In a recent announcement on the Windows blog, Microsoft has unveiled an exciting update to its Photos app, introducing the innovative Super Resolution feature. This advancement harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to enhance and enlarge low-resolution images, offering a remarkable opportunity for users to elevate their photographic experiences.
Transforming Images with AI
With Super Resolution, users can amplify the resolution of their photos by up to eight times the original size. This feature is particularly beneficial for reviving cherished memories captured with older digital cameras or for enhancing images intended for creative and editorial projects. It stands out as one of the most anticipated elements in Microsoft’s AI roadmap for Windows 11.
However, it’s important to note that Super Resolution is currently exclusive to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs. These next-generation AI devices are equipped with a specialized component known as a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which efficiently manages AI tasks, thereby allowing the CPU and GPU to focus on other operations. As of now, there is no indication that this feature will be extended to non-Copilot+ PCs in the future.
At present, Super Resolution is available to Windows Insiders on Windows 11 across all Insider Channels, with no specific timeline provided for its rollout to the stable version of Windows 11.
Additional Enhancements to Microsoft Photos
This update to the Microsoft Photos app also introduces several other enhancements, including Optical Character Recognition (OCR) support, which allows users to copy text directly from images to their clipboard. Both Windows 10 and 11 will benefit from this feature, alongside usability improvements to the Zoom functionality and a streamlined process for opening images directly from File Explorer’s Gallery with a single click.
Further reading: Useful File Explorer tips to keep under your belt
This information was initially reported by our sister publication, PC för Alla, and has been translated and localized from Swedish.
