How to Upscale AI Images to Print Quality (4K+)

You’ve generated a stunning AI image — perfect composition, beautiful lighting, exactly what you envisioned. Then you try to print it, and it looks blurry. Most AI image generators output at 1024×1024 pixels, which is fine for Instagram but falls far short of what you need for print, large displays, or professional use. This guide explains why, and how to fix it.

Why Upscaling Matters

The images that AI models generate are typically between 512×512 and 1536×1536 pixels. On Apefx, most models output at 1024×1024 (for square images) or equivalent pixel counts for other aspect ratios. These dimensions look sharp on a phone screen or in a social media post, but they’re insufficient for:

• Print: A 1024×1024 image prints at only 3.4 × 3.4 inches at 300 DPI — too small for most physical applications
• Large format displays: Banners, posters, and trade show graphics need thousands of pixels in each dimension
• E-commerce: Amazon requires minimum 1000×1000; Shopify recommends 2048×2048 for zoom functionality
• Editorial use: Magazines and publications typically require 300 DPI at the printed size
• Canvas prints: Wall art needs high resolution to look sharp at viewing distance

Resolution and DPI Explained

DPI (dots per inch) determines how many pixels are packed into each printed inch. Higher DPI means sharper prints:

To calculate the print size of an image: pixels ÷ DPI = inches. A 1024×1024 image at 300 DPI prints at 3.4 × 3.4 inches. To print at 8×10 inches at 300 DPI, you need 2400×3000 pixels. For a poster (24×36 inches at 150 DPI), you need 3600×5400 pixels.

This is why upscaling is essential — your AI-generated image needs 2–6x more pixels for most print applications.

AI Upscaling vs Traditional Methods

Traditional Upscaling (Bicubic/Lanczos)

Traditional upscaling algorithms like bicubic interpolation simply average neighboring pixels to create new ones. This makes the image larger but doesn’t add detail — it just makes existing detail blurrier. A 1024px image upscaled to 4096px with bicubic interpolation looks like a 1024px image viewed through slight fog.

AI Upscaling

AI upscaling is fundamentally different. Instead of averaging pixels, AI upscaling models generate new detail that wasn’t in the original image. They’ve learned from millions of high-resolution images what fine detail should look like at different scales. When upscaling a face, the AI knows to add skin pores, individual eyelashes, and hair strand detail. When upscaling a landscape, it adds leaf detail, rock texture, and water patterns.

The result isn’t just a bigger image — it’s a more detailed image. This is particularly powerful for AI-generated images, which tend to have strong composition and color but can lack the fine detail of high-resolution photographs.

Bria Creative Upscale

Bria Creative Upscale on Apefx is a dedicated AI upscaling model that upscales images to 4MP+ (approximately 2000×2000 for square images, scaling proportionally for other ratios) with enhanced detail generation.

What makes it “creative” upscaling:

• Detail generation: Adds plausible fine detail — textures, edges, patterns — not just larger pixels
• Style preservation: Maintains the artistic style of the original. An oil painting stays painterly; a photo stays photorealistic
• Artifact cleanup: Can reduce minor artifacts and noise during the upscaling process
• Consistent quality: Reliable results across different image types — portraits, landscapes, products, illustrations

Cost: 5 credits per upscale. That’s $0.05 for a 4K+ image — compared to $50–100/hour for manual retouching and enlargement.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Generate Your Base Image

Start by generating your image with any Apefx model. Focus on getting the composition, lighting, and style right. Don’t worry about resolution at this stage — that’s what upscaling is for.

Pro tip: Use Flux 2 Klein (1 credit) for fast previews while iterating on your prompt. Once you’re happy with the composition, generate the final version with a premium model like Nano Banana Pro (15 credits) for the best base quality.

Step 2: Navigate to Upscale

Go to Enhance or click the upscale button on any image in your gallery. Select Bria Creative Upscale.

Step 3: Upload or Select Your Image

If you generated the image on Apefx, it’s already in your gallery — just select it. Otherwise, upload the image you want to upscale.

Step 4: Upscale

Click upscale. The process typically takes 10–30 seconds. Bria analyzes the image, identifies areas that would benefit from added detail, and generates a higher-resolution version.

Step 5: Download and Use

Download the upscaled image in full resolution. For print, make sure to set the DPI in your design software (Photoshop, Canva, InDesign) to match your print requirements — typically 300 DPI for standard print or 150 DPI for large format.

Step 6: Double Upscale for Maximum Resolution (Optional)

For extremely large prints, you can upscale the already-upscaled image a second time. This pushes the resolution even higher, though with diminishing returns on detail quality. Two passes of Bria Creative Upscale cost 10 credits total and can produce images suitable for large-format poster printing.

Print DPI Guide by Use Case

Key insight: billboards and large banners are viewed from far away, so they need much lower DPI than printed materials viewed close-up. A single upscale from Apefx is usually sufficient for any large-format application.

Tips for Best Results

Start with the Best Base Quality

Upscaling amplifies both quality and flaws. Start with the highest-quality base image you can get. Nano Banana Pro (15 credits) produces the cleanest, most detailed base images, giving Bria the best starting point for upscaling.

Fix Issues Before Upscaling

If your image has any issues — an artifact in the corner, a slightly off composition, a color that’s not quite right — fix them first using image editing tools. It’s easier to fix a 1024px image than a 4096px one.

Match the Upscale to the Use Case

Don’t over-upscale. If the image is for web use, you don’t need 4K — it wastes credits and produces unnecessarily large files. If it’s for print, calculate the exact resolution you need and upscale accordingly.

Consider the Viewing Distance

A poster on a wall is viewed from 3–6 feet away. A phone screen is viewed from 12 inches. The farther the viewing distance, the lower the DPI requirement. A large canvas print at 150 DPI looks sharp from normal viewing distance even though it would look soft under a magnifying glass.

Batch Upscaling for Efficiency

If you need to upscale multiple images (e.g., an entire product catalog), use batch operations to process them all at once. On the Pro plan, you can batch up to 100 upscales simultaneously — processing your entire catalog in minutes rather than one at a time.