How to Improve Video Quality with AI: Topaz Upscale to 4K
How to improve video quality with AI online: Topaz upscaling to 4K, Starlight modes for old footage, 60 fps, noise and blur cleanup. Steps and common mistakes.
Improving video quality with AI means raising a clip's resolution, removing noise, blur and compression blocks and, if you want, making motion smoother, without changing what was filmed. In the IIshki studio this is done by Topaz Video Upscale: upload an MP4, MOV or WebM up to 60 seconds, choose 720p, 1080p or 4K and one of 11 modes, no prompt needed. For archive and over-compressed footage there are Starlight modes, which rebuild detail the frame no longer has. Below: which mode fits which source, five steps and the mistakes that make an upscale expensive yet worse than the original.
What AI can and cannot fix in a video
An upscaler works with what has already been filmed and makes it better. It handles well:
- Resolution. A 480p clip from an old phone or a messenger becomes 1080p or 4K on the short side.
- Compression. Blocks, jagged edges and color smears that appear after forwarding in chats.
- Noise. Grain from shooting in the dark or on an old sensor.
- Smoothness. Interpolation to 30 or 60 fps for footage shot at a low frame rate.
- Old film and VHS, in Starlight modes that restore textures and features.
What upscaling will not do: change the story, remove a person from the frame or fix heavy camera-shake blur. If you need to change the clip itself, such as a new background or character, that is a job for video models like Seedance 2.5, not an upscaler.
Which tool to choose
| Task | Model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Take a clip to 1080p or 4K unchanged | Topaz Video Upscale | Does not redraw the content, up to 4K on the short side |
| Rescue an over-compressed messenger video | Topaz, “Blur and artefacts” mode | Built for compressed clips |
| Restore VHS, film or an old recording | Topaz, “Starlight: Archive and film” | Rebuilds lost detail |
| Enhance a cartoon or motion graphics | Topaz, “Animation (2×)” mode | A dedicated model for drawn lines |
| Enhance a frame from a video as a photo | Topaz Photo Upscale | 2× or 4×, modes by image type |
| Reshoot a scene with a new character or background | Seedance 2.5 | Edits a clip from a prompt and references |
| Make a clip from an enhanced photo | Kling 3.0 | Animates a frame, 3 to 15 seconds |
A broader list of video models is in the roundup of the best AI video generators.
Topaz modes: which one fits your clip
The card has 11 modes: six regular and five Starlight. The mode matters more than resolution: it decides whether the result looks cleaner or plastic.
| Mode | Use it for |
|---|---|
| All-purpose | Most clips, if you do not know where to start |
| Clean source | Good, noise-free video that only needs resolution |
| Blur and artefacts | Compressed clips from messengers and social networks |
| Renders and CGI | 3D, graphics, screen recordings |
| Animation (2×) | Cartoons and motion graphics |
| Noisy video | Low-light footage, focus on denoising |
| Starlight: Precise | Rebuilds detail missing from the frame; the most expensive |
| Starlight: Top quality | Large, already decent sources |
| Starlight: Archive and film | Old and damaged recordings |
| Starlight: Sharper, faster | Quick restoration with sharper detail |
| Starlight: Budget | The fastest Starlight, cheaper than the rest |
Two more settings: “Frames/s” (same as source, 30 or 60 fps) and “Softness” from 1 to 5, which only applies to “Starlight: Precise”.
How to improve video quality with AI: 5 steps
1. Open the model
Go to the Topaz Video Upscale card. Sign in with Telegram, email, Google or Yandex ID.
2. Prepare the clip
MP4, MOV and WebM up to 200 MB and up to 60 seconds are accepted. Cut longer videos into one-minute pieces. For the first test, take the hardest 5–10 seconds: close-up faces, a dark scene, fast motion. If that works, the rest will too.
3. Choose the resolution
1080p (default) is for social media and most screens. 4K is for a big screen or further editing. 720p is for very small sources, where jumping straight to 4K makes no sense.
4. Pick the mode and frame rate
A fresh phone clip: “All-purpose” or “Clean source”. A video from a chat: “Blur and artefacts”. A family archive, VHS or digitized film: “Starlight: Archive and film”. Keep the frame rate “Same as source” unless the clip stutters: 60 fps is about smoothness, not quality.
