When you enlarge a photo and it blurs, pixels are to blame. These are the colored squares that make up a digital image. Zoom in far enough and you’ll see them.
Image files like JPG and PNG have a set number of pixels. You’ll see them as numbers in the file’s information. 1280 x 720, for example, means 1280 pixels by 720 pixels.
When you try to enlarge a 1280 x 720 image to the size of a 1920 x 1080 one, more pixels don’t appear. The 2000 pixels in the original image just become bigger. Thus, it blurs.
Luckily, you can fix this. Read on to learn how.
1. Find a Picture Resizer
The first step to make images larger without blurring them is to find a picture resizer. This is a piece of software that can create more pixels in an image.
It does so by using a mathematical formula. This helps the program guess colors for the new pixels. Then, it adds them in.
The exact method used varies from software to software. Therefore, how the larger images appear will vary. You may find that you like the image quality in some image resizing programs more than others.
It’s best to try a few different programs first. Afterward, you can decide which software you like the best. For this guide, however, we’ll be using Adobe Photoshop.
2. Enlarge a Photo in Adobe Photoshop
Start by uploading an image to this program. Then, click on the black ‘Image’ tab in the silver bar above the program with your cursor. A drop-down menu of different commands will appear.
Use your cursor to click on the ‘Image Size’ option in the bar. You will now see a window full of controls.
3. In the ‘Image Size’ Window
You can change the image resolution in two ways. One is to change the pixel width and height. You’ll see these words in white next to text boxes.
Click on the box next to width. Change the pixel number in the box to your desired pixel width. You can do the same with the height label and box.
Be sure to change the drop-down menu above the width and height labels and boxes to ‘Custom’. If you don’t, the width and height will change together based on a ratio.
The other way is to change the resolution or pixels per inch. Changing this number will make both the width and height change.
Check ‘Resample’. Change the drop-down menu bar next to it to ‘Preserve Details’. Click the ‘Ok’ button.
Save the enlarged image as a smart object.
4. Add a Layer To Enhance Further
You should see your image in the tall box in the lower right-hand corner. It will be in a long bar.
Drag it downwards and click on the plus symbol below with your cursor. This will create a duplicate image on top of your image. You’ll also see it as a long bar above the original image in the right-hand box.
A drop-down menu above the bar should say ‘Normal’. Change this to ‘Soft Light’.
Find the ‘Filter’ tab to the right of the ‘Image’ tab. Click on ‘Other’ in the drop-down menu. Then, click ‘High-Pass Filter’.
Adjust the radius until you’re happy.
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Now that you can resize images, you can adjust them for different purposes. You can turn them into computer wallpapers, social media posts, and more!
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