Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Scaling image right smart up — which is to say , enlarge them a lot — is never something you would choose to do , but sometimes you have no choice . A customer ’s picked their shot and they must have it in a poster , so that leaves you with the tricky job of blowing it up without it exploding into a pixelated mess . Most epitome editors do a good job with reduction or flimsy enlargement , but for Brobdingnagian step-up in scale with maximal tone , you need dedicated software package like Alien Skin’sBlow Up , now at version 3 .
Installed as an Intel - only , 64 - bit coating , flub Up can be used without having to rely on master of ceremonies programs such as Photoshop ( ) , Lightroom ( ) , or Photoshop Elements ( ) , but its installed sparking plug - atomic number 49 can be used as an leisurely bridge from those programs as well .
With optional outturn sizing presets , sharpening , cropping , and unconstrained stretch options , louse up Up gives enough control that you ’re not squeeze to utilise an external editor to finalise your upsampled images . One size definitely does n’t fit all for enlarged images — you might need smooth and sharpen art or add a grainy look for photographs — so Alien Skin ’s User configurations panel urinate it easy to save and come back all configurations when processing single images or batches .
Blow Up’s compact and capable toolset.
vaunt Up ’s compact and capable toolset .
remembering usage is very conservative while preview options , though it rises significantly when processing image . While using all 12 hyper - threaded core of my 2010 Mac Pro on a 600 pct enlargement of a 12MP image , RAM usance jumped as high as 7 GB with the Maximize speed taste , and 4 GB when using the Conserve Memory option , without noticeably bear on speed . That ’s all good since the app exits on closing so it does n’t add to Photoshop ’s RAM footprint .
What realise a consecrate upsampling program special is the algorithm used to interpolate information in a believable way , and a good one will accentuate detail while not muddle smooth transitions . Some let you sharpen and add metric grain but , if the theme grading is weak , then sharpening will pick up these flaw . Noise will only obliterate them a little , and get unsound as you scale up further . I put ball up Up through its paces with a variety of prototype case to seehow the algorithm performed .
Closeup of the interface without the Settings panel.
Blow Up quality is very good when liken to the contender — at the top end Photozoom Pro , and at the bottom , Perfect Resize ( formerly Genuine Fractals)—but just shy of being the best . In one test , a 3D rendering with grueling bound , politic transition , and no metric grain , scaled up 200 percent , the termination was quite good and definitely operational . The only issue was that focalize contrast was too heavy in some areas , even with zero sharpening , and this lead in some shadow and highlighting areas popping out where there should have been smooth transitions .
Closeup of the interface without the configurations panel .
Another test of a very detailed photo with some noise scaled up 600 percent revealed what I chance to be the main flaws in Blow Up ’s algorithm : it can produce a visible swim form throughout very elaborate image and noise tend to be treat as particular . At 600 percentage grading , there are obviously trade wind - offs to be made , but the pattern is rife enough that it catch your eye and , combined with the deficiency of artifact step-down in Blow Up , noisy or JPEG - compressed photos can end up with more of this pattern than they should .
Macworld’s buying advice
Stacked up against the rivalry , Blow Up 3 does a worthy caper of upscaling your images . You will probably necessitate to put your photo or graphic through a denoise filter before bestow it into Blow Up but , with a footling care taken to hand it optimum effigy , it will definitely ensue in a gust - up and not an detonation .
[ Dave Girardis a Montreal - based art director , 3D creative person , and writer . ]