5. Run and compare
No prompt is needed. The finished clip appears in “My creations”, and if your account is linked to Telegram, the bot sends it as a file. Watch it full screen and compare it with the source at the same timestamps.
Which resolution and frame rate to pick
| Source | Resolution | Frames/s | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720p phone clip for Reels | 1080p | same as source | All-purpose |
| Forwarded video from a chat | 1080p | same as source | Blur and artefacts |
| Digitized VHS tape | 1080p | 30 fps | Starlight: Archive and film |
| Night-time footage | 1080p | same as source | Noisy video |
| Screen recording or 3D render | 4K | same as source | Renders and CGI |
| Hand-drawn cartoon | 1080p | same as source | Animation (2×) |
| Good source for a big screen | 4K | 60 fps | Starlight: Top quality |
The rule is simple: first pick the mode for the type of footage, then the resolution for where it will be shown, and only then the frame rate, if the clip visibly stutters.
Old footage: how to approach an archive
Family recordings from VHS and early digital cameras are the most common reason to upscale, and the easiest place to overpay.
- Start with a test piece. 10 seconds in “Starlight: Budget” will show whether the recording can be recovered at all.
- Then the main mode. If faces and texture come through, use “Starlight: Archive and film” for the whole recording. If not, the expensive “Precise” mode is unlikely to help: the problem is the source.
- Resolution: 1080p. For old recordings 4K usually adds file size rather than detail.
- Single frames as photos. Save the best still and run it through Topaz Photo Upscale, then bring it to life; see how to animate a photo with AI. For photos in depth, read how to improve photo quality with AI.
Common mistakes when upscaling video
| Mistake | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Faces look waxy | Starlight on a fresh, clean clip | Use “Clean source” or “All-purpose” |
| Blocks are still there | A regular mode on over-compressed video | “Blur and artefacts” |
| A cartoon lost its lines | A mode built for live footage | “Animation (2×)” |
| Upload fails | Longer than 60 seconds or over 200 MB | Cut the clip into pieces |
| Edge artifacts during motion | 60 fps interpolation on a fast scene | Keep “Same as source” or 30 fps |
| Expensive with no visible gain | 4K or “Starlight: Precise” on a poor recording | Test in “Budget” first, then 1080p |
| Heavy blur did not go away | Camera shake barely recovers | Stabilize in an editor or use another take |
What next
- Need to change the clip rather than improve it (background, character, a longer scene): Seedance 2.5 and our guide to Seedance 2.5 prompts.
- Repeat someone else's video with your own character and the original sound: the Swap mode.
- Build a “still → upscale → animate” chain in one place on the canvas.
The price of each run is shown on the model card before you start. No subscription is needed: tokens are bought once, and if a generation fails because of the model, they are refunded automatically.
Don't want to fiddle with prompts?
Ready-made scenes: upload your photo and get the result in one click.
Models in this article
Frequently asked questions
Which AI improves video quality?
To raise sharpness and resolution without changing the content, use Topaz Video Upscale: it takes a clip to 720p, 1080p or 4K on the short side, removes noise and compression artifacts and can bring the frame rate up to 60 fps. For old and damaged recordings there are Starlight modes that rebuild lost detail.
Can I improve video quality with AI for free?
Not completely: processing costs tokens, the price depends on clip length and mode and is shown on the model card. If an upscale fails because of the model, the tokens are refunded automatically. No subscription is needed.
What video can I upload?
MP4, MOV or WebM up to 200 MB and up to 60 seconds. Cut longer recordings into one-minute pieces and process them in turn: it is easier to compare results and you will not overpay for the wrong mode.
What are Starlight modes?
These modes do more than enlarge the frame: they rebuild detail that is no longer there, such as skin texture, fabric and lettering. They are slower and cost more, so use them for archive and heavily compressed footage rather than fresh phone clips.
Can AI turn 30 fps into smooth 60 fps?
Yes, the “Frames/s” setting offers 30 or 60 fps: the model draws the in-between frames. Keep in mind that 60 fps doubles the workload, and fast motion may get slight artifacts around object edges.
Every model in this roundup is available in the IIshki studio at reduced club prices. Club members get tokens for generations every month.
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