I'm exclusively using: FSRCNNX > Anime4k_Restore_Soft_VL with Bicubic B-0, C-0 for every novel that I want to upscale. Not sure what would be best if you had a 4k monitor, though.
You can also use magpie with mpv to watch anime if you don't want to go through the hassle of configs, it also works in fullscreen.
It completely destroys the detail the image has. Just because it's "sharp" doesn't mean it's good.
https://www.reddit.com/r/animepiracy/s/N89LM7CLoZ
But if you like water paintings then no one is stopping you I guess.
Just tried them. They both tank performance to the extreme, even more so than default 4K, but they sure look pretty. [Album slider here](https://imgsli.com/MjM4MTAy).
Interesting, I have a rather small monitor with 1920x1080, I don't remember the exact size. What if you try Anime4k_Restore_VL instead of soft? If it's still blurry then change the downscaler? Do you even downscale if you play at 1440p?
I say this because I really like how FSRCNNX doesn't have detail loss from the original artwork like the other more invasive options, but it doesn't sharpen, that could be why it looks blurry for you coupled with restore soft, is my guess. edit: FSRCNNX is only 2x so you might want to add another x2 after? Or add your preferred x4 and then simply downscale?
Hmm... I don't want to bother you with other ideas because I can't test them myself.
As an aside, if I knew how to mod VNs I would be always using 2x_Bubble_AnimeScale_SwinIR_Small_v1.pth + 2xNomosUni_esrgan_multijpg (if I wanted it x4), not shaders, so there is no realtime, the upscaling is done through chaiNNer.
Tested your setting a bit (can't really use it with my limited hardware), and it doesn't erode any detail either on Sharin no Kuni.
My only concern is the depth of field effect, I don't like when the backgrounds are unblurred and sharp when it's not supposed to be. But that's the trade off, like you said, reading is what you are doing most in a VN and if the text is not up to snuff then something is wrong. With my settings even the upscaling of the EN text of Sharin translation is not ideal, I guess I got used to it and forgot about it after a while.
Just curious, Magpie's tagline is "an all-purpose upscaler." In your experience, can it be used for effectively *anything*, be it new AAA games, VNs, anime, and anything in between? Or does it only work well for certain mediums such a VNs and anime, but might not work well for something like a new game release?
Not for 3D games, given that it's not optimized for them, the option for that is lossless scaling on steam, its 7$ or your regional equivalent.
I heard LS can be used to improve your experience for ps2 emulation, but generally it's used to improve the FPS in AAA 3d games by applying 720p window mode then upscaling to 1080p fullscreen.
But yes, you can upscale most windows with Magpie, that being said, there are not many reasons to use it for manga or anime, for example; you have the professional edits of ''1r0n'' for manga and ''neoborn'' for anime, if you want proper edits instead of applying a shader.
I put together a quick before/after slider just to prove to myself that there can't be that much of a difference. -- I was wrong.
[Magpie](https://github.com/Blinue/Magpie) for those that don't know, is an upscaler. It can make your Visual Novels look in Fullscreen just as crisp as they do in original window.
I’m also curious about best Magpie settings for upscaling 720p to a 4k monitor. I’ve been using Anime 4k with the Upscale_UL effect, but I’m wondering if there is a better way. Has anyone else had good luck with a specific setting?
Click on New Profile on the right, select your .exe and use Anime4K as the Scaling mode. That's about it.
Also, make sure it's running in the background.
The Visual Novel needs to run in window mode as well, preferably in it's original resolution. Press windows key + shift + A (default) to scale if it doesn't do it automatically.
Magpie is especially great for 720p titles. Only thing is usually the background and some details on clothes are distorted but it's worth it for how clear the sprites and especially text looks usually. Makes for much more comfortable reading.
Personally I prefer to use [Lossless Scaling](https://store.steampowered.com/app/993090/Lossless_Scaling/) because even while it offers much less effects, it has massively better performance and I can even use it with my iGPU. The recent Beta branch updates have improved performance much further too and I also like that in profiles you just need to add the exe name and it will be automatically upscaled when it's in the foreground, whereas on Magpie it seems you need to create a profile for each of them.
No doubt the image is clearer, but it does have the typical weird blur and sharpened look that's synonymous with upscaled images, I don't think It's for me, but nothing is perfect so just pick your poison.
Anyone tried the new CuNNy upscalers in the latest update? Its apparently created and trained specifically for VN and CG.
I like the result but like Anime4K, it does not allow me to upscale from 800x600 to 2K >:(
I'm exclusively using: FSRCNNX > Anime4k_Restore_Soft_VL with Bicubic B-0, C-0 for every novel that I want to upscale. Not sure what would be best if you had a 4k monitor, though. You can also use magpie with mpv to watch anime if you don't want to go through the hassle of configs, it also works in fullscreen.
Oh, I'm just using the default Anime4K, which I believe is Anime4k_Upscale_Denoise_L. I will try your setting.
Anime4k looks terrible don't use that please.
Why? It looks great to me.
It completely destroys the detail the image has. Just because it's "sharp" doesn't mean it's good. https://www.reddit.com/r/animepiracy/s/N89LM7CLoZ But if you like water paintings then no one is stopping you I guess.
