Arrr mateys, Adobe be workin' on a magic machine that be turnin' blurry videos into treasure map-worthy quality!
2024-04-24
Arr mateys, with Adobe's VideoGigaGAN AI, ye can now be seein' clearer images and textures in yer videos. 'Tis like havin' a treasure map leadin' ye to the most realistic seascape. Aye, me hearties, sail on with this mighty tool at yer disposal!
A group of Adobe researchers recently published a paper on a new generative AI model called VideoGigaGAN and we believe it may launch on a future product. What it does is upscale low-quality videos by up to eight times their original resolution without sacrificing stability or important aspects of the source material. Several demo clips can be found on the project’s website showing off its abilities. It can turn a blurry 128x128 pixel resolution video of a waterfall into footage running at a resolution of 1,024x1,024 pixels.What’s noteworthy about the AI is it doesn’t skimp out on the finer details. Skin texture, wrinkles, strands of hair, and more are visible on the faces of human subjects. The other demos also feature a similar level of quality. You can better make out a swan swimming in a pond and the blossom on a tree thanks to this tech. It may seem bizarre to be focusing so much on skin wrinkles or feathers. However, it is this level of detail that companies like Adobe must nail down if they aim to implement image-enhancing AI on a wide scale.
You probably have a couple of questions about the platform’s latest project like how does it work? Well, it’s complicated. The “GAN” in VideoGigaGAN stands for generative adversarial network, a type of AI capable of creating realistic images. Adobe’s version is specifically based on GigaGAN which specializes in upscaling generated content as well as real photos.
Will we see this on an upcoming Adobe product or roll out as a standalone app? Most likely – at least we think so. In the past year, the company has been focusing heavily on implementing artificial intelligence into its software from the launch of Firefly to Acrobat’s new assistant. A few months ago during Adobe MAX 2023, a video upscaler referred to as Project Res Up was previewed at the event and its performance resembles what we see in the VideoGigaGAN demos.
VideoGigaGAN is still deep in development so it’s unknown when or if it’ll come out. There are several obstacles in the way. The AI can’t properly process videos beyond 200 frames or render small objects, but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. In the meantime, check out TechRadar's list of the best AI image upscalers for 2024.