Wedding videographer
A ceremony filmed on a gimbal in low light comes out clean — upscale the 1080p master to 4K, soften the shadows, and hand the editor a single ProRes file. The topaz video upscaling guide covers the export settings.
Topaz Video: upscale footage in the browser without a timeline
Topaz Video in one line
Topaz Video upscales footage entirely in the browser. In one line: you drop a clip in, the model rebuilds every frame at higher resolution, and you export a clean file — no install, no render queue. It is the video arm of the Topaz Labs lineup.
Upscale a sample clip now
How it works
Three stages inside every upscale
Topaz Video is a pipeline, not a filter — it runs the same stages on every frame of the clip.
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Analyze the source
The tool maps what is actually in the clip: edges, grain, compression noise, and the motion between frames. This decides how aggressive the reconstruction can be without inventing detail.
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Rebuild each frame
A trained model upscales the frame, resolves aliasing, and sharpens real structure. With the motion field known, it pulls information from neighbouring frames instead of guessing pixel by pixel.
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Stabilize and export
The enhanced frames are re-timed so motion stays smooth, then encoded to the format you chose. You get a finished video file, not a stack of stills to assemble.
By the people who run it
Topaz Video step by step in real workflows
Different jobs hit different parts of the tool. Here is how four workflows run.
YouTube creator
Compressed webcam and screen-recording clips get a second pass: sharpen the artifacts before export. When you only need a still for a thumbnail, the topaz image upscaler is the faster path.
Family archivist
Old tapes get upscaled one reel at a time, and the tool smooths the VHS grain. If the photo album needs the same treatment, topaz labs photo restoration is the guide to follow.
Documentary filmmaker
Archival 720p footage is cut into a 4K timeline, so every source gets an upscale on the way in. For the stills, topaz image handles the photo side.
4×target resolution boost from a 1080p source
60frames per second for smooth interpolated motion
100+source formats accepted, from phone clips to ProRes
10minutes for a typical 4K upscale of a two-minute clip
Same clip, same export settings; the difference is most visible around fine texture and motion edges.
If the capability split brought you here, the rest of the Topaz Labs lineup answers the questions around it. The photo side guide covers stills, and the footage upscaling guide explains output settings. The rail below points to the rest of the family.
Capability split
Where the video side ends and the photo side begins
The tool family is split by source type. This table shows what Topaz Video expects from a file and what the photo tools handle instead.
| Attribute | Video tool | Photo side |
|---|---|---|
| Input type | Video files — MP4, MOV, ProRes | Still images — JPG, PNG, TIFF |
| Motion estimation | Yes | No |
| Frame interpolation | Yes | No |
| Upscale ceiling | Up to 8K output | Up to 4× per image |
| Output format | Re-encoded video file | High-resolution still |
| Batch workflow | One clip at a time | Whole folders at once |
| Tuned for faces | No | Yes |
Heavy compression is hard to reverse
If the source is a low-bitrate stream, the model can smooth the artifacts but cannot recover detail that was never recorded.
Feed it the highest-bitrate copy you have; the gap between a screen recording and a camera file is huge.
Long clips take time
A full documentary is hours of processing, not minutes.
Upscale the selects, not the whole timeline.
Topaz Video has no timeline
It is not an editor: no cuts, titles, or audio tracks, just a rebuilt picture.
Edit first, then upscale the finished export so the render cost lands on one file.
Fast motion can outrun the model
Whip-pans and quick cuts push the motion estimation further than any upscaler fully resolves.
Split the clip at the motion break, or accept a soft frame in a single cut.
FAQ
Questions people ask before upscaling video
Is the upscaler free?
Yes — free while it is in public testing, with no watermark on the export.
How long does an upscale take?
A two-minute 1080p clip to 4K typically finishes in around ten minutes, because the heavy work runs on the server side rather than your laptop.
Can it fix VHS rips?
Yes, but manage expectations. The tool sharpens whatever is in the capture; a clean transfer gets a real lift, while a noisy one gets smoothed rather than restored.
What is the difference between Topaz Video and Topaz Photo?
The video side works on moving footage and uses motion between frames; the photo side of the family treats each image independently. The photo workflow guide covers stills in full.