name: transform-upscale-image-with-transloadit description: One-off AI image upscaling (local image -> upscaled image) using Transloadit via the transloadit CLI. Prefer the image upscale intent and use --output for a deterministic path. when_to_use: | Triggers when the user asks to upscale an image, increase image resolution, enlarge a photo without quality loss, super-resolve a picture, or enhance faces in an upscaled image. Choose this over transform-generate-image-with-transloadit when the input is an existing image that should be scaled up, not a prompt-driven new image. Choose this over resize when the user wants AI-based quality-preserving enlargement, not simple pixel resizing.

Run

Use the image upscale intent for quick AI upscaling of a local image.

npx -y @transloadit/node image upscale \
  --input ./photo.jpg \
  --output ./photo-upscaled.png

Defaults: --model nightmareai/real-esrgan, --scale 2, --face-enhance false.

Run With 4x Upscale

npx -y @transloadit/node image upscale \
  --input ./photo.jpg \
  --scale 4 \
  --output ./photo-upscaled.png

Run With Face Enhancement

Use when the input contains human faces that should be sharpened. Pair with gfpgan or codeformer for dedicated face restoration, or keep real-esrgan + --face-enhance for a general upscale that also improves faces.

--face-enhance is a boolean flag — pass it bare, not with true.

npx -y @transloadit/node image upscale \
  --input ./portrait.jpg \
  --face-enhance \
  --output ./portrait-upscaled.png

Pick A Model

• nightmareai/real-esrgan (default): general-purpose SOTA upscaler for photos and illustrations.
• tencentarc/gfpgan: specialized face restoration; best for portraits with damaged or low-quality faces.
• sczhou/codeformer: alternative face restoration with more control over fidelity vs. quality.

npx -y @transloadit/node image upscale \
  --input ./portrait.jpg \
  --model tencentarc/gfpgan \
  --output ./portrait-restored.png

Notes:

• Upscaling is an AI operation; processing time and cost scale with image size and --scale.
• Without --output, the CLI writes next to the input file using the intent's default extension.
• --scale only accepts 2 or 4.

Debug If It Fails

npx -y @transloadit/node assemblies get <assemblyIdOrUrl> -j

Notes:

• Upscaling robots can be account-gated; if the assembly fails with capability or availability errors, confirm /image/upscale is enabled for your account or switch --model.
• Very large inputs combined with --scale 4 can exceed per-account limits; try --scale 2 first.