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Show HN: Enlarger • A local upscaler that keeps detail instead of smoothing it

A developer released Enlarger, a local image upscaling tool designed to preserve detail rather than smoothing it, as an alternative to existing AI upscalers. The creator cited frustrations with heavy, complex, subscription-based options and compared Enlarger's output to the free and open-source Upscayl in a blog post. The tool is available as a desktop app with a buy-it-for-life license.

read1 min views3 publishedJul 21, 2026

Hey everyone! I know there are gazillion alternatives out there especially with AI and all, but this nevertheless is my take on it.

I created it because I was frustrated with the options I was seeing in the market. Too heavy, too complex, UX was meh, the output created was not resonating with my style of photography, they are generally glitchy or hallucinate too much, and I dislike subscription fees or credits personally. I prefer BIFL licenses and desktop apps.

Since most will probably compare it to the free and open source Upscayl, I went ahead and did a comparison post on the visual output, which might explain more in depth on my motivations why I did Enlarger. You can find it from the "Blog" section.

Would like to know what do you think of it, and if there are any questions about the tech stack or the whole process, I will try my best to answer!

Comments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48990864](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48990864)

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