1What ExactUpscale does
ExactUpscale enlarges your images to the exact pixel dimensions you ask for, and it makes you three promises about how it gets there.
The faithful promise
- Nothing is cropped. Your whole image stays in the picture, every time.
- Nothing is stretched. People stay people, circles stay circles. If a size cannot be reached without distorting the photo, the app tells you and shows you the way around it.
- Nothing is invented. The app reconstructs the detail your photo already contains. It does not hallucinate new objects, textures, or faces.
Everything stays on your device
ExactUpscale is a desktop app, not a website. Your images are opened, enlarged, and saved directly on your computer. They are never uploaded anywhere, and the app works without an internet connection. The only moment the app touches the network is when you ask it to check for updates.
What it is good at
ExactUpscale shines whenever a file has to arrive at a precise size: print layouts that demand 2480 x 3508 pixels, marketplaces that reject photos below a minimum resolution, 4K hero images for websites, or social posts that must not look stretched. The app supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIF, and HEIC as input and saves a compact, high-quality WebP file at the end.
2Installing the app
ExactUpscale runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. There is nothing else to install: the app includes everything it needs, and no account is required.
Download
- Open the download page for the latest release: github.com/n-770/exactupscale-releases (also linked from the download section).
- Download the file for your system:
ExactUpscale-macOS.zip,ExactUpscale-Windows.zip, orExactUpscale-Linux.zip.
macOS
- Double-click the downloaded zip to unpack it.
- Move ExactUpscale to your Applications folder.
- Open it. The first time, macOS may say the app is from an identified or unknown developer. Right-click the app, choose Open, and confirm once. From then on it opens normally.
Windows
- Right-click the downloaded zip and choose Extract All, then open the extracted folder.
- Double-click ExactUpscale.exe.
- If Windows SmartScreen shows a blue notice, click More info and then Run anyway. The app is safe; the notice appears because the app is new and has no reputation with Microsoft yet.
Linux
- Unpack the zip:
unzip ExactUpscale-Linux.zip. - Make the app executable once:
chmod +x ExactUpscale. - Run it:
./ExactUpscale.
3Your first upscale
From photo to finished file in six steps. The whole flow lives in one window: images on the left, live comparison on the right.
- Add your images. Drag one or more files onto Drop images here or click, or click it to browse. JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIF, and HEIC are all welcome.
- Set the target size. Type the exact width and height you need, or pick a preset: 4K, 2K, Full HD, Instagram, YouTube, or A4 for print.
- Choose how to handle the shape. Fit keeps the photo's natural shape. Pad reaches the exact size by adding borders in a color you pick.
- Choose the quality. Fast is ready in seconds and is the right choice for most images. Max takes longer and pushes detail further.
- Click Upscale. Each image is processed on your device. You can follow along in the image list on the left.
- Compare and download. Drag the slider across the image to see the before and after. The result bar shows the output size, the source size, the format, and the processing time. Click Download to save the finished file.
What the result bar tells you
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Output | The exact pixel size of the saved file. |
| Source | The pixel size of your original photo. |
| Format | Always WebP: small files, excellent quality. |
| Time | How long the enlargement took on your computer. |
4Getting the exact size
Most of the time, your photo's shape and the size you need do not match perfectly. ExactUpscale solves this with two honest modes instead of quietly distorting your picture.
Fit: the photo keeps its natural shape
Fit is the default. The photo is enlarged to fill as much of your requested size as possible while staying perfectly proportional. If your photo is 3:2 and you ask for a square, one side of the result will be smaller than requested. The app reports the real output size right in the result bar, and a calm note explains that this was on purpose: your photo kept its shape so nothing looks stretched or cut off.
Pad: the exact size, with matching borders
When a file must arrive at exactly 1080 x 1080 or exactly A4, choose Pad. The photo is fitted first, then tasteful borders are added on the sides that need them to reach the precise target size. Click Border color to pick a color that matches your image or your brand.
What the app never does
ExactUpscale will never stretch or squash your photo to force a size, and it will never crop your photo to make it fit. If you see a slightly smaller output than requested with Fit, that is the app keeping its promise, not a mistake.
5Choosing the quality
Two models, one promise: both stay faithful to your photo. They differ in how much time they take and how much detail they recover.
| Fast | Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Everyday images, batches, quick results | Precious photos, print, the finest detail |
| Speed | Seconds per image | Noticeably longer per image |
| Availability | Free and Pro | Pro |
| Character | Clean, natural, faithful | Recovers more fine detail on hard sources |
About text in photos
If a result looks softer than you hoped
- Try Max quality on that image.
- Enlarge in one step to your final size rather than repeatedly re-enlarging the output.
- Check the source: a heavily compressed or very small original sets the ceiling for any tool.
6Working with many images
Add as many files as you like to the list. The queue shows every image with its source size and status, and one click processes them all in order.
- One target for all. The size, shape handling, and quality you set apply to every image in the batch.
- Jump around freely. Click any image in the list to compare its result, and use the arrow buttons to step through the batch.
