How to Increase the Megapixels of a Photo

You cannot add megapixels to a camera, but you can increase the megapixels of a photo. Upscaling software, such as the Super Resolution feature in Lightroom and Photoshop, doubles the width and height of an image, giving four times the pixels, and fills in plausible detail. For real extra detail, combine several frames: stack a burst of handheld shots, use a camera’s high-resolution multi-shot mode, or stitch a panorama.

The methods differ in one important way: some add pixels, and some add information. This page explains each method, what it really gains, how to do it in Photoshop and Lightroom, and how many megapixels you actually need for a given print. For what a megapixel is in the first place, see megapixel.

Pixels versus detail

A 24 megapixel camera records 6000 x 4000 pixels. Doubling the width and height gives 12000 x 8000 pixels, which is 96 megapixels: four times the pixel count, because area grows with the square of the linear size. Enlarging by 150 percent gives 2.25 times the pixels.

But the scene detail the lens and sensor captured does not grow just because the pixel count does. There are three kinds of result:

• Interpolation spreads the existing detail over more pixels. Edges stay as sharp as they were, or slightly softer. No new detail appears.
• AI upscaling uses a trained model to guess what finer detail probably looked like. Results are often convincing, but the new detail is an invention, not a record.
• Multi-frame methods combine several real exposures, each offset slightly, so the final image contains measurements the single frame did not. This is the only way to gain genuine detail after the shutter has fired, short of a better lens or camera.

Method 1: Super Resolution in Lightroom and Photoshop

Lightroom and the Camera Raw module in Photoshop include an Enhance command with a Super Resolution option. It uses a machine-learning model to double the linear dimensions of an image and reconstruct edges and fine texture as it goes. It works on raw files and, in current versions, on JPEG and TIFF files too, and it writes a new file (a DNG) beside the original rather than overwriting it.

1. In Lightroom, select the photo in the Library or Develop module, then choose Photo, Enhance. In Photoshop, open the file in Camera Raw and right-click the image (or use the menu) to find Enhance.
2. Tick Super Resolution. If the file is raw, the same dialog may also offer Denoise and Raw Details; check which options your version allows together.
3. Check the preview at 100 percent, then click Enhance. The new file appears next to the original with “Enhanced” in its name.
4. Edit the enhanced file as normal. Edits made to the original before enhancing carry over.

Menu names move between versions, but the feature has stayed under Enhance. It is the fastest route to a larger file, and it handles textures such as foliage, fabric and hair far better than old resampling. Look closely at faces, text and fine patterns after enhancing: an upscaling model can invent texture that was not there.

Is your file big enough for the print you want? The print size calculator shows how large a given pixel count prints at any resolution.

Method 2: Resampling with Image Size

The traditional way to enlarge is interpolation, or resampling, in Photoshop’s Image Size dialog (Image, Image Size). Turn on Resample, choose a method, and enter the new size in pixels or percent.

• Preserve Details is designed for enlarging and includes a noise reduction slider to keep upscaling artifacts down.
• Bicubic Smoother gives smooth, soft enlargements and is the classic choice for moderate upsizing.
• Nearest Neighbor duplicates pixels exactly. It is only for pixel art and screenshots, where you want hard square edges.

Resampling is predictable and invents nothing, which makes it a safe choice for documentary and product images where accuracy matters. Enlarge in one step rather than many small ones, then apply output sharpening for the final size.

Method 3: Multi-frame superresolution stacking

This technique gains real detail from a handheld camera. When you shoot a burst handheld, natural hand movement shifts each frame by a fraction of a pixel. Each frame therefore samples the scene at slightly different points. Enlarging every frame, aligning them precisely and averaging them recovers detail that falls between the pixels of a single frame, and the averaging also cuts noise sharply.

Shooting the frames

• Choose a still subject: landscapes, architecture, still life. Anything that moves between frames will ghost.
• Shoot handheld, not on a tripod. The small random movement between frames is what makes the method work.
• Use manual mode so every frame has identical exposure, and fix focus and white balance so nothing changes between shots.
• Use a shutter speed fast enough that each individual frame is sharp; blur in the frames cannot be averaged away.
• Take 20 or so frames in a continuous burst. More frames give cleaner results, with diminishing returns beyond a few dozen.

