Why images pixelate
Every image has a fixed number of pixels. When you enlarge it past that, each original pixel is forced to cover more screen area, so the blocks become visible. Heavy compression (common in screenshots, messaging apps, and re-saved files) causes a similar effect by throwing away fine detail.
Because the original detail is genuinely missing, a normal resize can't recover it — it can only average neighboring pixels, which looks blurry. AI upscaling predicts what the missing detail should be, which is why it can actually depixelate an image.
Upscale, enhance, or both?
If the image is small and blocky, upscaling with the AI Image Upscaler rebuilds detail as it enlarges. If the image is the right size but soft or noisy, the AI Photo Enhancer is the better fit. For badly degraded images, enhance first to clean up artifacts, then upscale.
Getting the best result
Always start from the highest-quality copy you have — re-saving or screenshotting an image adds more compression and pixelation. Avoid stacking filters; a single AI pass usually produces the most natural result.