Fal Upscale

---
author: luo-kai
name: fal-upscale
description: Upscale and enhance image resolution using AI. Use when the user requests "Upscale image", "Enhance resolution", "Make image bigger", "Increase quality", or similar upscaling tasks.
metadata:
  author: fal-ai
  version: "1.0.0"
---

# fal.ai Upscale

Upscale and enhance image resolution using state-of-the-art AI models.

## How It Works

1. User provides image URL and optional scale factor
2. Script selects appropriate upscaling model
3. Sends request to fal.ai API
4. Returns upscaled image URL

## Finding Models

To discover the best and latest upscaling models, use the search API:

```bash
# Search for image upscale models
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-generate/scripts/search-models.sh --query "upscale image"

# Search for video upscale models
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-generate/scripts/search-models.sh --query "upscale video"

# Search for super-resolution models
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-generate/scripts/search-models.sh --query "super resolution"
```

Or use the `search_models` MCP tool with keywords like "upscale", "super resolution", "enhance".

## Usage

```bash
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-upscale/scripts/upscale.sh [options]
```

**Arguments:**
- `--image-url` - URL of image to upscale (required)
- `--model` - Model ID (defaults to `fal-ai/aura-sr`)
- `--scale` - Upscale factor: 2 or 4 (default: 4)

**Examples:**

```bash
# Image upscale with AuraSR (4x, fast)
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-upscale/scripts/upscale.sh \
  --image-url "https://example.com/image.jpg"

# Image upscale with Clarity (detail preservation)
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-upscale/scripts/upscale.sh \
  --image-url "https://example.com/image.jpg" \
  --model "fal-ai/clarity-upscaler" \
  --scale 2

# Video upscale (general purpose)
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-upscale/scripts/upscale.sh \
  --video-url "https://example.com/video.mp4" \
  --model "fal-ai/video-upscaler"

# Video upscale (premium quality)
bash /mnt/skills/user/fal-upscale/scripts/upscale.sh \
  --video-url "https://example.com/video.mp4" \
  --model "fal-ai/topaz/upscale/video"
```

## MCP Tool Alternative

Use `search_models` MCP tool or `search-models.sh` to find the best current upscaling model, then call `mcp__fal-ai__generate` with the discovered `modelId`.

## Output

```
Upscaling with fal-ai/aura-sr...
Upscale complete!

Image URL: https://v3.fal.media/files/abc123/upscaled.png
Original: 512x512
Upscaled: 2048x2048
```

JSON output:
```json
{
  "image": {
    "url": "https://v3.fal.media/files/abc123/upscaled.png",
    "width": 2048,
    "height": 2048
  }
}
```

## Present Results to User

```
Here's your upscaled image:

![Upscaled Image](https://v3.fal.media/files/...)

• 512×512 → 2048×2048 (4x)
```

## Model Selection Tips

- **Image upscaling**: Search for "upscale image" or "super resolution". Consider speed vs quality tradeoffs.
- **Video upscaling**: Search for "upscale video". Premium models offer better quality but cost more.
- Scale factors typically range from 2x to 4x depending on the model.

## Troubleshooting

### API Key Error
```
Error: FAL_KEY environment variable not set

To fix:
1. Get your API key from https://fal.ai/dashboard/keys
2. Set: export FAL_KEY=your_key_here
```

### Image URL Error
```
Error: Could not fetch image from URL

Make sure:
1. The image URL is publicly accessible
2. The URL points directly to an image file
3. The image format is supported (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
```

### Network Error
```
Network error. To fix on claude.ai:

1. Go to https://claude.ai/settings/capabilities
2. Add *.fal.ai to the allowed domains
3. Try again
```