Nothing is the cheapest option, but the least satisfying. To do resizing for other purposes, is buried within a very obtuse UI that I still haven't gotten used to after a frustrating week of use. It sort of assumes that the user will want to print an enlargement, so the easiest way to use it is to pick the print size, and the paper presets you will use and let it do the rest, you can also print directly from it. There is something to that, but that Gigapixel AI image sure is good looking. Yeah, there were some artifacts at extreme pixel peeping magnification, but not many, and nothing that would preclude use for anything other than proving you're a purer, more demanding, photographer than the next person.ĪCDSee and On1 didn't have any artifacts since it seems they attempt to only recreate the level of sharpness built into the original.

Gigapixel AI would be next since it tries to merge a traditional options format into a clean modern user interface that incorporates an AI base. It is what I know and what I am comfortable with. Everything else is handled elsewhere within ACDSee. That may be because it's a simple resize utility with how much to enlarge, what algorythm to use and what grades of sharpness.

However, I would rate ACDSee tops for ease of use. Topaz was an obvious winner in terms of IQ, and I think, more amenable to uses other than printing In terms of absolute image quality on this photo, I would personally rate themĪCDSee and ON1 were very close in IQ, I wouldn't argue if others reversed the order on those two. But I think for adding room to crop, Gigapixel AI would probably be better. I suspect all 3 would do well with printing a simple 2X enlargement. I can do better, depending on what I what to do with the enlargement. I am unlikely to enlarge my files beyond 2X, so that is what I tested with. I've been using the proprietary 'ClearIQZ' model so far built into ACDSee, and I wanted to see if I could do better. As an otherwise happy m43s shooter, I'm thinking it might be useful at times. I've been thinking about getting an enlargement utility lately. A 'SORTA' stream of consciousness test & review, where I prove my ability to make no decisions whatsoever!

On1 resize 2021 review