How to use Magnific AI Image Upscaler: A comprehensive guide

Upscaler’s Magnific mode stands out for its ability to improve the resolution of images, make textures better, and reconstruct missing details with impressive accuracy. Unlike traditional image upscalers that simply enlarge pixels, Magnific AI upscaler intelligently refines images, making it a powerful tool for artists, designers, game developers, and photographers.

But here’s the thing: getting good results with AI-driven upscaling isn’t about pressing a button. The key is understanding how Magnific AI works and how to use its features. This guide will show you how to upscale an image to 2X, 4X, 8X, and even 16X.

What is Magnific AI?

Magnific AI is an advanced mode within Freepik Upscaler, part of Freepik AI Suite. Unlike the Classic mode, which maintains the original image as closely as possible, Magnific AI reconstructs missing details and improves images using deep learning models.

This makes Magnific AI Upscaler the ideal choice when working with digital illustrations, 3D renders, game textures, and low-resolution photographs that require advanced image processing.

If you’ve ever tried to upscale an image only to end up with a blurry or overly smooth result, Magnific AI solves that problem by giving you full control over how much detail is added.

How does Magnific AI work?

Magnific goes beyond basic AI image upscaling by intelligently analyzing each element of an image and improving it based on context. Instead of simply increasing size and sharpening edges, it examines fine details to make precise upscales.

By recognizing different materials—such as skin, fabric, metal, or brushstrokes—the AI applies adjustments that preserve natural textures while eliminating blurriness or pixelation. This ensures that upscaled images look bigger and retain depth, clarity, and realism.

Another major strength of this AI upscaler is its ability to recover lost details in low-resolution, compressed, or old images. It reconstructs missing information in a way that feels natural, making it an excellent tool for enhancing digital art, refining 3D assets, and restoring photographs.

With its advanced image processing and adaptive enhancements, Magnific mode upscales and redefines image quality.

How to use Magnific AI for professional results

Magnific provides customizable settings to upscale images effectively. The right mix of presets, scale factors, optimization modes, and AI engines keeps textures sharp and details natural. Continue reading to discover how to adjust each option and achieve the best results.

Choosing the right preset: Subtle, Vivid, Wild, or Custom

Magnific AI offers four presets—Subtle, Vivid, Wild, and Custom—each adjusting multiple settings at once to achieve a different level of upscaling.

• Subtle keeps changes minimal, focusing on sharpness and clarity while preserving the original image as much as possible. This is ideal for portraits, product photography, and professional visuals where accuracy matters.

• • Vivid improves textures and depth, making it a great choice for digital paintings, 3D renders, and game assets that need a more refined look.

• Wild reconstructs missing details and adds artistic interpretations. It works well for low-resolution images, sci-fi and horror artwork, and creative projects that benefit from added depth and stylization.

• • Custom gives full control over four key settings:

• Creativity: Determines how much the AI upscales details beyond what exists in the original image.

• HDR: Increases contrast and sharpness for a more defined and high-detailed appearance.

• Resemblance: Higher values keep the image close to the original, while lower values allow more AI-driven changes.

• Fractality: Controls the amount of detail added per square pixel, influencing the texture sharpness and complexity.

Choosing the right scale factor: 2X, 4X, 8X, or 16X

Magnific allows you to scale images by 2X, 4X, 8X, or even 16X, depending on your needs:

• 2X or 4X works best for minor upgrades where you need a sharper, high-quality image without excessive size increases. This is useful for UI assets, web graphics, and product visuals.
• 8X or 16X is ideal for large-scale projects like posters, detailed artwork, film production, and game textures where every pixel matters. However, the higher the scale, the more important it is to adjust Resemblance, HDR, and Fractality to avoid artificial-looking results.

Selecting the best optimization mode for your image

Upscaler’s Magnific includes an “Optimized for” setting, allowing the AI to adjust based on the type of image you’re working with. Choosing the right category ensures that textures, lighting, and details are handled in the most effective way.

• Portrait: Maintains natural skin textures and facial features without excessive smoothing.

• Art & illustrations: Improves brushstrokes, digital textures, and linework for a detailed finish.

• Videogame assets: Strengthens textures and materials, ensuring realistic surface details for in-game models.

• Nature & landscapes: Preserves fine textures like leaves, rocks, and water while keeping depth and realism.

• Films & photography: Optimizes contrast and sharpness for a cinematic, high-resolution look.

• 3D renders: Brings out material details and depth while preventing over-sharpening of images.

• Sci-Fi & Horror: Adds dramatic lighting and deep contrasts, perfect for dark, atmospheric visuals. 

