gigapixel AI is a standalone AI image upscaler for PC and Mac. And by standalone, I mean Gigapixel AI can be used independently of your favorite photo editor. Alternatively, you can use Gigapixel AI as a plugin for the following photo editors.
- Adobe Lightroom Classic
- Adobe Photoshop
What does Gigapixel AI do?
Gigapixel AI is an AI-powered image upscaler for enlarging your digital photos. Artificial intelligence allows Gigapixel AI to analyze your photo and anticipate and insert additional detail. Therefore, you end up with an enlarged, more detailed image than the smaller original.
Moreover, as you’ll see later in this Gigapixel AI review, Gigapixel can apply these methods to increase your photo’s size by up to 600%. So if you’re looking to size up some legacy photos or wish to print huge, you’ve got to try Gigapixel AI.
How much does Gigapixel AI cost?
Gigapixel AI costs US$99. Alternatively, you can buy Gigapixel AI as part of the Topaz Image Quality Bundle.
What is Topaz Image Quality Bundle
The Topaz Image Quality bundle costs $199 and includes Gigapixel AI, Denoise AI, and Sharpen AI. The Image Quality bundle is the way to go if you buy two or more of these products.
For more information,
Gigapixel AI Trial
Download the free Gigapixel AI Trial
Gigapixel AI Trial limitations
You can download Gigapixel AI for free if you’re not ready to take the plunge. Not only is it free, but you don’t need a credit card, and the trial is unlimited. However, your photos’ enlarged versions will continue to be watermarked until you become a paying customer.
Gigapixel AI Promo Code
None at present. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to be notified of deals and discounts on Gigapixel AI and other photography software and gear.
How to Use Gigapixel AI
Topaz Gigapixel AI could hardly be more straightforward to use. Assuming you are sober and facing the right way, you’ll master Gigapixel AI in about 20 minutes.
1. How to resize your Photo with Gigapixel AI
To begin, select one or more photos you wish to enlarge. After which, you can choose how much you want to upscale your Image using one of the Preset sizes. Alternatively, you can key in the exact dimensions you require.
At this point, Gigapixel AI will upscale your Image using its preferred AI resizing model. If you are happy with the results, you can export your enlarged photo and move on to the next. However, you may achieve superior results with a little fine-tuning.
2. Making your adjustments
While Gigapixel AI does a great job in automatic mode – a few manual adjustments can go a long way.
Fortunately, making manual adjustments is easy and a case of cycling through each of Gigapixel’s five upscaling models to see which looks best.
You also have the opportunity to adjust the amount of detail and noise reduction. New to Gigapixel version 6.1 is the Face Recovery Mode and Reduce color bleed modes.
3. Exporting your upscaled Image
Once you’re happy with your upscaled Image, there’s nothing left to do but export your resized photo. As you might expect, you can export your Image in various formats, including JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and DNG, using variable compression and bit rates (where applicable).
Gigapixel AI Test
Welcome to the sharp end of this Topaz Gigapixel AI review. Here, we’ll find out if Gigapixel AI is any good.
Sample 1
The above photo was taken with a full-frame camera and a sharp lens. As a result, it is a highly detailed 24-megapixel photo and a best-case scenario for Gigapixel AI. As a result, Gigapixel AI had no problem enlarging this detailed image to 600% of its original size.
Sample 2
So, we now know that Gigapixel AI is fantastic for upscaling high-resolution photos. But what about smaller images? The above 6-megapixel photo was taken with an old Nikon D40 and a cheap AF-S 55-200mm VR lens. Yet, despite these limitations, Gigapixel AI had no trouble enlarging the photo to 600% of its original size thanks to the original image’s high level of detail.
Sample 3
When it comes to enlarging photos with Gigapixel AI, it appears detail counts for more than the image size. For instance, I took the following 8-megapixel with an old smartphone, and while the image is big enough, much of the detail has been swept away by crude noise reduction. As a result, the image has far less detail than its 8 megapixels suggest.
As you can see, this image lacks sufficient detail for Gigapixel AI to work with. Nevertheless, Gigapixel AI improved this image with a 200% upscale.
Sample 4
This time, I wanted to see how well Gigapixel AI could handle a small but well-detailed 3-megapixel image. And overall, it did quite well.
That being said, a 600% upscale appears to be off the table. But if you want to enlarge your older point-and-shoot digital photos, Gigapixel AI does well, depending on the photo, up to 300%,
Sample 5
So, how does Gigapixel AI handle upscaling photos of people? Very well, as a matter of fact. Once again, I enlarged this portrait to 600% without compromising the subject’s features and skin tones.
Does Gigapixel AI work?
Yes. Gigapixel AI thrives when upscaling small but detailed images. For instance, I had no problem enlarging my 6-megapixel Nikon D40 images to 600%. And, of course, upscaling my 24-megapixel Nikon D750 images beyond 100 megapixels was a breeze.
