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Adobe’s current AI upscaling is not one button shared by every app. Photoshop’s Image > Generative Upscale, the Firefly web editor’s Generative upscale, and Lightroom’s Enhance with AI > Generative Upscale use different hosts, output formats, limits, and model choices. Photoshop and Firefly let you choose Adobe Firefly Upscaler, Topaz Gigapixel, or Topaz Bloom; Lightroom’s Generative Upscale is Topaz-powered and creates a separate DNG derivative. All three offer 2x or 4x scaling, but the right choice depends on where your image lives, whether you need a Photoshop document or DNG, your target dimensions, and how generative-credit use is handled.
What Adobe Firefly Generative Upscale does
Generative Upscale reconstructs detail while increasing an image’s pixel dimensions. It is intended for low-resolution originals that need to be printed, cropped, displayed at a larger size, or integrated into a larger composition. It cannot recover detail that was never captured with complete certainty; the model predicts plausible texture, edges, and fine structure. Inspect faces, text, repeating patterns, and hard edges at 100% before treating the result as faithful evidence.
Adobe distributes the feature across three workflows:
- Photoshop: Open Image > Generative Upscale, select a scale and model, and create the result in a new Photoshop document.
- Firefly web editor: Upload an image or open an image you generated, then use Edit > Generative upscale. You can choose Adobe Firefly Upscaler, Topaz Gigapixel, or Topaz Bloom and set 2x or 4x.
- Lightroom: In Detail view, choose Enhance with AI > Generative Upscale (or Photo > Enhance with AI). The Topaz-powered result is a separate DNG derivative rather than an overwrite of the original.
Adobe describes Firefly Upscaler in Photoshop as restoring low-resolution images up to 6,144 × 6,144 pixels. That is a maximum for the Firefly Upscaler workflow, not a promise that every source can be enlarged to that size without artifacts.
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Which app and model should you use?
| Workflow | Where to start | Models offered | Scale | Result | Important limit or caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photoshop | Image > Generative Upscale | Firefly Upscaler, Topaz Gigapixel, Topaz Bloom | 2x or 4x | New Photoshop document | Firefly Upscaler supports up to 6,144 × 6,144 pixels, according to Adobe’s 2026 documentation. |
| Firefly web editor | Edit > Generative upscale | Firefly Upscaler, Topaz Bloom, Topaz Gigapixel | 2x or 4x | Upscaled Firefly image | JPEG, PNG, and WEBP uploads are limited to 100 MB; credit consumption varies by model. |
| Lightroom cloud workflow | Enhance with AI > Generative Upscale in Detail view | Topaz-powered Generative Upscale | 2x or 4x | Separate DNG derivative | Maximum long-edge dimension is 65,000 pixels. The Topaz Gigapixel workflow is not currently available in Lightroom Classic. |
Choose Photoshop when you need layers, masks, compositing, or a deliberately separate working document. Choose Firefly’s web editor when the source is already in Firefly or you want a browser-based operation without opening a desktop editor. Choose Lightroom when your originals and catalog are there and you want a non-destructive DNG derivative that remains associated with the original.
Upscale an image in Photoshop with Firefly
Step 1: Open the original and check its condition
Open the lowest-generation original you have, rather than a screenshot or a previously compressed social-media copy. Check the pixel dimensions in Photoshop and inspect the image at 100%. Remove obvious dust and correct major exposure or white-balance problems first. If the file is noisy, apply noise reduction conservatively before enlarging; aggressive sharpening or texture can be amplified by the upscale.
Step 2: Open Generative Upscale
- Choose Image > Generative Upscale.
- Select 2x or 4x.
- Choose Firefly Upscaler, Topaz Gigapixel, or Topaz Bloom.
- Confirm the target dimensions shown in the dialog before starting.
- Run the operation and open the generated result in the new document Photoshop creates.
