The BEST Photo Resizing Software: Gigapixel AI Vs ON1 Resize AI

Do you want to resize images without losing quality? Two software packages that may deliver this are Topaz Gigapixel AI and ON1 Resize AI. Today, I put them head to head to see which produces the best quality enlargements.
Both Topaz Gigapixel and ON1 Resize use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to produce high-quality photo enlargements. They both claim to deliver excellent quality, so that’s what I’ll be checking. I want to see which is the best photo enlargement software when it comes to turning a 20-inch photo into a 60-inch image. I won’t be assessing any of their additional features or speed. I only want to know which software makes the best enlargements.
I used three images to test the enlargement quality of both software packages:
1. A Fuji XT3 image
2. A JPEG image from a Stock Library where the camera is unknown
3. An image from a Panasonic G9 Micro Four Thirds camera
The Fuji and Panasonic images were captured in RAW and converted to images before enlarging. The RAW conversion was performed using DxO PhotoLab Elite 5. In the video, I mention using my PhotoLab workflow, which is explained in this video: • How and why I use DxO ...
I also share some unusual findings about one of the photo enlargers. The following article on my website could explain the problem: lenscraft.co.uk/photography-b...
Download the comparison samples from the video: lenscraft.co.uk/photography-t...
If you want to test these packages for yourself, download the trial versions:
- Topaz Gigapixel AI: bit.ly/3yHvP7l (affiliate link)
- ON1 Resize AI: on1.sjv.io/jW3GKZ (affiliate link)
- ON1 Discount Code: LENSCRAFT20
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[@RodolfoVanzini]

Great, great! Thank you.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad you liked it! Thank you

[@danbuchman7497]

Hi, very interesting and helpful comparison. 2 quick questions. Is it possible to download the enlarged images? Maybe it’s my bad eyesight, but I had difficulty seeing the patterns you were describing (for your images, a large watermark to ensure it isn’t ripped off would be totally acceptable). My 2nd question is have you printed any sections ($$$$ for full size!!)) to see if the results. Printing precious but small image files would be my main purpose (not doing any billboard work anytime soon). Thanks so much for the interesting content!

[@RobinWhalley]

Hi Dan, I'm glad you liked the comparison. To answer your questions: 1. I'm sorry I can;t make the high resolution images available but the sample comparisons I used in the video are available. You will find a link in the video description to the page on my website where you can download them. That shoulf help you to see the problems. 2. I haven't printed the samples from this video but I have printed samples from other enlargements made with Topaz Gigapixel. I was going to share one of these in a video but I haven't had time. I made an A2 print from an image shot with a 6Mpixel camera (Canon EOS 300D) and it looks superb. I then resized the image further to 40" and printed a couple of sections at A4. Again, the print quality looks amazing.

[@jayladouceur4704]

Nice video. Interesting comparisons. I use Gigapixel Ai as an alternative to replacing my D7200 with a Mirrorless. With all lenses and lighting included I'd be looking in excess of $15k. Gigapixel AI, even when just generating 24mp jpegs, sharpens, removes high ISO noise and removes CA by tightening all the edges. Wonderful program!

[@RobinWhalley]

I'm glad you like the video and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I find both packages excellent for this type of work and they can go beyond what I did in the video.

[@erik1836]

I use the entire suite of Topaz software and find it amazing what you can accomplish. I too preferred the results you obtained with Gigapixel. I have never had an opportunity to try out On1. I would imagine they my have a free trial so perhaps I will. Very nicely put together comparison. Thank you.

[@rickkoloian4179]

Robin, thanks for a great comparison. Currently I deal with health issues but hope to make large, A1 size prints with a G9. My question is have you made large prints from the G9 in native mode without resizing? If so, what size as I noticed your G9 starting file was 17 x 13 inches?

[@RobinWhalley]

I’m pleased you liked the comparison. The largest print I’ve made from a G9 file without first enlarging it was A2. Of course Lightroom did an enlargement in the background whilst sending it to the printer. If you can use the G9 high resolution mode do so, it’s amazing.

[@rickkoloian4179]

@@RobinWhalley Thanks again, hopefully my health improves so I can use a tripod for the HR mode as I truly like the G9.

[@InspiredScience]

Thank you, this was very helpful. In instances where you preferred ON1, generally preferred Gigapixel. I suppose that suggests these two are so competitively neck-and-neck that it's somewhat subjective. Fortunately your video does a good job leaving it up to the viewer with great comparisons. If there was one thing I'd really have liked to see, it would have been the opposite end of the spectrum, to get an idea of how dynamic / robust the products can be. For example, I noticed the line artwork option. I would be very interesting to test this feature, which uses a different premise behind-the-scenes. For example, taking lower quality logos (low-ish quality is key here; if you're not familiar with the reasons, I'll reply/expand) -- and expanding to exceptionally high ratios, 800% and such. The reason that you can get away with high ratios with line-art, is essentially due to the program attempting to accomplish what amounts to an AI version of Raster-to-Vector and therefore, in theory, an exceptionally high ratio should be clean/crisp, contrary to conventional photos that have a limit (or rather, diminishing returns) past 300% (of course this is not a hard number; it is source material dependent). Thanks again for the very helpful video.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thaks and you're right. The two are very closely matched. That's why I included a link to download the screenshots I shared in the video. The viewer needs to come to their own opinion. The reason that I didn't pick on line art or another type of image to resize is that I'm a landscape photographer and my channel keeps to that general topic. I don't do much design work butI have just tried both packages with my Logo and they did a great job with an 800% increase. I was thinking of doing other tests in the future using low res images so I might also include graphics.

