Generative Upscale in Photoshop 2026 with Topaz Gigapixel

Photoshop 2026 Generative Upscale with Topaz Gigapixel and Bloom

I recently made a tutorial using Generative Upscale using the Adobe models and compared it to the 3 different ai methods built into Photoshop. Now wee have an addition to Generative Upscale. In Photoshop 2026 is the integration of Topaz Gigapixel and Topaz Bloom directly inside the new Generative Upscale feature. These partner models bring advanced AI upscaling right into Photoshop—letting you enlarge low-resolution images with incredible quality and even add extra detail.

What Generative Upscale Does

Generative Upscale takes a small or low-resolution image and enlarges it—while enhancing sharpness and detail. This is great for enlarging images that you only have a lower resolution. It can also be used alongside ai to recover detail, such as I did in this nano banana tutorial.

Previously, this feature only used Adobe’s Firefly model in Beta. But now, in Photoshop 2026, you’ll find two new Topaz partner models:

Topaz Gigapixel – designed for natural, high-fidelity upscaling.
Topaz Bloom – designed for creative enhancement and artistic detail.

These use premium generative credits, similar to Generative Fill models like Nana Banana and Flux. Yes, I know.

Tip: You can compare credit costs on Adobe’s website or decide if subscribing directly to Topaz makes more sense depending on your workflow volume. If you already own Topaz, then use it as a plugin like normal.

How to Use Generative Upscale

Open your image, then go to Image > Generative Upscale.

Choose Topaz Gigapixel from the model dropdown.

Set the scale—let’s try 4×.

For example, an image that’s 923 × 1,200 pixels will become roughly 4,000 × 5,000 pixels. There is an 8k limit in place.

Click Upscale.

Photoshop creates a new document with the upscaled result. These close ups show the detail. It works really well.

Forcomparrision, I have comped in the original image so you can see how much it has scaled.

Testing on a Portrait Photo

Next, let’s try Generative Upscale on a portrait at 900 × 600 pixels.

Choose Topaz Gigapixel, set it to 4×, and click Upscale.

The result looks clean and realistic—especially in textures like hair and clothing.

Here is the enlarged image without using Topaz.

Here is it with Topaz. (The video shows the comparison a little better).

Now, let’s switch to Topaz Bloom to see how it differs.

Topaz Bloom: Creative Upscaling

Topaz Bloom doesn’t just enlarge—it interprets.

It enhances color, structure, and even subject features to make the image more “beautiful.”

It includes a Creativity slider (default value: 5).

At Creativity 0, Bloom stays close to the original image.
At Creativity 10, it makes artistic, AI-driven changes.

Let’s compare:

At minimum creativity, Bloom subtly brightened the scene but also changed facial features and even opened the subject’s eyes, but it’s not the same person.

At maximum creativity, it changed the person—different hair, clothing, and pose, I didn’t notice a huge difference changing the creativity.

So while Gigapixel is faithful, Bloom is expressive.

Gigapixel vs Bloom Results

Gigapixel – best for realism and detail preservation.
Bloom – best for creative reinterpretations and stylized results.

I don’t think I’ll be using Bloom on portrait images, it changes the person too much.

Testing Bloom on a Landscape

Now let’s see how Bloom handles a landscape photo, maybe better than a person..

Turn up the Creativity slider high and click Upscale.

The result

Final Thoughts

Topaz Gigapixel and Topaz Bloom bring serious muscle to Photoshop’s Generative Upscale.

Use Gigapixel when you need realistic, professional-quality enlargements.
Use Bloom when you want artistic variation or stylized effects.

Personally, I’ll be using Gigapixel for photography and retouching, but I’m curious what you think.

Would you use Bloom for creative projects, or stick with Gigapixel for realism? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

It’s great to see you here at the CAFE
Colin

Check out my Brand new Photoshop 2026 for Digital Photographers course. Its a comprehensive program with 99 video lessons and over 12 hours of content,

Photoshop 2026 for digital photographers a photoshop learning course by Colin Smith photoshopcafe.com