Choosing the right engine: Automatic, Illusio, Sharpy, or Sparkle

Different images benefit from different engines. Magnific provides four options to ensure the very best visual results:

• Automatic: A well-balanced choice for general use when you’re unsure which engine to pick.

• Illusio: Best for digital art and illustration. It’s excellent with brushstrokes, colors, and textures.

• Sharpy: Designed for photography. This engine maximizes sharpness and detail retention without making the image look artificial.

• Sparkle: The most balanced option, offering a mix of sharpness, detail refinement, and texture preservation for all your images.

Examples of upscaled images with Magnific AI

Understanding how to upscale an image is one thing, but seeing real-world use cases makes all the difference. Below, we’ll explore different projects where Magnific AI Upscaler excels, along with practical tips and tricks to help you take full advantage of its upscale features.

Use case 1: Upscaling low-resolution concept art

A common challenge for digital artists is working with low-resolution sketches or concept art that needs refinement before final rendering. Upscaling with Magnific allows artists to preserve brushstrokes, make better color transitions, and improve fine details without losing the essence of the artwork. You can also create original AI images with the AI Image Generator before refining them with Magnific.

How to get the best results:

• Use the Vivid preset to upscale textures without introducing excessive changes.
• If the brushstrokes appear too soft after upscaling to 4X, adjust Fractality to add more fine detail per square pixel.
• Select the Illusio engine for optimized digital paintings and illustrations.
• If additional refinements are needed, try adding a text prompt like “enhance fine strokes and painterly textures” to guide the AI image upscaler.

Use case 2: Upscaling game textures for realistic assets

In video game development, texture resolution plays a crucial role in achieving realism. Low-quality textures can break immersion, especially in high-end games. Using Magnific, game developers can sharpen textures, remove pixelation, and improve surface details for 3D assets, character skins, and environmental elements.

How to get the best results:

• Start with 8X or 16X scaling for next-gen textures, but ensure you adjust Resemblance to avoid artificial sharpness.
• Select the Videogame assets optimization mode to get the best AI-driven improvements.
• Use the Sharpy engine for hard surface textures (metal, stone, armor) to maximize clarity.
• If working with softer textures like fabric or organic materials, Sparkle offers a balanced upscaling without excessive sharpening.

Use case 3: Restoring old or compressed photographs

Old photographs or compressed images often lose clarity, with faded details and noise buildup. Magnific can restore sharpness, improve textures, and reconstruct missing details without over-processing the image.

How to get the best results:

• Use Subtle or Custom mode to retain as much of the original look as possible.
• Increase HDR slightly to restore highlights and shadows while maintaining a natural tone.
• Select the Sharpy engine to enhance facial features, hair strands, and background elements while avoiding excessive smoothing.
• If you are restoring a high-resolution photograph, upscaling it to 4K ensures that even the smallest details are refined.
• For vintage images, adding a prompt like “restore fine details while keeping a natural film grain” can help the upscaler refine textures authentically.

Advanced tips for maximizing Magnific AI’s potential

To wrap up, here’s a summary of key techniques to help you get the best results when using Magnific AI Upscaler:

1. Pick the right preset: Use Subtle for minimal changes, Vivid for better textures, Wild for artistic reconstruction, or Custom for full control.
2. Choose the best scale factor: 2X or 4X for minor refinements, 8X or 16X for high-detail projects like game textures, cinematics, and large prints.
3. Optimize based on image type: Use the Optimized for setting to tailor AI adjustments for portraits, illustrations, game assets, photography, and more.
4. Select the best AI engine: Illusio for illustrations, Sharpy for photography, Sparkle for balanced upscaling, and Automatic for general use.
5. Guide the AI with prompts: Provide specific instructions (e.g., “enhance brushstrokes, sharpen facial details”) to refine the image.
6. Balance HDR: Overuse can create an artificial look—moderate settings maintain realism.
7. For high-resolution needs, use the 16X image upscaler option: It’s the go-to choice for cinematic renders, ultra-detailed artwork, and large-scale print assets.

Using Magnific AI Upscaler effectively means making the most of its upscale features to get high-quality results. By adjusting presets, scale factors, AI engines, and optimization settings, you can transform low-resolution images into sharp, detailed visuals.

Each project has different needs. A portrait may require subtle refinements, while a game texture or 3D render might need maximum sharpness. Testing different settings and customizing adjustments will help you get the best outcome. Now it’s time to apply these techniques and see what Magnific AI image upscaler can do for your images!