Top 4 AI Video Upscaling Open-Source Software in 2025

Many older videos were recorded in lower resolutions and often appear blurry or pixelated on today’s high-definition displays. For content creators, archivists, and anyone looking to restore vintage footage, an open-source video enhancer offers a powerful, cost-free solution.

With the rise of AI technology, several open-source AI video enhancers now make it easier than ever to upscale video quality, reduce noise, and bring new life to outdated content. In this guide, we’ll explore the best 4 open-source video upscaling tools and how they can help you enhance your videos for modern viewing.

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Want faster, higher-quality results than open-source tools can offer? Try HitPaw VikPea — an AI-powered video enhancer that upscales videos to 4K/8K in one click, perfect for beginners and pros alike.

Part 1. What is Open Source Video Upscaler?

Open-source AI upscaling refers to the use of open-source software and libraries to perform AI-based video upscaling. These Open-source tools and libraries allow developers to access and modify the source code, making it possible to customize the upscaling process to suit their specific needs.

One of the main advantages of open-source AI upscaling is that it allows developers to build and experiment with their own models rather than being limited to pre-trained models provided by commercial software vendors.

The main drawback of open-source AI upscaling is often limited user support and documentation compared to video enhancement software, requiring higher technical proficiency and potentially encountering quality inconsistencies.

For common usage, you can choose a easier AI video quality upscaler without any tech knowledge.

Part 2. 4 Popular Open-Source AI Video Upscalers to Enhance Video Quality

1. Video2X-Upsale Video Pytnon AI

Video2X is a Python-based open source video upscaler. It is a free software to upscale videod and is designed to support various types of videos, including anime and live-action, and it uses multiple algorithms to achieve the best possible results.

Video2X User Barrier:

Technical Requirements: Basic programming knowledge required, familiar with Python and command-line operations.
Hardware Requirements: Strong GPU recommended, especially NVIDIA graphics cards, for faster processing.
Operational Complexity: Primarily command-line based, no GUI, setup and configuration can be challenging.

For common usage, you can choose a easier AI video quality upscaler without any tech knowledge.

2. Waifu2x

Waifu2x is an image upscaler 8k free that uses convolutional neural networks and also support video upscaling. It is based on the same technology used in the open source ai video enhancer, waifu2x-caffe. It's a command-line interface that can be integrated into other programs. Suitable for anime enhancement.

Pros

Exceptional at reducing noise and artifacts in anime-style images
Provides options for noise reduction and upscaling factors
Available as both online and downloadable versions

Cons

Slower processing speed compared to some alternatives
May struggle with detailed textures in non-anime images
Can produce overly smooth results in certain cases

3. ESRGAN

Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks (ESRGAN) is a neural network-based open source video AI enhancer that is trained to improve the quality of images and videos. It's a powerful model that can be fine-tuned to suit the task and the dataset.

ESRGAN User Barrier:

Technical Requirements: Requires some programming and deep learning knowledge, primarily Python-based, with dependencies such as PyTorch to be installed and configured.
Hardware Requirements: High-performance GPU (e.g., NVIDIA).
Operational Complexity: No official GUI, fully command-line driven, configuration and execution require technical knowledge.

For common usage, you can choose a easier AI video quality upscaler without any tech knowledge.

4. Anime4K

Anime4K is an open-source AI upscaling tool that is specifically designed to upscale anime videos. It is based on the kernel convolution neural network. It uses a two-stage algorithm that can achieve high-quality results on a wide range of anime videos.

Pros

Designed specifically for anime-style images with good preservation of sharp lines
Lightweight and fast processing
Can run effectively on lower-spec hardware

Cons

Limited effectiveness on non-anime images
May oversharpen or introduce artifacts in certain scenarios
Less flexibility in adjusting processing parameters compared to other tools

Part 3. Best AI Video Upscaler to Improve Video Quality Safely

Comparing to complex and limited operations of AI opening source tools, AI video upscaler is easier and better for simply video upscaling.

HitPaw VikPea (formerly HitPaw Video Enhancer) is an AI-powered tool that is specifically designed to enhance video quality. It is the easiest open source ai video upscaler.

It uses advanced AI technology to analyze the video and generate new pixels to increase its resolution, resulting in a clearer and more detailed video.

The tool is designed to be easy to use, with a clean and intuitive interface. It allows users to preview the results of the enhancement process without the need to apply a watermark, which allows users to evaluate the effects of the enhancement on the video.

Outstanding Features of HitPaw VikPea:

Simple and user-friendly interface.
Mature AI technology that can improve the resolution of low-resolution videos.
No watermark during previewing.
Best video upscaler supporting multiple video formats, including anime upscale.
Available for both Windows and Mac.
Effortlessly fix corrupted video files and make them playable again.
Perfectly colorize black and white videos.

How to Use HitPaw VikPea for AI Video Enhancement (Open Source Alternative)

Step 1.You can download the software from the official website and follow the installation instructions to install it on your computer.
Step 2.Once the software is installed, launch it and import the video that you want to enhance.
Step 3.Now you need to apply one of the multiple AI models and choose the resolution.
Step 4.After applying the appropriate AI models, which you may select from a list of 7, you can watch a preview of the video. When satisfied, click the Export button immediately and the AI will do the rest.

Learn More About How to Enhance the Video to 4K with HitPaw VikPea from This Video:

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HitPaw VikPea also support upscale video online, just enhance video quality online free try now!

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Part 4. FAQs of Open Source Video Upscaling Tool

1. Is Esrgan Free?

ESRGAN (Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks) is a free and open source video enhancer. The code and the trained model that it uses are available to the public on the ESRGAN's GitHub repository.

This means that you can download and use the model for free and even modify it to suit your specific needs. However, keep in mind that the usage of ESRGAN may require some technical expertise and computational resources like GPU.

2. Is AI Video Upscaling Possible?

A lot of open source tools and do AI video upscaling. For much easier choice, HitPaw AI video upscaling is easy-to-go.

Conclusion

As we mentioned open source AI video upscaling tools, while they provide flexibility and customizability, can be quite complex to use and may require a certain level of technical expertise to implement. Open source ai video enhancers can definitely helps you with all this issue.

So, we recommend you use HitPaw VikPea for all your video enhancement needs. Download this open source ai tool video today!

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