A 2x setting doubles width and height, so the image contains four times as many pixels as the source. A 4x setting quadruples width and height, producing sixteen times as many pixels. The larger 4x result is useful when the source is far below the required output size, but it also gives the model more opportunity to invent texture and creates a substantially larger document.
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Compare the generated document with the source at 100% and at the intended viewing size. Check eyes, hair, foliage, fabric, signs, and repeated architectural lines. If a generated edge is too crisp or a texture looks synthetic, reduce local sharpening or mask the upscale so that critical areas retain the original. Keep the source document untouched; the new-document behavior makes it easy to compare, mask, or discard the generated version.
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Use Generative Upscale in the Firefly web editor
Prepare an upload or generated image
In Firefly, open an image you generated or upload an existing file. JPEG, PNG, and WEBP inputs have a 100 MB maximum upload size. An image that exceeds that limit must be resized or exported in a supported, smaller file before it can be uploaded.
Run the upscale
- Open the image in the Firefly editor and select the Edit tab.
- Choose Generative upscale.
- Select Firefly Upscaler, Topaz Bloom, or Topaz Gigapixel.
- Set the scale to 2x or 4x.
- Review the expected dimensions and preview before committing the result.
Adobe states that credit consumption varies by model. The interface is therefore the appropriate place to check the current credit impact for the selected model and operation; do not assume that switching models has no effect on credits. If the image is for a high-stakes publication, download or preserve the original separately so that you can revert if the generated version introduces a visual change.
Upscale photos in Lightroom
Run Generative Upscale in Lightroom
- Open the photo in Detail view.
- Choose Enhance with AI > Generative Upscale. You can also reach the command through Photo > Enhance with AI.
- Select 2x or 4x.
- Start the enhancement and wait for Lightroom to generate the derivative.
- Review the new DNG at 100% and retain the original for comparison.
Lightroom’s Generative Upscale is described by Adobe as powered by Topaz. It is separate from Lightroom’s AI Sharpen feature, which is also Topaz-powered but performs a different task: sharpening does not substitute for increasing resolution.
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Understand the DNG derivative
Lightroom returns a separate DNG derivative, leaving the source photo intact. This is useful for a catalog-based workflow because edits, ratings, and versions can be managed without replacing the original capture. In cloud workflows, Lightroom can optionally create a stack containing the original and generated photo, making the pair easier to browse together.
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The Lightroom Topaz Gigapixel Generative Upscale workflow supports a maximum of 65,000 pixels on the long edge. That limit is much larger than the 6,144 × 6,144 limit documented for Photoshop’s Firefly Upscaler, but the two figures apply to different model and host workflows. Lightroom Classic does not currently support the Topaz Gigapixel Generative Upscale workflow described here.
How to choose 2x versus 4x
Use 2x when the source is close to the target
2x is the safer starting point for a photo that only needs a moderate increase, such as preparing a crop for a larger print or supplying a higher-resolution web asset. It asks the model to fill in less missing information and usually produces a more conservative change. You can still apply a second, carefully evaluated operation later, but repeated generative enlargement can compound artifacts.
Use 4x for a severe resolution gap
4x is appropriate when the source is substantially smaller than the required output and a single operation is preferable to several enlargements. Expect a larger file, longer processing time, and closer scrutiny of small features. For a portrait, inspect eyelashes, teeth, jewelry, and hair; for architecture, inspect windows, text, and parallel lines.
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Multiply both source dimensions by the selected factor. A 1,500 × 1,000 pixel file becomes 3,000 × 2,000 at 2x or 6,000 × 4,000 at 4x. Compare that result with the host’s documented limit and with your delivery specification. In Firefly’s web editor, check the displayed dimensions before committing; in Photoshop and Lightroom, use the dimensions shown in the respective dialog or generated document.
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Models, credits, and output differences
Firefly Upscaler
Firefly Upscaler is Adobe’s model option in Photoshop and Firefly’s web editor. Adobe documents a maximum restored image size of 6,144 × 6,144 pixels for the Photoshop workflow. It is the natural choice when you want Adobe’s own upscaling model and are working inside Firefly or Photoshop.
