How to Fix Artifacts in Low-Resolution Anime or Cartoon Videos

Anime and cartoon videos, especially older or low-resolution ones, are particularly prone to visual artifacts. These can range from color banding and blockiness to jagged lines and fuzzy edges. Compared to live-action footage, animated content relies heavily on sharp outlines, flat color blocks, and stylized textures. When these visuals get compressed or scaled down, the damage is often more noticeable.

If you've ever tried rewatching a classic anime series on a modern screen, you may have noticed distracting visual issues that weren't as obvious before. This article explores how to fix these artifacts and breathe new life into your favorite animated content with the help of AI.

Part 1. What Are Artifacts in Anime or Cartoon Videos?

Artifacts are unwanted distortions or errors that occur in digital video, especially after compression, scaling, or conversion. In anime or cartoons, common types of artifacts include:

• Color Banding: Visible stripes where smooth gradients should be.
• Pixelation: Chunky, blocky visuals due to low resolution.
• Aliasing: Jagged, stair-step-like lines instead of smooth edges.
• Ghosting: Overlapping or double lines caused by compression errors.
• Blurry Lines: Fuzzy edges, especially on outlines or fine details.

These issues degrade visual quality and can make an episode feel outdated or poorly made-even when the original artwork was clean and vibrant. Artifacts often appear in older titles such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto (early seasons), Sailor Moon, or One Piece, especially if you're watching from low-bitrate sources.

Part 2. Why Traditional Upscaling or Filters Don't Work

Many people try to fix low-resolution anime by simply upscaling it with basic tools or adding sharpening filters. Unfortunately, these methods don't address the root problems. Here's why:

• Upscaling without AI: Stretching a 480p video to 1080p only makes the artifacts bigger, not better. Blockiness and aliasing become even more noticeable.
• Sharpening Filters: These often exaggerate noise and can distort line art, resulting in unnatural or "crunchy" visuals.
• Color Smoothing Filters: These can blur gradients but also remove detail, leading to a plastic, over-processed look.

In short, traditional methods lack the intelligence to distinguish between noise and actual image content.

Part 3. Best Way to Fix Anime Artifacts - Use AI Video Enhancers

AI-based video enhancement tools offer a much more effective solution. Unlike traditional upscaling, AI enhancement models are trained to:

• Recognize stylistic patterns in anime (e.g., clean lines, cel shading)
• Remove noise and artifacts without damaging real details
• Restore lost information such as line sharpness and subtle textures
• Preserve the original animation style, color balance, and motion fluidity

These tools analyze each frame and apply targeted enhancement, making them ideal for anime, cartoons, and hand-drawn content.

One of the most advanced tools for anime enhancement is HitPaw VikPea, which includes a specialized Animation Model trained to restore low-resolution animated content.

Key Features of HitPaw VikPea Animation Model:

• Fixes pixelation, color banding, and aliasing
• Sharpens outlines and restores clean edges
• Balances gradients while retaining the original palette
• Enhances without distorting the anime's original look
• Allows enhancement of full seasons or movie collections
• Upscale video to 8K resolution
• In addition to animation, VikPea also supports upscaling other videos and provides multiple AI models.

How to Use HitPaw VikPea for Anime Upscale

• Step 1.Open HitPaw VikPea and choose Video Enhancer feature from the left side bar. Import your anime or cartoon video into the interface.

  

• Step 2.From the right panel, choose Animation Model under General Model category.

  

• Step 3.In the Export Settings, you can choose a desired output resolution up to 4K.

  

• Step 4.Click the Preview button to compare before-and-after footage to adjust enhancement strength if needed.

  

• Step 5.Click the Export option to save your video in 1080p, 2K, or even 4K with greatly improved clarity.

  

Whether it's restoring old anime classics or enhancing fan-made animations, VikPea's Animation Model is a powerful, easy-to-use solution.

Part 4. FAQ

Conclusion

Low-resolution anime and cartoon videos often suffer from distracting visual artifacts that lower their rewatch value. Fortunately, AI-powered video enhancers like HitPaw VikPea's Animation Model can restore these videos by fixing pixelation, smoothing gradients, and refining outlines.