How to Upscale Video and Increase Video Resolution to Higher Degree

Laura Goodwin March 31, 2022 Edit Video

I have ripped some movies from an old DVD, and I want to digitally upscale the videos to 1080p, any idea to do it?

After upgrading your home entertainment system or computer screen, you may expect to upscale your videos to higher resolution. It is a process that converts low resolution videos into higher definition. Some software uses the interpolation algorithm to fill the blank pixels based on what those surrounding it display. This article will show you how to upscale video with Premiere, Handbrake and more.

Upscale video
Content

Part 1: The Easiest Way to Upscale Video

Vidmore Video Converter is an easy way to upscale video on your desktop. For average people, the intuitive interface allows you to master it quickly. For advanced users, there are extensive custom options to create the desired result.

  1. Increase video resolution up to 4K and Ultra HD simply.
  2. Support almost all video formats including MP4, AVI, MKV, etc.
  3. Enhance video quality automatically or manually.
  4. Offer a wide range of custom options and video editing tools.
  5. Preview the upscaled video with the built-in media player in real time.

All in all, it is the easiest option to upscale your videos in batch since it supports multi-thread.

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How to Upscale Videos Simply

Step 1: Install the best video upscale software

After you download and install Video Converter to your computer, launch it and click Add File -> Add File(s) to import the video files you want to upscale. The software is available to Windows 10/8/7 and Mac OS X.

Add file to converter

Step 2: Increase video resolution

There are two ways to upscale your videos. Click the Edit menu on the top of the window to open the video editor window, and go to the Enhance tab. Check the box next to Upscale resolution to increase video resolution automatically.

If you prefer to upscale video to 4K manually, click the Settings button at the bottom of the interface, and increase the Resolution option.

Enhance interface

Step 3: Export upscaled videos

Head to the bottom area in the main interface, choose a proper format or the target device from the Profile drop-down list, and click the Browse button to set the destination folder. Once your hit the Convert button, the video resolution will be increased immediately.

Note: Since the best video upscaling software relies on advanced algorithm to increase video resolution, it does not require extra software or complicated procedures.

Quick finish

Part 2: Upscale Video with Adobe Premiere Pro

It is well-known that Premiere Pro is a professional video editor. Some movie studios even use it to produce commercial videos. It includes a simple algorithm to guess the pixels and upscale video. If you already have the video upscaling software on your computer, follow the steps below to do it.

Step 1: Create a new project in the video upscaling software or open an existing project. Head to File -> New -> Sequence to pop up sequence presets. Then set the desired resolution, such as 4K or 1080p. Make sure to select the same frame rate and aspect ratio with the original video.

Sequence preset 4k premiere

Step 2: Click Edit -> Preferences -> Media on the menu bar. Choose Set to frame size in Default Media Scaling in the pop-up window.

Set to framesize premiere

Step 3: Next, import the video you intend to upscale and put it into the timeline. Then you will see the video already fill the entire frame, no matter you upscale 720p to 1080p video or higher level.

Step 4: Zoom in the upscaled video to see whether there are artifacts, like noises. If you want to sharpen the video, apply unsharp mask to compensate for the blurred frames. Then export the video to your computer.

Note: Premiere Pro does not have the resolution resizing effect. Alternatively, you can upscale a video in Premiere Pro with After Effects. Bear in mind that both Premiere Pro and After Effects have high hardware demanding.

Part 3: Increase Video Resolution by Handbrake

Premiere Pro is expensive for people who have limited budget. Some freeware can provide the similar capacity of upscaling video resolution, such as Handbrake. As a professional video encoder, it allows you to adjust the video resolution or convert videos to another format. However, there are two many custom options in the video upscaling software. That is why we share a step-by-step guide below.

Step 1: Run Handbrake and go to the Open Source button to import the video file you want to upscale. If you do not have the video upscaling software, download it from the official website for free.

Step 2: Once the video is added, the Presets values will be available. They are a basic set of the output video properties. You can select a presets on the right side based on the desired output format and quality.

Step 3: Next, go to the Video tab to display all custom options. Then move the slider of the Quality to the right side to increase the video resolution. The value of RF for 720p is 19-23, 1080p is 20-24, and 4K is 22-28.

Quality control handbrake

Step 4: After video upscaling, you can use the Preview feature in Handbrake to view the effect. Click the Preview menu on top ribbon, and hit Play on the pop-up window.

Step 5: If you are satisfied with the result, click the Start button to export the upscaled video.

Note: Handbrake can only process a video per time. If you want to upscale more videos, you can add the video to queue.

Handbrake preview

Part 4: FAQs About Upscale Video

Does upscaling reduce quality?

Upscaling is likely to affect the quality of the video. If you upgrade a low-resolution video to match a higher resolution, it is possible to introduce unwanted artifacts or noise, which appears as a further outline around objects.

Does upscaled 4K look better than 1440p?

This is true in theory, but the actual presentation of the video depends on your playback device. If your playback device has a good engine, the upgraded 4K video will be sharper. Otherwise, you won't see any difference.

Does upscaling cause lag?

Upscaling the video adds more input latency because the image takes processing time. But if this input lag is less than 30ms, you will not see a significant impact on your TV.

Can you upscale videos in VLC Player?

Yes, you can. Now you can turn on Nvidia's upscaling directly in VLC Player. You can find this feature in the Output Modules settings section. This will greatly help you to upgrade your videos.

How much time does video upscale take?

This depends largely on the length of your video, the content, and the configuration of your device. The higher the quality, the longer the upscale will take, ranging from a few minutes to several hours.

Conclusion

This article has talked about how to increase resolution and upscale video on Windows and Mac OS X. Sometimes, the high-end hardware is not enough to get the excellent visual experiences. In fact, you can upscale you old movies if you have a powerful tool, such as Vidmore Video Converter. It is not only easy to use, but also able to process multiple videos at the same time. If you have more troubles, please write down them in the comment area below this post.

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