[@InspiredScience]

@@RobinWhalley - Thank you, all points make perfect sense. When you tested the line-art, did you confirm you were starting with your logo in a relatively small size? With line-art, just about any high-quality upscaler can do a good job. The trick is when it's using a lower resolution image and how well it does with interpreting curves that are pixelated. For example, if you'd like to get a really good comparison between the two programs, try your logo at around 100px total width. If there is little-to-no difference between the two, you can scale it back a hair smaller. Or, if they do a bad job, a bit larger. The trick is finding that sweet-spot where you can truly see a substantial difference between two competitive options. Just like landscape photography, line-art doesn't have any sort of definitive point for evaluation; rather, it's specific to the complexity of the art. Thank you again for the video and excellent, very helpful reply.

[@RobinWhalley]

Yes, it was around 400 x 400 pixels. The lines were good but I did notice some variation in the solid colour areas. I suspect that was down to starting with a JPEG image. I probably need to do more inestigation for the future.

[@hanswi336]

It would be interesting if the mesh pattern appears again if you'd look at the sweater in the portrait picture ...

[@RobinWhalley]

I did check the sweater and I didn’t see the pattern anywhere in that image.

[@metalmick99]

Thanks for a very helpful and illuminating clip. It is hard - based on your results - to argue with your choice. As a recent ON1 Photo RAW user who is still learning how to drive it, I'm finding that my OM-1 files using NoNoise and TackSharp together are very much over-sharpened and the TS needs to be turned-down a fair bit to get reasonable results. So maybe this is part of a coding/processing philosophy at ON1. I recall you commenting on over-sharpening in ON1 in a review you did. OTOH, my guess is that both pieces of software might well yield almost indistinguishable results to most people with a bit of fiddling, though it's nice that with Topaz far less is needed. Still - and this is off-topic somewhat - one thing I really enjoy are the monthly webinars and releases of tutorial videos and brushes from the ON1 crew.

[@RobinWhalley]

I agree. On1 does a great job of producing additional and valuable content for users. Something else to keep in mind and that's often forgotten is that different camera RAW files often respond differently in software. Try comparing a Fuji RAW file with a Micro 43 and a Nikon and you will see what I mean. I'm sure that a lot of comments about xyz software being crap/great etc come from this sort of thing.

[@metalmick99]

@@RobinWhalley I think you're right, regarding opinions on software performance. There was a recent article put up by Fstoppers on just this topic. Thanks again for a wonderful channel: it's a very valuable resource.

[@EElgar1857]

A very good comparison, but I wonder what the results would be at more modest enlargement sizes, like 150% and 200%. I've hardly ever gone larger that 150% myself, with a Sony a7R III.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you. At 150% to 200% there is very little difference to see between the two. The Mesh pattern that I mention in the video simply blends into the image.

[@EElgar1857]

@@RobinWhalley Thanks; good to know! I bought ON1 a few weeks ago, but am still learning it. It would be hard for me to justify buying Gigapixel for more than I paid for the whole ON1 program!

[@RobinWhalley]

@@EElgar1857 You don't need both. On1 is a great tool and good value too. I only buy both because I use them to make videos like this.

[@paulgibbings9553]

I own On1 Photo Raw and use it for 90% of my editing, so it's great that I can now include enlarging without swapping programs. What I have found is that when I use NoNoise AI it also over sharpens nearly all of my images, shot in Raw on a Canon R6. It's easy enough to adjust, but it does seem to me that their AI for both processes seems to slightly over sharpen.

[@RobinWhalley]

It is very valuable having the enlargement feature added to On1 Photo RAW. I haven't tried it there yet but will do. I agree as well with your thoughts about NoNoise AI. I did a review of NoNoise AI a while back and found it produced sharp results as well as removing noise very well. Again I haven't tried it in Photo RAW yet though.

[@chrisford5296]

I think the NoNoise AI in PhotoRaw defaults to a high setting for its operation. You can change that in General Preferences... I have mine set to medium and it seems more subtle. Or you can adjust the sliders.

[@paulgibbings9553]

@@chrisford5296 Thanks I didn't realise there was an option to change it in preferences. I'll have to have a play around.

[@ninthsunn]

i have both programs, from my experience gigapixel is a clear winner. each time i tried to upscale an image, i ended up using the gigapixel one. the only annoying thing that i’ve found, when installed the program i don’t know why it didn’t install everything. each time you try to view each ai model, it keeps asking for more download in order for the program to run smoothly. what was that all about? it’s really annoying as half of the way, it’s randomly crashed and had to start all over again.

