Image Upscaler - AI Upscale Images 2x/4x (Real-ESRGAN)

✅ Tested daily with its default input (Apify's automated QA plus our own smoke test before every release).

AI image upscaler: make small or blurry images bigger and sharper. Give this Actor a list of direct image links and it returns each image enlarged 2x or 4x by the Real-ESRGAN super-resolution model, saved as PNG, JPG or WebP with a download link. $0.0165 per upscaled image; failed or oversized images are free.

What it does

• Downloads each image from the URL you provide (JPG, PNG, WebP; up to 25 MB).
• Runs the realesr-general-x4v3 Real-ESRGAN model, which removes blur, noise and compression artifacts while enlarging.
• Stores the result in the run's key-value store and adds a row to the dataset with the output link, input/output size and processing time.
• Transparent PNGs keep their transparency.

Input

Field	Description
imageUrls	Direct links to JPG, PNG or WebP images you have the rights to, max 25 MB and 0.5 megapixels each (e.g. 800x600). Social media links are not supported. $0.0165 per upscaled image. Example: ["https://example.com/photo.jpg"].
scale	Upscale factor: '2' or '4' (same price). 4x of a 700x700 image gives 2800x2800.
outputFormat	png = lossless, keeps transparency (largest files); jpg or webp = much smaller files.
faceEnhance	true = extra face restoration, only when a GPU worker is available; otherwise the image is upscaled normally and the row says so. No extra cost.

Input size: up to 0.5 megapixels per image (for example 800x600 or 700x700 px), which gives up to 2828x2828 px output at 4x. Larger images get a clear error message in the dataset and are not charged.

Output (one row per image)

{
  "url": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
  "scale": 4,
  "input_width": 330,
  "input_height": 492,
  "output_url": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/.../records/upscaled-0000-bc74187d99.png",
  "output_width": 1320,
  "output_height": 1968,
  "output_bytes": 2950112,
  "format": "png",
  "model": "realesr-general-x4v3",
  "processing_s": 4.4
}

Pricing (pay per event)

Event	Price
Image upscaled (2x or 4x)	$0.0165 per image (lower on higher Apify plans)

You pay only for images that were upscaled successfully. Failed downloads, non-image links and oversized images cost nothing.

Use cases

• Enlarging product photos and thumbnails for web shops
• Restoring old or low-resolution photos and scans
• Preparing images for print or high-DPI screens
• Bulk processing of image libraries through the Apify API

Notes

• Only direct image URLs are supported. Images from social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Pinterest) are not downloaded, in line with those platforms' terms.
• Model: Real-ESRGAN by Xintao Wang et al. (github.com/xinntao/Real-ESRGAN, BSD-3-Clause), weights realesr-general-x4v3 from the official v0.2.5.0 release.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

This Actor can be used as a tool by AI agents (Claude, Cursor, VS Code, other MCP clients) through the official Apify MCP server:

• Add only this Actor as a tool: https://mcp.apify.com?tools=admirala/ai-image-upscaler-realesrgan (sign in with OAuth or an Apify API token).
• Or connect https://mcp.apify.com and let the agent find it with search-actors (e.g. "image upscaler"), read the input schema with fetch-actor-details and run it with call-actor.

Example input an agent can pass:

{
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/PNG_transparency_demonstration_1.png"
  ],
  "scale": "4",
  "outputFormat": "png"
}

Cost per call: $0.0165 per successfully upscaled image (2x or 4x, same price). Failed downloads and oversized inputs are free. Results come back as dataset items (get-dataset-items).

FAQ

How do I upscale an image with AI? Put direct image URLs in imageUrls, choose scale 2 or 4 and an outputFormat. Each result row has an output_url to download the enlarged image.

What is the maximum input size? Up to 0.5 megapixels per image (e.g. 800x600 px), giving up to about 2828x2828 px at 4x. Larger images get an error row and are not charged.

Is this a free alternative to Topaz or waifu2x? It is pay per image ($0.0165), no subscription or GPU needed. It uses the open Real-ESRGAN model (realesr-general-x4v3).

Can I upscale images from Instagram or other social media? No, only direct image URLs you have the rights to.

Related actors

• Website to Markdown for LLM & RAG - Clean Page Text

More examples

Ready-to-run Python, curl and MCP examples with real sample output: https://github.com/AdmiraalA/apify-scrapers-examples