ComfyUI
The workshop app for pictures and short video. More buttons, more control.
Installer only · Technical · Free
Make old or blurry photos sharp
Upscale and restore low-quality photos.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
2 results
Most tools here are free.
Photos & Images Not on the chat board
Enlarges a picture you already have
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~0.3 GB · Free to download · License: BSD 3-Clause
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Make old or blurry photos sharp?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsThe photo file stays with you
- Cost: Local winsReal-ESRGAN is free
- Quality: Cloud winsTopaz handles faces more carefully
- Ease: TieBoth Real-ESRGAN and Topaz are desktop tools
Local AI
Real-ESRGAN enlarges and sharpens a photo on your own computer, for free.
- The family photo stays on disk
- Free, with no credit limit
- Fine for a scan or a small file
Where it falls short
- Faces can look waxy
- It does not colorize a black and white photo
Cloud & apps
Topaz and Photoshop are stronger on faces and noise, and they are paid desktop or cloud tools.
- PPhotoshopDesktop appPaid
Super Resolution plus the rest of a photo editor.
Best for: PrintRetouching
Cloud features can upload the photo
- TTopaz Photo AIDesktop appPaid
Sharpens faces, noise and blur more carefully than a basic upscaler.
Best for: FacesOld scans
The desktop app processes photos on your PC
Our take
Use the free local upscaler for most scans. Pay for Topaz when faces or heavy noise matter.
Choose local if…
- The photo is private
- You only need it larger
Choose cloud if…
- Faces look wrong
- You print the result
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example ComfyUI. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Real-ESRGAN page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for photos & images. These are normal links to the maker's site.
Affinity Photo
A photo editor for layers, retouching, and export.
Affinity PhotoCapture One
A raw-photo studio for color, crop, and tethering.
Capture OneDxO PhotoLab
A photo lab for noise, lens corrections, and local edits.
DxO PhotoLab