Google's Zoom Enhance is finally here, check out these sample images

19 August 2024
They were shared by Google's own Peyman Milanfar, who worked on this feature. Zoom Enhance was originally announced back in October 2023.

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  • R
  • Ray
  • 8n}
  • 27 Aug 2024

Honest POV from a google pixel and mobile photography fanatic:
I own the pixel 8 pro and has been my daily phone for almost 8 months now. In this article and photo samples the zoom enhance feature is exaggerated a little. Zoom enhance does render images, however it's as though the phone just increased the level of the "pop image" feature which comes preinstalled in the album when editing a photo.
After zoom enhancing any photo I can say:
- Blurry parts are certainly visible. (Due to over denoising maybe)
- Increased contrast
- Increased saturation
- Decreased haze. (More dehazing resulting in a clearer image visually)
However, I cannot say that any of my subjects' edges were sharpened or any part of the images were sharpened in an ai kind of tech. I was even surprised that zoom enhance rendered some images worse than the original.

    • m
    • mooox
    • PW3
    • 25 Aug 2024

    SShock, 20 Aug 2024That's not "making them sharper". There is N... moreLOL look at the "joke" of the mona lisa photo.
    Imagine if you're trying to capture someone's hair or cap (as per the photo). They left those things a blurry mess before replacing the mona lisa with a partially fake version.
    So the conclusion, cannot expect google's Zoom Enhance to work, can only hope for it to work.
    Sounds like when apple launched Siri and the world thought life was going to change.. before realising that it is mostly a gimmick.

      • m
      • mooox
      • PW3
      • 25 Aug 2024

      Fa14bi, 20 Aug 2024All my phones run smoother when Ram load is low? And ev... moreYou don't really know how technology works do you?

      Android fills up as much of the ram as possible so that you don't need to load apps up from the storage - RAM is a lot faster than storage.

      2GB RAM phone. LOL yeah, you may not "freeze", but people with more ram but less available RAM will open up a more intensive app, get things done, close the app, before you can even finish loading it.

      Discussing the amount of "available" ram vs system speed is like discussing the number of citizens vs a country's wealth. More citizens = more wealthy country right? LOL

        • M
        • MOJ
        • arb
        • 21 Aug 2024

        Fa14bi, 20 Aug 2024Because Samsung UI takes around 6GB of Ram, leaving you wit... moreWhat mumbo jumbo is that?
        my S20+ 5G after rebooting has around 6 GB of ram available.
        how the hell S23+ has 1.6 GB available?

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • uH}
          • 20 Aug 2024

          This is same as chinese brands flagship phones camera digital zoom . AI filled in details that most people will expect but not real. Vivo and oppo do not has option to disable. Xiaomi 14 series only activate AI filled at 30x zoom and has option to disable.

            jiyen235, 20 Aug 2024That's improper RAM management. And I can have 20+ tab... moreLike you said, you got 5GB of ram for free use, not 1-2GB, so of course you can have more things open at the same time.

            If one App has more ram for free use, it will run faster.

            But it does not run faster, when the OS has so much bloatware in it that it eats up 80% of the devices Ram on its own.

            I still don't know what you are on about thinking that having the OS take 70-85% of your Ram Without any app open is a good thing.


              Fa14bi, 20 Aug 2024All my phones run smoother when Ram load is low? And ev... moreThat's improper RAM management. And I can have 20+ tabs open on chrome with a 4k youtube vid playing alongside a video game on my phone without any lag but after 20 mins one of the app in the background is just gonna get removed. That's what I experienced at least, and it wasn't even consistent.

              You're just basing stuff off of random conclusions you made without understanding what RAM is even used for. It's temporary storage that is quickly accessible.

              You don't understand the technology and blame random things. Go research what RAM is and then talk. I'm gonna end it here, and the best reason for this is Mark Twain's argument quote. Go read it.

                jiyen235, 20 Aug 2024this is wrong on so many levels. Context matters. Your phon... moreAll my phones run smoother when Ram load is low?

                And even on my PC, if it gets above 90% at any point, it starts to Lag to an unbearable Level.


