Pixelmator Pro now allows to increase the resolution of images three times

Pixelmator Pro has been updated and now offers the possibility of increasing the resolution of an image up to three times more than the original, or so they say. As? Well, thanks to the use of machine learning and advanced algorithms when processing the image. This could completely change the image that some of this powerful image editor still have.

ML Super Resolution, from interpolation to the use of AI

Image scaling techniques are nothing new. For many years now they have been used with greater or lesser success. In some cases because they are more rudimentary or have not been fine tuned, and in others something better thanks to the good work of software responsible for processing and generating those nonexistent pixels.

In the case of Pixelmator Pro they go a step further and integrate artificial intelligence to shape that new function that they have decided to call as ML Super Resolution. How does it really work and to what extent does AI have a leading role? Well, as they explain, this is how the “magic” is produced that allows you to scale up to three times the original resolution of an image without loss of quality, or almost.

So far, image scaling techniques made use of interpolation with some extras that “cleaned” that final result. That is, groups of pixels (two by two or in groups of several) were analyzed to generate the new ones that would be placed and would allow this increase in size and resolution.

With the use of AI and more powerful algorithms everything changes. What ML Super Resolution does is generate a series of low and high resolution data using artificial intelligence. This entire data set is then analyzed and compared with the original image data to result in the final scaled image.

Does it really work? Yes, it is not like in CSI where from something tiny they achieve an ultra-high definition image – we already know what happens with fiction – but it is true that we gain resolution without losing excessive quality. Moreover, according to the examples provided, the only thing that happens is that some contrast seems to be lost. That is, the final image is somewhat clearer, but that can be solved with a little later editing.

This new feature of Pixelmator Pro gives great value to the application, continues to maintain it as one of the best image editing tools for Mac and will make other users aware of it attracted by its new option. And, if compared in some sections with Adobe Photoshop, it wins; proving that Adobe is still asleep in certain fields.

At a time when much content is generated from what is published on social networks, this new feature may be even more interesting. Because those images that are compressed or uploaded at a lower resolution could be reused and improved on media that use larger images.

In addition, the latest version 1.5.4 of Pixelmator Pro is also accompanied by improvements that affect its performance in the new Apple Mac Pro or ML Denoise, a recent feature that reduces noise intelligently. If you already used Pixelmator Pro you will not need to convince you to try these news, if not, you are interested in giving it a try.