Rescuing Low-Res Drone Images: Gigapixel 8 BETA vs. Photo AI 2
When it comes to upscaling low-resolution drone images, Topaz Labs has been my go-to for enhancing details without turning everything into a blurry mess. I’ve been using Topaz Photo AI 2, but with the release of Gigapixel AI 8 BETA, I was curious to see if it could take image recovery even further.
I decided to upgrade to Gigapixel AI 8 because it was $64.00 when I checked, which felt like a solid deal, especially when compared to Photo AI 3, which currently costs $199 or $99 to upgrade. At that price point, I wasn’t ready to make the jump to Photo AI 3 just yet, but Gigapixel 8 BETA seemed like a worthy upgrade.
In this post, I’ll compare Gigapixel AI 8 BETA vs. Photo AI 2, testing their ability to rescue low-res drone shots. I’ll focus on the Redefine and Recover features in Gigapixel 8 and see how they stack up against my experiences with Photo AI 2.
If you haven’t seen my original post, Rescuing Low-Res Drone Images: A Topaz Photo AI Experiment, I tested Topaz Photo AI 2 to see how well it could upscale and restore detail in low-resolution drone shots. Now, with Gigapixel AI 8 BETA in the mix, I’m revisiting the same images to see how it compares—especially with its new features.
- Super scale any image with AI. Like magic.
- 1 Year of Unlimited Upgrades
- Unconditional 30-Day Refund Guarantee
Upscaling 2x
One of the first things I tested in Gigapixel 8 BETA was how well it handled 2x vs. 4x upscaling. At least in my experience, 2x upscaling delivered the best results, preserving details and keeping artifacts to a minimum. When pushing it to 4x, the image quality actually took a hit, introducing unwanted distortions and making certain details look unnatural.
This was surprising, considering that 4x upscaling is supposed to enhance finer details. Instead, it seemed to exaggerate flaws rather than fix them. If you're working with low-res drone images, 2x scaling appears to be the sweet spot in Gigapixel 8 BETA, at least based on my testing so far with release 8.3.0.1b.
While Gigapixel 8 BETA does a great job enhancing certain elements, like adding more definition to myself and the drone box, I’m not a fan of how it handles the trees in the distance. The upscaling seems to introduce unnatural textures, making them look overly processed. But before making a final judgment, let’s zoom in and take a closer look at how well the details actually hold up.
One thing I’ve noticed while testing Gigapixel 8 BETA is that the preview isn’t always a perfect indication of the final result. Just because the preview looks off doesn’t necessarily mean the full image will turn out the same way. In some cases, areas that seemed problematic in the preview processed much better once the entire image was upscaled. So, even if the preview isn’t convincing, it’s often worth running the full image through to see how it actually performs.
Interestingly, while 4x upscaling introduced some unwanted artifacts in certain areas, it actually did a better job of revealing finer details—specifically, the fact that I’m holding a drone tablet screen. In the 2x upscaled image, it almost looks like I’m not holding anything at all. This suggests that while 2x may be the safer choice for overall image quality, 4x can sometimes recover important details that might otherwise get lost. It really depends on what aspects of the image matter most for the final result.
I’m noticing some lines appearing in this particular 2x upscale image, which raises another question, are these consistent across multiple upscales, or just a quirk of this specific run? Time for more testing. 😃
