A classic task for anyone using a graphics editor is enlarging images without losing quality. Obviously, we cannot invent material "out of thin air", and unless we work with vectors, the ideal is to aim for an approximate result. Over time, different algorithms have been developed that allow us to interpolate, optimize, or mask images, and enthusiasts have made very advanced comparisons with the goal of finding the best option. A new contender is A Sharper Scaling, which many peer sites consider "superior" to Photoshop.
How many times has it happened to us? We find a good image, but it has the size of a stamp. Press ads from many companies make this mistake endlessly (if they promote a product, the image must be BIG), and our only option is to do magic, that is, enlarge the image and hide errors as best as possible. Photoshop masters have no problem with this, as they know by heart the optimal course of action. But what about the rest? Many people out there want to enlarge an image without losing quality, and avoid it looking like a kind of pixel art created under the influence of alcohol. For them, we present "A Sharper Scaling".
Enlarging an image without quality loss
The program does one single job: enlarge images. The process reduces to loading the image from disk or copying it from the clipboard, choosing the area to modify (if the plan is to enlarge the whole image, we leave that intact), and then indicating the percentage. The third step presents a comparison between the A Sharper Scaling method and four traditional options such as pixel repetition, bilinear interpolation, bicubic, and bicubic with a little extra "sharpen". If we agree with the result, all that remains is to save the new copy.
Does it do its job? Yes. Is it easy to use? Definitely. Is it good? Based on my tests, I would say quite good. Is it the best out there? ... no. A Sharper Scaling is only at version 1.2, so it has a lot of room for improvement. At the same time, I am convinced that many Photoshop users can match or exceed those results, and then there are those who swear loyalty to Waifu2x, despite it being optimized with illustrations in mind. My recommendation? Try it, and check how it gets along with our images.
