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Midjourney 4x Upscaler -VS- Upscayl -VS- Topaz Gigapixel Ai

Howto & Style

Introduction

MidJourney has introduced a new upscaling feature that allows users to produce four extra images directly within Discord. But how does this upscaling tool stack up against other options on the market, like Upscayl (a popular free upscaling tool) and Topaz Gigapixel, widely considered the premium choice? To find out, we put all three through their paces, comparing their outputs on various images. Here’s what we discovered.

Our Test Images and Upscaling Process

Image 1: Woman’s Face

We started with an image of a woman's face generated in MidJourney, initially at a resolution of 1456 x 816. Each tool was used to 4X upscale this to 5824 x 3264.

  • Original Image: The base image was clear, but pixelated upon zooming.
  • MidJourney Upscale: This was not bad but appeared somewhat blurry.
  • Upscayl: Sharper, but noisier with messy upscaling artifacts.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Balanced sharpness and softness, rendering it superior.

Detailed Comparison: Eyes and Lips

  • MidJourney: Blurred but solid images, softening colors slightly.
  • Upscayl: Messier texture, especially noticeable on the skin and lips.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Best skin texture, detailed pores, and freckles remained visible.

Image 2: Street Filled with Incredible Hulks

This image, more artistic and detailed differently, showed various strengths and weaknesses:

  • MidJourney: Managed teeth better but softened overall.
  • Upscayl: Made teeth look unnatural.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Added detail and sharpness to background elements, but odd teeth rendering.

Image 3: Terminator Cartoon

  • MidJourney: Some overshooting in rendering, resulting in artifacts.
  • Upscayl: Cleaner than MidJourney but still added some noise.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Superior sharpness and detail, with fewer artifacts.

Image 4: Cyberpunk Samurai Rabbit

  • MidJourney: Quite impressive, sharp lines with minimal noise.
  • Upscayl: Introduced unnecessary grain.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Slight edge over MidJourney in fine details.

Image 5: Flower Close-Up

  • MidJourney: Soft, painterly effect, looking more natural.
  • Upscayl: Messy upscaling with artifact noise.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Precise, 3D-like renderings, enhancing the overall texture.

Image 6: Artistic Pyramid

  • MidJourney: Painting-like, softer textures.
  • Upscayl: Harsh noise and artifacts.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Superior sharpness and added texture, best for sharp visual elements.

Image 7: 3D Render of Batman

  • MidJourney: Great texture but lesser compared to Topaz Gigapixel in some areas.
  • Upscayl: Least impressive overall.
  • Topaz Gigapixel: Sharp highlights and superior skin detailing, though slightly inferior in helmet texture compared to MidJourney.

Conclusion

For most applications, Topaz Gigapixel remains the leading upscaling tool due to its precision and enhancement capabilities. However, combining the MidJourney upscaling process with Topaz Gigapixel often produces the best results. Using Photoshop to layer and blend the outputs from these tools can refine images further. For frequent image generation, using an external upscaler like Topaz can also save precious GPU resources.

Keywords

FAQ

What are the main differences between MidJourney and Topaz Gigapixel?

MidJourney offers a softer, more painterly upscale that adjusts colors, while Topaz Gigapixel provides sharpness, texture, and fine detail better suited for high-quality outputs.

How does Upscayl compare to MidJourney and Topaz Gigapixel?

Upscayl, though free and powerful, often introduces noise and artifacts, making it inferior in quality to both MidJourney and Topaz Gigapixel, especially for high-detail work.

Is it necessary to use an external upscaler with MidJourney?

While MidJourney’s upscaler is good, combining it with an external upscaler like Topaz Gigapixel results in better image quality and also saves GPU time, especially for frequent users.

How does Topaz Gigapixel fare with artistic images compared to other tools?

Topaz Gigapixel generally excels with sharpness and detail in artistic images, delivering clean and precise upscaling across varied image types.

What are the benefits of using Photoshop in combination with these tools?

Photoshop allows you to blend results from different upscalers like MidJourney and Topaz Gigapixel, offering you better control over image details and correcting any minor imperfections using features like Generative Fill.