Blow Up
Blow Up produces exceptionally sharp enlargements by using an algorithm that temporarily converts pixels to a vector representation. This results in perfectly smooth, crisp edges. The photos still look natural because of the simulated texture and film grain that are retained even when the enlargement is extreme.
Blow Up cleans up JPEG compression artifacts if you use a lower quality source image. Graphic designers can scale web graphics up to print resolution, while other features include enlargement-specific sharpening, and support for several image modes, including CMYK.
Comment
Alien Skin has a reputation for great plugins -- and maintains it with Blow Up. Reviewers have found it a winner in comparative tests with standard Photoshop techniques.
Is it better than the results you can get from Genuine Fractals uprezzing software? This is difficult to say, as images upscaled in Genuine Fractals tend to have sharper outlines but more geometric artifacts in areas of color. It is best to look at samples from both packages before making a purchase.
Tech info
- Plugs into: Photoshop CS2 or later; Elements 4 or later (5 with Windows)
- OS: Windows 2000 onwards; Mac OS X
- Price level: Approx. $200
Alien Skin
Alien Skin Software has been producing graphics software since 1993. It is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
From the same vendor:
- Bokeh
- Exposure
- Eye Candy
- Image Doctor
- Snap Art
- Xenofex 2
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