Topaz Gigapixel
Topaz Gigapixel is an integrated model choice in Photoshop and Firefly, and it powers Lightroom’s Generative Upscale workflow. In Lightroom, the output is a separate DNG derivative and the long edge can reach 65,000 pixels. In Photoshop and Firefly, select it from the model menu when that model’s rendering is better suited to your image; compare previews rather than assuming one model wins for every subject.
Topaz Bloom
Topaz Bloom is another model option presented in Photoshop and Firefly. Its availability in those menus does not mean that Lightroom exposes the same choice; Lightroom’s documented Generative Upscale path is Topaz-powered without offering the Photoshop/Firefly model selector.
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Generative credits
Firefly documentation says credit consumption varies by model. Treat credits as an operation-dependent resource, not a single universal price for every upscale. Check the current account or operation notice before running a batch, especially when testing several models or using 4x repeatedly. The supplied Adobe feature descriptions do not establish one fixed credit number for all regions, plans, or models.
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A reliable production workflow
- Keep the original: Work from the highest-quality source and preserve an untouched copy.
- Correct global problems: Fix exposure, white balance, and major lens or perspective issues before generating new pixels.
- Reduce noise when needed: In Lightroom, run denoise first when the source has significant noise. Upscaling noise can make the result look falsely detailed.
- Upscale late: Perform Generative Upscale after major tonal and crop decisions so you do not enlarge pixels that will be discarded.
- Choose the smallest sufficient factor: Start at 2x if it meets the delivery dimensions; reserve 4x for a genuine resolution gap.
- Inspect at 100%: Look for invented text, warped geometry, plastic-looking skin, repeating patterns, and halos.
- Export for the destination: Retain the Photoshop document or Lightroom DNG for future edits, then create the JPEG, PNG, or other delivery format required by the destination.
Common problems and fixes
The command is missing
Confirm that you are in the supported host and the expected view: Photoshop uses Image > Generative Upscale; Lightroom uses Detail view and Enhance with AI > Generative Upscale; Firefly uses the Edit tab. Lightroom Classic does not currently provide the Topaz Gigapixel Generative Upscale workflow documented for Lightroom.
The upload is rejected in Firefly
Check the file type and size. JPEG, PNG, and WEBP uploads are limited to 100 MB. Export a smaller supported file while retaining the original locally.
The result looks sharp but false
Compare against the source at 100%. Reduce the factor, try another available model, or mask the generated layer or document so that the original remains visible in areas where fidelity matters. Text and fine line art are especially prone to plausible-looking substitutions.
The output is larger than expected
Remember that scaling applies to both width and height. A 4x operation creates sixteen times the source pixel count, even though each dimension is only four times longer. Confirm available storage and downstream application limits before running a large batch.
You need the original and upscale together
Use Photoshop’s new document for side-by-side or layered compositing. In Lightroom cloud workflows, enable the option to create a stack containing the original and generated photo. The derivative approach keeps the source recoverable instead of replacing it.
Which Adobe upscaling route is best?
- Pick Photoshop for compositing, layer masks, retouching, or the ability to compare three model choices in a desktop document.
- Pick Firefly web for a browser workflow, an image already generated in Firefly, or a quick 2x/4x operation without opening Photoshop.
- Pick Lightroom for catalog-managed photography, a separate DNG derivative, optional cloud stacking, and very large long-edge output within the documented 65,000-pixel limit.
- Use Firefly Upscaler when Adobe’s model and its Photoshop 6,144 × 6,144 limit fit the job.
- Use Topaz Gigapixel when its integrated model is preferable or when Lightroom’s DNG-based workflow is the priority.
- Use Topaz Bloom only where the Photoshop or Firefly model menu offers it and its preview meets the visual requirement.
No upscaler guarantees factual recovery of missing detail. Treat the generated image as an enhanced interpretation, retain the original, and approve the result only after inspecting the details that matter for your particular subject and output.
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