Enlarge an image without losing quality
Why it goes blurry, how much you need for print and how to do it with AI.
Updated: November 2026 · 7 min read
Stretching an image always leaves it blurry; with AI it comes out sharp because the AI draws the missing detail. In AppGrabbit: open Enhance image with AI, drop the image, pick ×2 or ×4, check the free preview and click Enhance. For a logo, the only thing that truly loses nothing is turning it into a vector (SVG). Free preview · 1 credit per image
Why images lose quality when you enlarge them
An image is a grid of pixels. If you enlarge it in any editor, the program has to invent the new pixels by averaging their neighbors: that's why everything comes out soft and the edges look blurry or jagged. It's not the program's fault: the information simply isn't there.
The AI does something else: instead of averaging, it recognizes edges, textures and lettering and draws how they would look bigger. The result looks sharp. The honest part is knowing that this detail is a believable reconstruction, not the original: on a face or very small text something may change, which is why it pays to look at the preview.
How many pixels you need to upscale an image for print
| To print | Pixels at 300 ppi | With ×4, your image needs at least |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 6 in photo (10 × 15 cm) | 1200 × 1800 | 300 × 450 |
| US Letter or A4 sheet | 2550 × 3300 (Letter); 2480 × 3508 (A4) | 638 × 825 (Letter); 620 × 877 (A4) |
| 20 × 28 in poster (at 150 ppi, seen from afar) | 3000 × 4200 | 750 × 1050 |
An example: an image 800 px wide at ×4 comes out at 3,200 px, which printed at 300 ppi is about 10.7 in (27 cm). The rule of thumb: multiply the inches by 300 to get the pixels. For a screen you don't need that much: an image 1920 px wide fills a Full HD screen.
How to enlarge it with AI, step by step
- 1Install AppGrabbit. 163 MB, Windows 10 and 11, no account. The AI engine comes built in: there's nothing else to download. Windows will say it protected your PC because the installer is not code-signed: More info › Run anyway.
- 2Open "Enhance image with AI". Drop the image into "Your image". In step 4 you'll see how big it comes out: "From 800 × 600 to 3,200 × 2,400 px", for example.
- 3Pick ×2 or ×4. In "How to enhance it": "Photo" or "Drawing or logo", and how much to enlarge it. Use the print table on this page to see how much you need.
- 4Check the preview. The box shows one part before and with AI. If you're going to print, check an edge and some text: that's the first thing you notice on paper.
- 5Enhance and save. "Enhance 1 image · 1 credit". It's saved in "Enhanced", as PNG (lossless), JPG or WebP.
Normal enlarging, AI or vector
| Stretching (any editor) | With AI (AppGrabbit) | Vector (SVG) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Looks | Soft, blurry | Sharp; the AI draws the detail | Perfect at any size |
| Good for | Enlarging a little | Small photos, screenshots, logos and drawings | Logos, drawings and flat-color illustrations |
| Limit | None, but it gets worse and worse | ×4 and 16,000 px per side | None; doesn't work for photos |
For a good result
- Start from the best copy you have. If the image reached you through WhatsApp or social media, ask for the original file: it arrives compressed.
- Pick "Photo" or "Drawing or logo" correctly. Each one has its own model; with the wrong one, the edges come out worse.
- Graphics card. The AI uses your PC's graphics card (with Vulkan, which almost every NVIDIA and AMD card from recent years has, and many Intel ones). The app tests it before using it; if your PC doesn't have one that works, it tells you and charges nothing.
Enlarge your images without the blur
Windows 10 and 11 · 163 MB · Free preview · 1 credit per image, 5 free a month · Nothing uploaded
Frequently asked questions
By stretching it, no: it always looks softer. With AI, almost: the image comes out sharp because the AI draws the missing detail. Only a vector (SVG) scales up without limit and without losing anything, and that works for logos and drawings, not photos.
×2 or ×4. The input image can be up to 2048 × 2048 px and the result up to 16,000 px per side.
For something seen up close (a photo, a page), about 300 ppi: multiply the inches by 300 to get the pixels. For a poster seen from a distance, 150 ppi is enough.
Better to turn it into a vector (SVG): it scales to any size without losing anything. See the pixelated logo to vector guide.
The preview is: you see part of the image before and with AI without spending anything (up to half of each image). Saving costs 1 credit per image; the Free plan comes with 5 credits a month for the whole app. With Pro (USD 8.99 a month) or a 2-day pass (USD 2.99) or 7-day pass (USD 3.99), you don't use credits at all.
No. The image is processed on your PC, with your graphics card; it doesn't go through any server. The only things the app sends are what the privacy page lists (license, credits and anonymous counts), never your files.
No: AppGrabbit is for Windows 10 and 11 only.