                On the A53 I had last year, the Phone only peovided 1.1GB Available Ram, as soon as I had gallery and Chrome open with one heavy webpage, it just started to not even lag but freeze for times. Keyboard input lagged 15 secounds behind, Clicking links sometimes even an entire Minute.

                My 2GB Ram Moto G5 Povided 1.3GB of useable Ram, and sure enough, It did not lag and freeze on those simple tasks.

                Though I must mention, the 2GB Moto Kicked the gallery app out, while the 6GB A53 kept it in, but the phone was almost unseable until I kicked it out manually... which only took like half a minute to do.

                  Androuser, 20 Aug 2024It depends currently my s23 has 1.8 GB available RAM out of 8Yes, they should really make the OS that it takes half of the ram at maximum. Better 1/3 of it.

                  Android got heavier than Windows.

                  Atleast, Samsung OS, don't think it's quite as heavy with Sony phones.

                    This makes Pixel 8 and below obsolete! Of course Google wants you to upgrade to the new pixel 9 series.

                      Fa14bi, 20 Aug 2024Because Samsung UI takes around 6GB of Ram, leaving you wit... morethis is wrong on so many levels. Context matters. Your phone comes only 4 gigs of ram. The S23+ comes with more. The Samsung skin is demonstrably heavier than a stock-ish skin like motorola's. Samsung's skin is not only heavier but the phone has more RAM, in order to have a smoother experience, why WON'T they use more RAM?

                      And then again, you're only talking about RAM usage after restarting the phone. Ofc the phone is going to load everything into the RAM and make sure stuff is updated/working properly so you won't have to wait too long later. Why don't you wait for 20 mins and then check for RAM usage?

                      BTW I have 12 gigs of RAM on my phone. Even when I have 5 gigs empty, apps still reload. It's just RAM management of the software messing up. What even is your point? Spouting random nonsense like this makes no sense. It's like saying people get more tired on heavier loads even though they are doing the same amounts of RPE on an exercise. Heavier tasks lead to heavier requirements and those specs get used. By your logic Samsung needs to release 6 gb phones and optimize the phones to not use ram and create a stuttery mess on their heavy skin.

                      My main question wasn't even about Samsung it was about Google, about why it would need more than 8 gigs of ram for a seemingly simple task. I even explained what I think about it later. Yikes man weird takes like this make me just wanna stop listening to people entirely.

                        Its no different than any image upscale on internet that are available for years...

                          Fa14bi, 20 Aug 2024Because Samsung UI takes around 6GB of Ram, leaving you wit... moreIt depends currently my s23 has 1.8 GB available RAM out of 8

                            jiyen235, 19 Aug 2024Can any galaxy brain individual explain why the phone NEEDS... moreBecause Samsung UI takes around 6GB of Ram, leaving you with 2 or less useable as no phone really has the exact amount of ram that is written on it.

                            On the Galaxy S23+ of my friend, you will find around 1.6GB available Ram after booting up the phone and Opening Aida 64.


                            For Comparison, my Motorola one zoom from 2019 has 1.9GB Available after booting up the OS.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 70d
                              • 20 Aug 2024

                              SShock, 20 Aug 2024That's not "making them sharper". There is N... moreDon't split hairs. Whatever method it uses, the end results are sharper images. That's what normal people care about.

                                JoXim, 19 Aug 2024Nice, waiting for the GCam port.Just wondering if you read the article? It's google photos feature not camera's

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • PxV
                                  • 20 Aug 2024

                                  soon we may need just tiny sensor with 2MP, then Ai will generate a magic 200MP super detail photo XD

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • PxV
                                    • 20 Aug 2024

                                    it was all begin with the Fake Moon zoom years ago. now the entire photo are fake by Ai ... T_T

                                      • r
                                      • rathna
                                      • y2g
                                      • 20 Aug 2024

                                      please post a zoom enhance for text or number(presumably car registration number) from a far distance in night time

                                      this might be useful for some emergency situation.

                                        Anonymous, 19 Aug 2024Amount of ram does not affect what happens between image se... morebro what are you on about this is an AI feature. It most likely isn't something that the ISP handles but something the NPU handles.

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