How to convert a newspaper photo to a 12x12 framed high resolution photo?

Question

I have a picture of myself in a newspaper article that I want to hang up in my bedroom. However it has low resolution in the newspaper and it also is smaller than what I ideally want it to be. I could assume that there is an abundance of technological solutions to this problem. However, I remain uninformed and unequipped with a solution. Any ideas?

I would greatly appreciate some assistance

Answer 1

Sorry, but, newspaper images are notoriously unsuitible for any kind of enlargement.  If the image is in color, the situation is even worse.

Converting low res image to higher resolution is, virtually impossible for the results to have and success.  Enlarging the image only servers to make the task even more impossible.

For some low res images, there are methods to "fake" a higher resolution, but the improvements are very minimal, and the enlarging efforts will almost always fall short of expectations.  Remember that enlarging an image will serve to make the faults easier to see.

If you have access to Photoshop or a similar application, try this:

Bump up the resolution to your desired amount, lets say, twice as much as the original image.  This makes your small pixels twice as large.

For every individual pixel in the original, you now have four identical pixels.  Add noise via the filters menu.  You can't add much, or the integrety of the image becomes unrecognizable.  Add noise in small percentage increments, say, two or three percent at a time.  Don't go too far.  Maybe about three steps.

Then play with the various "smoothing" filters to help blend in the noise with the other pixels.  A touch of blur may help, but, again, not too much.

Then try some "sharpen" filters, especially in selected areas to help return some of the sharpness lost in the smoothing steps.

You may get some improvement, but you will see that it will be minimal.  Any attempt at trying for too much "improvement" will only result in a blurry, distorted mess.  Still, it may be worth trying and, you WILL learn a lot about the software, what it can do, and, it's limitations.