Combining them in Photoshop

1. In Lightroom, select all the frames, right-click and choose Edit In, Open as Layers in Photoshop. (Without Lightroom, use File, Scripts, Load Files into Stack.)
2. Choose Image, Image Size and enlarge to 200 percent with a smooth resampling method.
3. Select all layers and choose Edit, Auto-Align Layers, with the Auto projection.
4. Turn layers off and on to check the alignment at 100 percent.
5. With all layers selected, choose Layer, Smart Objects, Convert to Smart Object.
6. Choose Layer, Smart Objects, Stack Mode, Mean. Use Median instead if anything moved between frames, since median rejects ghosts better.
7. Sharpen the result. Smart Sharpen (Filter, Sharpen, Smart Sharpen) with a radius of about 2 pixels is a reasonable start; judge the amount at 100 percent.
8. Crop away the ragged edges left by the alignment.

The gain is real but modest: expect a visible improvement in fine detail and much lower noise, not a jump to the sharpness of a camera with four times the resolution. Processing 20 enlarged layers also takes a lot of memory and time, so start with a smaller test crop if your computer struggles.

Method 4: High-resolution multi-shot mode in camera

Some cameras with in-body image stabilization offer a high-resolution or pixel-shift mode. The camera moves its sensor by tiny, precise amounts between a series of exposures and combines them into one file. Depending on the mode, the result has several times the pixel count of a normal frame, or the same pixel count with full color recorded at every pixel, which gives cleaner fine detail. On a tripod with a still subject the results are excellent. Some cameras offer a handheld version; check your camera’s manual to see whether it has either and how it handles motion in the scene.

Method 5: Stitch a panorama

The most reliable way to multiply real detail is to shoot the scene in overlapping sections with a longer lens and stitch them together. Three vertical frames side by side from a 24 megapixel camera give roughly 50 to 60 megapixels after overlap and cropping; a grid of two rows by four columns gives well over 100. Every pixel is a real measurement. This works for landscapes, cityscapes and interiors, though not for anything that moves. Overlap each frame by about a third, lock exposure, focus and white balance, and let the stitching tool in your editor do the rest. More on the technique is in panorama.

How many megapixels do you need for a print?

Usually fewer than you think. Prints viewed at arm’s length look sharp at 300 pixels per inch, and large prints viewed from farther away look fine at 150 to 200. Pixels needed = print size in inches multiplied by pixels per inch, for each side.

A 24 megapixel file prints a 20 x 30 inch poster at 200 ppi without any enlargement. If your file is close to the size you need, a modest resample is all it takes; save Super Resolution and stacking for when you are well short. Resolution explains pixels per inch and how print resolution differs from screen resolution.

Wondering how pixel count, sensor size and sharpness relate? The megapixel table lists pixel dimensions and print sizes for common megapixel counts.

Common mistakes

• Expecting enlargement to fix a blurry photo. Fix: upscaling enlarges blur along with everything else. Start from the sharpest frame you have.
• Upscaling before editing. Fix: do noise reduction and basic edits first, or use Super Resolution on the raw file, so the upscaler is not enlarging noise.
• Stacking frames shot on a tripod. Fix: multi-frame superresolution needs the small shifts of handheld shooting. On a tripod, use the camera’s pixel-shift mode instead if it has one.
• Enlarging in many small steps. Fix: resample once to the final size, then sharpen for output.
• Trusting AI detail in evidence or documentary images. Fix: use plain resampling where every detail must be real.

Try this

Pick a detailed scene such as a brick building or a tree. Shoot one frame on a tripod, then 20 handheld frames in a burst. At home, make three versions at 200 percent: the single frame resampled with Preserve Details, the single frame run through Super Resolution, and the 20-frame Mean stack. Compare the same small crop of each at 100 percent. You will see which method suits your camera and subjects.

Frequently asked questions

How do I increase the megapixels of a picture?

Enlarge it with an upscaler such as Super Resolution in Lightroom or Photoshop, or with Image Size and a resampling method like Preserve Details. To add real detail rather than just pixels, combine several frames by stacking, pixel-shift or stitching.

Can I increase my camera’s megapixels?

Not the sensor’s. The pixel count of a sensor is fixed. What you can increase is the pixel count of the finished image, using software or multi-shot techniques.

Does upscaling add detail?

Interpolation does not add detail, it spreads existing detail over more pixels. AI upscaling adds generated detail that looks plausible but was not recorded. Only multi-frame methods add detail that was really in the scene.

How much does Super Resolution increase megapixels?

It doubles the width and height, so the pixel count goes up four times. A 12 megapixel photo becomes about 48 megapixels, and a 24 megapixel photo becomes about 96.

Is there a free megapixel increaser?

Most free image editors can resample an image to a larger size, and some include upscaling based on machine learning. The multi-frame stacking method also works in any editor that can align layers and average them.