Waifu2x

Pros

• Takes a convenient approach to image upscaling and noise reduction
• Support for both photos and illustrations
• Batch processing allows you to automatically convert a ton of files at a time

Cons

• Features available are incredibly narrow
• Sometimes prone to crashing and slowdown

Waifu2X is one of the best tools around for image upscaling. The truth is that all images aren't the same, and while that might not be apparent at a glance, an upscaled image can make the difference between a picture that looks amateur and one that looks truly professional. This is an app that doesn't have a whole lot of equivalents. While there are some websites that can accomplish what Waifu2X can, the market for tools like these that work with mobile devices are few and far between, and the ease that comes from being able to accomplish these tasks with just a simple tap of your finger makes it well worth holding onto for people who are looking to accomplish this on a regular basis.

Waifu2X's fundamental purpose is reducing the noise from your images. That essentially makes images look sharper, and while that can have a noticeable effect even when you're just glancing at a photo, it can make all the difference in the world when someone is zooming on your image. What would otherwise look grainy and pixelated when you get into clearer focus looks crystal clear and just like it should when you use a utility like Waifu2X to spruce it up. What Waifu2X does may seem highly technical, but the developers have worked hard to make their app as simple and user friendly as possible. A number of cropping options are available so that you can produce more accurate results, and getting them the right size is as simple as tapping on the crop style that you're looking for and stretching it or compressing it to fit the components that you're trying to doctor. The demands of traditional photos and animation are distinct, and that's why Waifu2X offers different utilities for illustrations and photos. There's also a batch mode that allows you to compress a huge amount of pictures in one fell swoop. Five different options are available for noise reduction, ranging in quality from no reduction to ultra. While most casual users will want to just automatically click on ultra, the range of options can be incredibly useful for more advanced professionals.

Once you've finished with the noise reduction, you can upscale to the appropriate resolution. The support for layers is useful if you're trying to create more complex final images, and a quick comparison allows you to see both the original and the altered work so that you know what you're getting before following through on the conversion. Waifu2X can be a little slow, and it can occasionally crash when you're trying to alter larger files, but it's one of the few dedicated apps of its type, and it's an incredibly easy to use utility.

Pros

• Takes a convenient approach to image upscaling and noise reduction
• Support for both photos and illustrations
• Batch processing allows you to automatically convert a ton of files at a time

Cons

• Features available are incredibly narrow
• Sometimes prone to crashing and slowdown