How to upscale a video to 4k

Audio and video are among the most important aspects of communication nowadays. There isn’t an influencer who can enjoy the “luxury” of abandoning these two aspects of their routine and sleep well at night. In the present, there’s nothing more important than image and sound, in particular images in motion, or, as they call it, video.

This age of technology hasalso brought with it amazing methods of recording video, like micro-cameras that film in the most advanced and detailed resolution possible, known as 4k. This means that the video recording has at least 4,000 horizontal pixels, meaning that, on average, these devices for recording or playing such videos have about four times the pixel count of an old “HD” video of 1920×1080 pixels.

It’s important to know that coding for such resolutions can be a problem, since most PC and mobile devices don’t have the “power” to compress such an enormous number of pixels in the right way. And even if the personal computer at work or home is powerful enough, it will need the proper software to be able to upscale or compress a video of this nature.

The benefits of mobile cameras

Some experts say this is a new “Golden Era” for video filming and editing since most of the new phones, particularly those at the top of the range, include video in 4K. This represents a new era in terms of what “regular folks” can produce. For example, a sudden encounter with a wild animal, filmed in 4k with a stable hand, could be used in a documentary. Or if the person encounters an accident or a building on fire, all of that could be turned into usable material for news sites and TV channels, and could be uploaded to YouTube in its highest resolution.

Since many TVs now have the ability to reproduce 4k videos, and the Internet connection of most advanced countries allows streaming of such resolutions and sizes (most 4k videos represent some 42GB per hour). It’s clear that this kind of technology wouldn’t have had a place on the old Internet, where an HD video could sometimes take ten to 20 minutes to play. It’s only the combined power of the new Internet speeds and the smoothness of the playing devices, plus the possibility of creating such videos domestically, that make this era possible.}

There are also micro-recorders that some “adventurers” use in their daily lives, like most of the new GoPro-like cameras, which now film in Ultra-HD or 4k. Such an advance is changing the way that most of the influencers in that field show their daily lives, but it is also helping the average user show their vacations in 4k on their TV in the living room when they invite people over.

The importance of good editing

There’s no use for a video with long sections of the user filming their hands or legs: that’s where editing comes in handy. With the help of some programs like Adobe Premiere (also available for mobile devices), the creator of a video can also remove undesired parts, include music and add effects if they can learn to master that aspect of editing.

Another great barrier when creating an Ultra-HD video is the possibility to include a regular HD video in that segment. That is, as it’s known in the industry, an “upscaling,” meaning that via software the user can “increase” or more likely convert that resolution to stretch it to the desired resolution, in this case, 4k. Luckily, there is a lot of new software that can help with that task without many obstacles. Here are some examples:

VideoProc Converter

Fast software with a very intuitive interface that makes video editing and upscaling quite easy. It has a free license and a commercial one, depending on what the user is expecting to create. The downside of it is that some MAC or iOS users described some problems with older OS versions, so users who want to create videos on those OS should update them first.

Pikavue

Known as an “upscaling supercharger,” this program can upscale videos in the majority of resolutions, including the most advanced 16k resolution. It uses AI to create an impressive recreation of old 320p and 720p videos in HD and Ultra-HD in a matter of minutes. It’s very easy to use and has a trial period to test it before buying the commercial license.

Adobe Premiere Pro

One of the most complete and professional video converters and editors of the present day. There’s no doubt that Abobe Premiere Pro has the ability to create videos mixed with effects, music or audio, with the capacity to export them in 4k (regardless of the native resolution) as well as code the videos for the different platforms that will play them.

DVDFab Enlarger AI

This software uses the power of AI to create a very smooth experience in old videos. It can upscale from older resolutions up to the most modern and advanced, like 16k. It is very easy to use and is compatible with most PCs and powerful notebooks, since it just requires a good GPU to process the videos, with at least 3GB of free memory.

The editorial unit