How to Upscale and Improve Picture Quality in Adobe Photoshop
Good photos can become great with the right touch, and you want to improve picture quality in Photoshop for a reason. Adobe Photoshop boasts a range of features, giving you unparalleled control over your image. Whether you want to enhance the sharpness, color, or overall visual of your pictures, dive in here and discover how to upscale image resolution in Photoshop. Further, learn tips and the best alternative to bring out the best in your images.
Guide List
5 Ways to Increase Image Quality in Photoshop Upscale and Enhance Image Using Photoshop Alternative Tips for Excellent Photoshop Image Enhancement5 Ways to Increase Image Quality in Photoshop
Regardless of whether you have a low-resolution image or an underexposed picture, Photoshop can help you enhance the image quality. Here are the five techniques, with a step-by-step guide to increase image resolution in Photoshop, perfect for anyone looking to make the image visually sharper and more precise than ever!
Way 1. Use Super Resolution in Adobe Camera Raw
With Super Resolution, you can double the image resolution, especially for small images or older photos, while keeping their details with AI. It works best on RAW files, but it works on JPEGs and TIFFs, too. For this, you can get the higher-resolution version of your image, now perfect for large prints. Here’s how to increase image quality in Photoshop using the “Super Resolution” feature:
1. Once you open your image in Photoshop, head to “Filter” to “Camera Raw Filter”.
2. Right-click on the preview and select “Enhance”, and from the pop-up, check the “Super Resolution” box and click the “Enhance” button.

Way 2. Use Smart Sharpen to Increase Image Detail
Smart Sharpen, on the other hand, can control the sharpening by adjusting the radius, amount, and noise. Also, you're allowed to correct motion blur, making it perfect for images that lack clarity. With proper use, you can make an image higher quality in Photoshop by bringing out fine textures dramatically.
1. Press the “Ctrl + J” (Cmd + J) keys to duplicate your background layer.
2. Then, go from “Filter” to “Sharpen” to “Smart Sharpen” here. You can adjust the “Amount” and “Radius” sliders to your liking for sharpness.
3. Use the “Reduce Noise” option to balance its smoothness. Then click the “OK” button to apply all changes.

Way 3. Upscale Image with Preserve Detail
When increasing and resizing the size of an image in Photoshop, it’s nice to use the Preserve Details option in Photoshop as it helps maintain sharpness and reduces blur. This solution is ideal for enlarging small photos for print or large displays. While it is not perfect, it is one of the best ways to try if you wish to improve picture quality in Photoshop.
1. Head to “Image” to “Image Size”. From the dialog box, check “Resample” and choose the “Preserve Details” option.
2. Set your width and height, and then adjust the “Reduce Noise” slider to lessen grain.
3. Click the “OK” button to save changes.

Way 4. Adjust Image Brightness and Contrast
The next way to convert a low quality image to high quality using Photoshop is by adjusting the brightness and contrast. This helps bring balance and depth to your image, especially if it is too dark. Also, this simple way is the foundation of image enhancement, and you can do it non-destructively via adjustment layers. Find out how from the steps below:
1. From the bottom of the “Layers” panel, click the “New Adjustment Layer” button, then select “Brightness/Contrast”.
2. Start moving the slider of “Brightness” to lighten or darken the picture, or the “Contrast” to lessen or maximize the definition.

Way 5. Reduce Image Noise
Last but not least, reducing image noise is necessary for cleaning up grainy images. With Photoshop’s Reduce Noise Filter, you can smooth out all details without impacting the image, but if you wish for more control, you can consider using other third-party AI plugins. Come follow the steps below to fix bad quality photos in Photoshop by reducing noise:
1. Duplicate your image by pressing the “Ctrl + J” keys (Cmd + J), then select “Filter” to “Noise”, and then “Reduce Noise”.
2. Here, pull the sliders of the following options to be adjusted: Strength, Preserve Details, Reduce Color Noise, and Sharpen Details.
3. Click the “OK” button to apply.

Upscale and Enhance Image Using Photoshop Alternative
While there are so many ways to improve picture quality in Photoshop, it is not always the most accessible option due to its complexity and subscription-based platform. Luckily, there are many alternatives that offer easy but powerful enhancing capabilities, and the AnyRec AI Image Upscaler offers one such option. Its built-in Image Upscaler includes robust enhancement features that are perfect for your quick but high-quality operation. It uses AI technology to enlarge images for up to 8x their original resolution while preserving sharpness and details. With this software, you won’t need to face a steep learning curve, so even for beginners, you can get a high-resolution output in just a few clicks!
Features:
- Enhances and enlarges images using AI for more detailed results.
- Drag and drop functionality with intuitive controls for all skill levels.
- Enhance the Photoshop images at a fast speed with no quality loss.
- Upscale images in popular formats like JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, etc.
Step 1.On your chosen browser, visit the AnyRec AI Image Upscaler website. Start by clicking the “Upload a Photo” button on its main page; then, it will immediately process the image.

Step 2.Inside the Upscaler page, you can see the preview before and after. Go to the “Upscale to” dropdown menu above to select the level, including upscaling images to 4K. You can use the “Magnifier” feature to view the details more clearly.

Step 3.After everything, you can click the “Save” button below. You can ensure a no-watermark output and high-quality results once saved on your computer.

Tips for Excellent Photoshop Image Enhancement
Enhancing picture quality in Photoshop is not just about making your pictures look prettier; it is about bringing out the best in each pixel, too. So, before concluding this post, discover below some essential tips to get an excellent Photoshop image enhancement:
Use a High Pass Filter for Sharpening. Apply this to a duplicate layer set in Overlay/Soft Light mode to sharpen the picture on Photoshop without increasing noise.
Dodge and Burn for Depth. Using the Dodge tool, you can brighten the highlights. Meanwhile, the Burn tool darkens shadows, adding contrast and depth to portraits.
Use Selective Color Adjustments. Fine-tune hues without impacting the whole image, which is useful for enhancing skin tones, skies, or product images.
Use AI-Based Plugins. For upscaling and denoising, using AI-based tools, e.g., Luminar Neo, Topaz Denoise, etc., offers high-quality results that save you work hours.
Work with Adjustment Layers. Always use Adjustment Layers for brightness/contrast, color correction, and levels, allowing for easy re-edits at any point.
Apply Smart Filters. Consider converting layers to Smart Objects before applying filters to let you tweak settings later.
Use Frequency Separation. With this feature, you can smooth out skin tones without losing texture.
Reduce Noise Smartly. To do so, you can use Camera Raw’s Noise Reduction or AI-powered tools to clean up high-ISO images while keeping their sharpness.
Conclusion
More than just quick fixes to improve picture quality in Photoshop, it is about using the right combination of features and tips to enhance the overall visuals without affecting the details of your image. Whether you want to use Smart Sharpen, Super Resolution, fine-tune Brightness and Contrast, and more, each plays a crucial role in transforming your pictures! However, if you want a simpler and more powerful solution than Photoshop, you can rely on AnyRec AI Image Upscaler. An AI-powered tool that can quickly and effectively enhance your image with just a few clicks! With its customizable output settings and editing options, social media images or images for print will be produced at their best.