[@RobinWhalley]

I think the point you mention about Gigapixel continuing to make downloads is due to the AI models it uses. Topaz are training these all the time and they are freequently releasing updates that need to be downloaded by the software. I haven't experienced it crashing though. It's been very stable for me.

[@ninthsunn]

@@RobinWhalley maybe because the wifi network where i am is a little weak that causing it to crash but it’s really annoying as i could never viewing all four ai models for comparison. it’d be better off updating it at the beginning, when launching the program. at least we have the choice of skipping it and using the existing one, should this issue occur. also you won’t lose the entire work, i thought. but otherwise the results from gigapixel of extreme low res are mind blowing. some of my crops from small files are really small, on1 couldn’t handle it. it gave some weird effects but they’re doing a grand job. i’m well impressed! great video btw and thank you for your time for coming back with the explanation, very much appreciated.

[@HotGates]

What I am finding is with my Nikon Z9 I am getting terrible results like mesh patterns you have from ON1 and from my Nikon Z7II I don't see those mesh patterns, So ON1 needs to fix this because Gigapixel works great.

[@RobinWhalley]

That's interesting but not unexpected. I've found some cameras are more susceptible than others. Did you process the images in the same software? That also seems to influence how obvious the Mesh pattern is for me.

[@HotGates]

@@RobinWhalley Yes processed in ON1 thanks.

[@RobinWhalley]

@@HotGates Thanks. I may experiment some more.

[@QNag]

I have tried both of these tools and was not impressed with either of them. I would actually say the same for ALL ON1 products. They are certainly working on some very cool stuff, but it's honestly just not ready. These apps remind me of something my kids would use on their iphones.

[@RobinWhalley]

I agree that ON1 requires more development yet but I've found the prints from Gigapixel files to be excellent.

[@seanconery8836]

Thanks for this nice comparison. I use a Nikon Z7 with native Z lenses and enlarge my photos by 32000 x 21000 pixels. For me Topaz Photo Ai (I use version 1.4.1) does a better job for enlarging/reducing noise/improving details than what I got from Gigapixel 6.3.3 (the latest version). Topaz stopped to develop Gigapixel since a while, focusing now on developing Photo Ai. ON1 Resize AI v17.5.1 is (for me) definitely far behind in terms of quality whatever the settings I use. Having tested all of them I now use only Topaz Photo Ai after Photoshop (just for color correction). Enlarging photos with Photoshop is just garbage. I stick with Topaz Photo Ai.

[@RobinWhalley]

That's a huge enlargement. I can't remember if I had Topaz Photo AI when I did this comparison but it's a great idea. I will test this out with some of my images. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@seanconery8836]

@@RobinWhalley 👍

[@kemerthomson]

Your overall assessment is fair: both are good, especially since both will allow you to further tweak to get potentially better results. If I had one, I wouldn’t buy (or try to learn) the other. Gigapixel AI is also excellent for downsizing large images, even better than what Adobe Products do. It might be interesting to do a comparison of that kind of resizing between these two products.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you and thanks for the idea about downsampling images. I've added that to my list of possible future videos.

[@kemerthomson]

@@RobinWhalley I was racking my brain to remember the correct term! Yes, “down-sampling.“ There are some who insist it is best to down-sample to the exact size you want to print, and have found that Gigapixel AI does a very good job, including final sharpening.

[@p6x2]

I came here for the huge enlargement! I think there is some kind of misunderstanding...

[@RobinWhalley]

To me, producing a 60 inch images from a 17 inch image is a huge enlargement. That said, both packages can go larger and the results are similar to what was seen in the video.

[@Eigil_Skovgaard]

In my opinion the dominating problem with these upscaling apps is the notorious "bean-creation" that seems to extend smaller features into larger features by adding identical turtle shapes. It looks like surfaces of random bean-patterns, and it very much kills the illusion of pure linear upsizing. So, actually we are comparing shit with garbage, nothing really revolutionary has been obtained with the AI models so far.

[@RobinWhalley]

Yes, you can get some AI type patterns showing up in the image, especially if you strongly sharpen the image afterwards. Most of the time this doesn't end up visible in the prints (depending on the surface/material that you print to) due to the softening effect of printing.

[@Eigil_Skovgaard]

@@RobinWhalley Just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down - the medicine go down - the medicine go down ... (sounds good, Robin ;O)

[@Space-O-2001]

I can't stand the ON1 patterns - I just can't stop seeing them lol

[@RobinWhalley]

Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned them. Now, please don't be concerned by the number of orange cars you will see on the road today. This isn't a plot.

[@Suicideghost666]

Huge enlargement... i don t need this thanks...

[@RobinWhalley]

What do you need?

[@KP-hv2id]

Thanks for explanation. I think there is another AI software Viesus. It enhances and upscales images and provides good quality of image without too much artificial look and best thing is it is free to try upto fifty creadits. you can easily find it by searching it's name in your browser.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks for sharing. I've added it to my list of things to investigate.