Super Resolution in Lightroom: AI upscaling

Super Resolution enlarges your photo's resolution in Lightroom with AI, up to roughly double the number of pixels in width and height. It computes extra detail rather than simply upscaling, so the image stays sharp. Lightroom turns it into a new DNG file alongside your original.

You’ve cropped a photo and want to make a larger print, but you’re a bit short on pixels. That’s where Super Resolution in Lightroom comes in. You can also use it if your photo is too small for what you have in mind, even without cropping. Check the sharpness and noise first, though. Both come along for the enlargement.

Select your photo in Lightroom Classic and go to Photo > Enhance. You can also right-click the photo and choose Enhance. This opens the same window you use for Denoise and Raw Details. Select Super Resolution. If your photo has noise, you can apply Denoise here too, combining the two in one go.

Click Enhance to start. Lightroom creates a new DNG file alongside your original, and that’s the file you carry on editing. You can use a raw file, a JPEG or a TIFF. If you have the raw version, use it. It’ll give you the best result.

A common mistake is expecting this to make a blurry photo sharp. Noise and blur get enlarged too, so bigger doesn’t automatically mean better. A photo that’s already sharp and clean will give you the best result. Sadly, even this button has its limits.

You can apply your presets to the new DNG as usual. The original photo’s Develop settings carry over, so you don’t have to redo your earlier edits. If you’ve already applied a preset, those settings come with it.