Picsart upscale API 2x to 8x vs Sume image upscale 1x to 4x

Picsart's upscale API takes integer factors of 2, 4, 6 or 8 with outputs up to 4800 by 4800 pixels (16 megapixels), while Sume's image upscale takes any number from 1 to 4 and returns png, jpg or webp. The practical difference is the ceiling: Picsart goes to 8x on small inputs, Sume stops at 4x.

Picsart's figures come from its Upscale API reference and Sume's from the Sume OpenAPI schema, both read on 2026-10-03.

What are Picsart's upscale limits?

upscale_factor is required and takes 2, 4, 6 or 8. The page states images can be upscaled up to 8 times, with outputs up to 4800x4800 (16 Mpx). It recommends maximum inputs that shrink as the factor rises, so that the output stays within the 16 Mpx cap.

Inputs can be JPG, PNG, WEBP, TIFF, BMP, MPO, MJPEG or HEIC, and output can be JPG (the default), PNG or WEBP. The endpoint is POST /upscale at https://api.picsart.io/tools/1.0, with the key in X-Picsart-API-Key.

What does Sume's image upscale take?

POST /v1/image-upscale-1.0/upscale requires an image_url (public HTTPS). upscale_factor is a number from 1 to 4 and defaults to 2, so 1.5x or 3.5x are valid. output_format is png (default), jpg or webp.

It returns a job like every Sume media route, and the public model id is sume/image-upscale-1.0. The schema I read lists no input size field, so test against your own largest asset.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/image-upscale-1.0/upscale \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "image_url": "https://example.com/inputs/product.jpg",
    "upscale_factor": 3.5,
    "output_format": "webp",
    "mode": "async"
  }'

What if you need more than 4x?

Sume has no 6x or 8x. A 600 by 600 icon at 4x becomes 2400 by 2400, where Picsart's 8x would give 4800 by 4800. You can run a second Sume job on the first result, but each pass is a separate job and a separate charge, and artifacts from a first pass can look soft when stretched again. Look at the output before committing a whole batch.

The reverse also holds. Fractional factors let you land on an exact target without an oversized result. For a 1600 pixel wide image and a 3000 pixel target, upscale_factor 1.875 is valid on Sume, while Picsart can only do 2x (3200) and you would then downscale.

How do you check an upscale before you use it at scale?

Upscale one image from each source type you have, such as a phone photo, a screenshot and a logo, at the factor you plan to use. Open them at 100 percent and look at text, hair and fine edges. Different upscalers handle each differently, and a number on a page cannot tell you which suits your images.

Then read the job result for the output URL and format. A request for webp is something to verify in the result, since one stored check found the file coming back as PNG.

How do you pick between them?

Use Picsart when you start from tiny sources, such as 600 pixel icons, and need 6x or 8x. Use Sume when 4x is enough, when you want a fractional factor, or when the upscale sits next to other Sume jobs, such as background removal, in one workflow. Poll the same way for either: submit, wait on status_url, then read the result when result_ready is true, as the jobs and results page describes.