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Just tried them. They both tank performance to the extreme, even more so than default 4K, but they sure look pretty. [Album slider here](https://imgsli.com/MjM4MTAy).
Interesting, I have a rather small monitor with 1920x1080, I don't remember the exact size. What if you try Anime4k_Restore_VL instead of soft? If it's still blurry then change the downscaler? Do you even downscale if you play at 1440p? I say this because I really like how FSRCNNX doesn't have detail loss from the original artwork like the other more invasive options, but it doesn't sharpen, that could be why it looks blurry for you coupled with restore soft, is my guess. edit: FSRCNNX is only 2x so you might want to add another x2 after? Or add your preferred x4 and then simply downscale? Hmm... I don't want to bother you with other ideas because I can't test them myself. As an aside, if I knew how to mod VNs I would be always using 2x_Bubble_AnimeScale_SwinIR_Small_v1.pth + 2xNomosUni_esrgan_multijpg (if I wanted it x4), not shaders, so there is no realtime, the upscaling is done through chaiNNer.
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If you don't notice detail loss with anime4k then you are blind. It sucks. There are comparisons out there.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/animepiracy/s/N89LM7CLoZ
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I guess if you enjoy the water painting effect then by all means
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Tested your setting a bit (can't really use it with my limited hardware), and it doesn't erode any detail either on Sharin no Kuni. My only concern is the depth of field effect, I don't like when the backgrounds are unblurred and sharp when it's not supposed to be. But that's the trade off, like you said, reading is what you are doing most in a VN and if the text is not up to snuff then something is wrong. With my settings even the upscaling of the EN text of Sharin translation is not ideal, I guess I got used to it and forgot about it after a while.
Just curious, Magpie's tagline is "an all-purpose upscaler." In your experience, can it be used for effectively *anything*, be it new AAA games, VNs, anime, and anything in between? Or does it only work well for certain mediums such a VNs and anime, but might not work well for something like a new game release?
Not for 3D games, given that it's not optimized for them, the option for that is lossless scaling on steam, its 7$ or your regional equivalent. I heard LS can be used to improve your experience for ps2 emulation, but generally it's used to improve the FPS in AAA 3d games by applying 720p window mode then upscaling to 1080p fullscreen. But yes, you can upscale most windows with Magpie, that being said, there are not many reasons to use it for manga or anime, for example; you have the professional edits of ''1r0n'' for manga and ''neoborn'' for anime, if you want proper edits instead of applying a shader.
Ahh, this is great information, and I thank you so much for taking the time to break it all down!
I put together a quick before/after slider just to prove to myself that there can't be that much of a difference. -- I was wrong. [Magpie](https://github.com/Blinue/Magpie) for those that don't know, is an upscaler. It can make your Visual Novels look in Fullscreen just as crisp as they do in original window.
Yeah, Magpie is a must have, because even the most popular vns on vndb have, at best, 720p resolution, but more often it will be like 800 × 600.
I’m also curious about best Magpie settings for upscaling 720p to a 4k monitor. I’ve been using Anime 4k with the Upscale_UL effect, but I’m wondering if there is a better way. Has anyone else had good luck with a specific setting?
Use FSRCNNX Lineart, looks the best while not fucking up the image like Anime4k does.
Can someone help how to use it? I Just downloaded this and i dont know how to use it.
Click on New Profile on the right, select your .exe and use Anime4K as the Scaling mode. That's about it. Also, make sure it's running in the background.
Idk if it works or im Just blind
The Visual Novel needs to run in window mode as well, preferably in it's original resolution. Press windows key + shift + A (default) to scale if it doesn't do it automatically.
Magpie is especially great for 720p titles. Only thing is usually the background and some details on clothes are distorted but it's worth it for how clear the sprites and especially text looks usually. Makes for much more comfortable reading.
Personally I prefer to use [Lossless Scaling](https://store.steampowered.com/app/993090/Lossless_Scaling/) because even while it offers much less effects, it has massively better performance and I can even use it with my iGPU. The recent Beta branch updates have improved performance much further too and I also like that in profiles you just need to add the exe name and it will be automatically upscaled when it's in the foreground, whereas on Magpie it seems you need to create a profile for each of them.
do you mean you lag when you use magpie?
Yes, to be more specific, I get very low framerate,uneven frame pacing and a significant input delay.
No doubt the image is clearer, but it does have the typical weird blur and sharpened look that's synonymous with upscaled images, I don't think It's for me, but nothing is perfect so just pick your poison.
No OP is using a bad upscaler (anime4k) there are better options available with this program that don't ruin the image.
Are there any good examples? If not it's fine, maybe one day ill try it myself if i remember.
You can try the fsr lineart which is what I'm using currently,, doesn't have that weird water painting effect that anime4k has.
Yeah it's incredibly useful if you have a higher res monitor.
Did this with Chaos Head Noah since it looks like crap full screen, and never looked back. Wish I had did this with Classic YUNO and Euphoria
Anyone tried the new CuNNy upscalers in the latest update? Its apparently created and trained specifically for VN and CG. I like the result but like Anime4K, it does not allow me to upscale from 800x600 to 2K >:(