How to use Pro Upscaler

Intro

Pro Upscaler is the most advanced upscaling tool we've built - and the only one designed specifically for AI-generated images. Most upscalers were trained on real photography, so when they encounter the synthetic textures, noise, and artifacts that AI generation models produce, they don't know what to do. The result is weird, unusable outputs. Pro Upscaler is built to handle that. Whether you're preparing an image for social, a large-format print, or a commercial campaign, you can get it production-ready without leaving Leonardo.

This guide will cover:

How to use the Pro Upscaler
How to choose the right upscaler mode for your image
Frequently asked questions

From the home page, select Upscaler from beneath the prompt bar (A) or the left sidebar (B).
Drag and drop, or click Add Image to upload an image from your device or select one from your Library.
In the right side bar, choose your upscaler Mode - Pro Upscaler is the default.
Choose your upscaler Type (A) - Precise or Creative (see below for guidance on which to choose).
Adjust the Multiplier (B) to set your output size as desired.
Select/ deselect Fix AI Image Artifacts (C). AI artifacts are distortions that become more visible when you upscale. Use this to clean up AI generated images affected by artifacts. For best results, only apply to images that need it to preserve fine details.
Click Upscale. Your result appears with an interactive before/after slider so you can compare (or even view side by side), and your upscaled image history is available in the left bar.

Your upscaled image saves automatically to your Library. Hit the download button in the top right to save it to your device.

How to choose the right upscaler mode for your image

Precise Mode

The faithful, structure-preserving option. Best for images where accuracy matters most. Precise has an optional Fix AI Image Artifacts enablement - we recommend turning this on for AI-generated images. This mode applies a proprietary de-noise and refinement pass that removes synthetic grain, unstable textures, and AI artifacts before upscaling. Leonardo is a market leader in this upscaling technology.

Use Precise with the Fix AI Image Artifacts mode ON when your image looks mostly good and you just need it bigger and cleaner.
Use Precise with Fix AI Image Artifacts mode OFF when you're working with a photorealistic or photographic image where strict accuracy is the priority.

Creative Mode

Creative mode goes beyond enlargement and can actually repair structural issues in your image while upscaling it. Creative blends our upscaling model with Leonardo's Ultra model to apply generative reconstruction. That means it can fix content-level problems like small, malformed faces or broken hands in a crowd scene.

Creative mode enhances and adds detail. It works best when the quality of the image matters more than strict fidelity. We recommend you use Creative when your image has structural imperfections (odd faces, warped hands, compositional issues) that you'd want to clean up before using it in production.

Output Size

Pro Upscaler outputs up to 105MP - enough to cover the vast majority of digital and print use cases, from social media and screen display through to posters and billboards. Use the Multiplier to control how much you enlarge the image, adjustable in 1-2x increments.

FAQ

What image formats are supported?

Input: .jpeg, .png, .webp
Output: .jpeg (8-bit)

What’s the largest size I can upscale an image to?

Images can be upscaled with outputs of 105 MP

Where do my upscaled images go?

They save automatically to your Library. If you uploaded an image from your device, you'll find it in your Library. If you upscaled a Leonardo-generated image, you can also access it through the original image's variations menu.

Is Pro Upscaler available on all plans?

Pro Upscaler is available on paid plans.

How much does it cost to use Pro Upscaler?

Pro Upscaler cost varies depending on your settings, from as little as 73 tokens to 1,211 tokens. It varies based on whether you have picked Precise or Creative mode, the Upscale Multiplier, if Fix AI Image Artifacts was turned on, and the creativity strength.

What is Creativity Strength in the Upscaler tool?

Creativity Strength refers to how much the upscaled image is allowed to hange and add new detail versus staying faithful to the original (Precise mode is best for image faithfulness). Choose from Subtle, Balanced or Strong strength depending on your goal.

Try turning creativity strength up when the base image is flat or low detail, you’re upscaling stylised art and want more realistic paint textures or details, and if you’re okay with the result being more of an an enhanced variation than a precise upscale. Choose lower or Precise mode when you’re working with human faces, skin or product shots, you need to preserve branding, shapes, composition, of you’re upscaling something that’s already high quality and just needs more resolution.

Can I use this on photos, not just AI-generated images?

Yes! While Pro Upscaler is specifically designed to handle the challenges of AI-generated images, it works great on real photos too - especially with Fix AI Image Artifacts mode off.

My upscaled image looks different from the original - is that normal?

It depends on the mode you used. Creative mode applies generative reconstruction, so it's designed to make changes. If you want a result that's very close to the original, use Precise mode. If you used Precise with Clean mode on and the result still looks off, try running it again with Clean mode off.

What are the other Upscaler modes available in the drop down?

Leonardo’s Legacy and Ultra Upscaler modes are available to choose from as well. They are simply previous versions of our upscaler technology. Pro Upscaler is the latest version.