In contrast, Gigapixel AI will struggle with low-detail images – particularly those which suffer noise or, worse, crude detail-sapping noise reduction. In these cases, I found there just wasn’t enough detail left for Gigapixel AI to work with.
But so long as your expectations fall short of miraculous, Gigapixel AI is truly impressive and a night-and-day alternative to old-school image resizers.
Is Gigapixel AI good to use?
Overall, yes. Gigapixel AI enjoys a clean, concise, and aesthetically pleasing interface which you’ll master in no time. However, every photo editor has its cons, and for Gigapixel AI, it’s speed.
Each time you adjust the AI model, the Image must be re-rendered. This might take between 1 and 10 seconds, depending on the photo.
Furthermore, when you use Gigapixel AI for the first time, it will frequently pause to download an ‘Optimized Model File.’ Thankfully, version 6.1 now allows you to download all models upfront.
But context is important when speed is concerned. After all, upscaling an image to 600% is quite a task. Therefore, in my opinion, the delay feels entirely reasonable. Nevertheless, there is a faster alternative which we’ll get to shortly in the Topaz Gigapixel AI review.
Gigapixel AI Compared
Gigapixel might be great, but how does it compare with other AI-based image upscalers?
Gigapixel AI vs Topaz Photo AI
Topaz Photo AI is an all-in-one upscaling, denoising, and sharpening tool. And since Topaz Photo AI is, like Gigapixel AI, made by Topaz Labs, they’re both equally great at upscaling.
So, if you’re looking for an outstanding all-in-one, one-click image-enhancing tool, you can hardly do better than Topaz Photo AI. But if you’re only looking for a photo enlargement tool, save some money and choose Gigapixel AI. Read Topaz Photo AI Review.
Gigapixel AI vs ON1 Resize AI
The most immediate alternative to Gigapixel AI is ON1 Resize AI. Overall, both are effective at upscaling images, but both go about it differently.
For instance, Gigapixel AI’s multiple resizing modes and simple user interface make it a friendlier option. However, ON1 Resize AI’s multiple Presets, Tiling, and Gallery Wrap modes make it a wide choice for preparing your photos for print.
Overall, Gigapixel AI and ON1 Resize AI offer different approaches to the same thing. I believe that Gigapixel AI is slightly more effective, and Resize AI is faster. But in terms of Image upscaling, you can’t go wrong with either. Read ON1 Resize AI Review.
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Conclusion
As this Gigapixel AI review demonstrates, Gigapixel AI is a hugely effective image upscaler that is easy to use and affordable. So if that sounds like your thing – it probably is.
Effective Image upscaling
Gigapixels’ sole purpose is to enlarge your photos. And unlike other image resizing apps that stretch your photo’s detail over a larger canvas – Gigapixel’s AI upscaling algorithms assess your photo’s detail and adds more. Therefore, a picture upscaled with Gigapixel often looks sharper and more detailed than the smaller image from which it was derived.
This is particularly true of highly detailed photos – regardless of the number of megapixels. For instance, I had no problem upscaling my detailed 6-megapixel images to 600%.
Resizing low-detailed images
While testing for this Gigapixel AI review, it’s clear that Gigapixel needs more detail than megapixels. This was particularly apparent when I tried to resize images taken with my iPhone’s 16-megapixel camera. Due to excessive noise reduction, fine detail was blurred into colored blotches, thus leaving Gigapixel less to work with. You can still enlarge low-detailed images, but certainly not to 600%.
Easy to Use
Despite all the clever things under the hood, Gigapixel AI is straightforward to use. If you’re looking for a hands-off approach, you can leave Gigapixel in its automatic mode. Alternatively, you can try and squeeze out a better result with some manual tweaking. But either way, upscaling your photos with Gigapixel AI is a doddle.
Speed
Of course, the more often you adjust the Image, the more often Gigapixel will pause to re-render the result. This delay can take many seconds, and progress can be slow. I think a little wait is a price worth paying for admission, but ON1’s Resize AI is much quicker and almost as good if you’re in a rush.
Is Gigapixel AI worth it
Gigapixel AI is an outstanding photo enlargement application. I remember processing my first Image and being blown away by the results. After a lot more testing, I came to realize it does have its limits. Nevertheless, at its best, Gigapixel can work miracles, and at its worst, Gigapixel will still offer you an improvement of some degree.
So if you’re looking for an affordable, easy-to-use, and supremely effective way to enlarge your photos – give Gigapixel AI a go.
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Get Topaz Gigapixel AI
BUY GIGAPIXEL AI
Just Gigapixel AI. Includes no-quibble 30-day Refund
$99.99
TOPAZ BUNDLE
Includes Gigapixel, Sharpen AI, and Denoise AI
$199.99
GIGAPIXEL TRIAL
Try Gigapixel AI for free. No Credit Card Required
$0
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Topaz Denoise AI Review – A Flawed Gem.
Topaz Labs Black Friday Deals are Live and Huge!
Topaz Video AI Review – Amazing Features, Flawed Performance.
Topaz Photo AI Review – Almost Perfect