- Download everything. When two or more images are done, Download all (.zip) saves them in one tidy archive named
exactupscale-results.zip. - Sensible names. Each result is named after its original plus the output size, for example
poster-2480x3508.webp.
7Free and Pro
The free version is a complete, faithful upscaler for personal use. Pro removes the limits and adds commercial rights.
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Images at once | One at a time | Full batches |
| Output size | Up to 2K on the long side (2048 px) | Any size up to 16384 px per side |
| Quality models | Fast | Fast and Max |
| Use | Personal use | Personal and commercial use |
| Price | Free | One-time purchase or subscription |
What a Pro license includes
- Batch processing for as many images as you like
- Every output size the app supports, up to 16384 pixels per side
- The Max quality model
- Commercial use of your results
- All 1.x updates, for one-time licenses, and all updates while a subscription is active
8Your Pro license
Activation takes a few seconds and stays private: the key is verified by the app itself, without contacting any server.
Activating
- Open Settings in the top right corner and choose License & upgrade, or click Upgrade to Pro in the sidebar.
- Paste the license key from your purchase email.
- The app checks the key as you paste it. When it says Valid license key, click Activate.
- The badge in the sidebar turns to Pro and every limit disappears immediately.
What happens behind the scenes
Your key is a signed token that only we could have issued. The app verifies the signature locally and stores the key on your computer at ~/.exactupscale/license.key. There is no account, no login, and no activation server. That is why activation also works on a machine that never goes online.
Your license over time
- One-time licenses do not expire. They cover the major version you bought: a 1.x license activates every 1.x release, today and in the future.
- Subscriptions carry an expiry date shown in the app under License & upgrade as Licensed until. They cover all versions, including new major releases, while active.
- New computer? Copy your key from the purchase email and activate again. Your license is not tied to a machine.
9Staying up to date
Improvements and new models ship regularly. Checking takes one click and one second of connectivity.
- Open Settings and the panel at the bottom shows your version, for example ExactUpscale v1.0.2.
- Click Check for updates. If a newer version exists, the app shows the version number and links to the download.
- Download and install it like in Chapter 2. Your settings and your license are kept.
How documentation is versioned
Every release of ExactUpscale ships with its own user guide, labeled with the same version number as the app. This way the manual in your hands always matches the app on your screen, including for older versions you may still run.
10Questions and answers
Which file formats can I use?
As input: JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIF, and HEIC, including the photos straight from an iPhone. Results are always saved as WebP, which keeps files small and quality high. HEIF and HEIC previews are shown correctly inside the app even though browsers cannot display those formats on their own.
How large can a result be?
Up to 16384 pixels per side in Pro. The free version goes up to 2048 pixels on the long side.
Why is my result smaller than the size I typed?
With Fit, the photo keeps its natural shape, so one side can come out smaller when the shapes do not match. The app tells you the exact output size and offers Pad if you need the full requested size.
My photo looks the same as before. Is something wrong?
Compare it at 100% zoom by dragging the slider to a detailed area, such as hair, fabric, or a logo. On a whole-image view, a good enlargement looks like the original, and that is exactly the goal: more pixels, same photo.
Can I use the results commercially?
With a Pro license, yes. The free version is licensed for personal use.
Does the app send my photos anywhere?
No. Images are read, enlarged, and written entirely on your computer. Nothing is uploaded, and the app works offline.
The Max model takes long. Is it stuck?
No. Max simply does more work per image, especially on large target sizes. The result bar shows the time each image took so you can plan batches accordingly.
Something looks wrong with a result. What can I try?
- Try the other quality setting on that image.
- Ask for a smaller target size and compare.
- Use the largest, least compressed source version of the photo you have.
11What is new in v1.0.2
Released October 2026. This release focuses on unlocking Pro and polishing the everyday experience.
Highlights
- ExactUpscale Pro. License activation is now built into the app: paste a key and all limits disappear instantly. Free and Pro are clearly distinguished everywhere in the interface.
- A refined interface. Clearer sidebar, calmer status messages, and honest result notes that explain what happened instead of leaving you guessing.
- Officially Aurora Ivy. ExactUpscale now shows its place in the Aurora Ivy family, with a redesigned About panel and theme settings.
- Public downloads and update checks. The app is distributed with signed platform packages for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and can check for new versions from within the app.
Earlier releases
v1.0.1 made the release pipeline more reliable. v1.0.0 was the first public version of ExactUpscale, with the faithful upscaling engine, the exact-size promise, and fully local processing.
12Getting help
We read everything ourselves and typically answer within two business days.
- Website: exactupscale.app, with downloads, examples, and answers.
- Company: Aurora Ivy, aurora-ivy.tech.
- About the app: Settings shows your version, the About panel with links, and the update check.
When you write to us, it helps to include your ExactUpscale version (bottom of the sidebar), your operating system, and what you expected versus what happened. If a specific photo causes trouble, a small sample image makes diagnosis quick.
Thank you for choosing ExactUpscale. Now go make some pixels proud.