Black Forest Labs | FLUX Upscale Brings 4K to Video
Black Forest Labs has introduced FLUX Upscale, a new video super-resolution tool designed to regenerate existing footage at higher resolutions instead of simply stretching the original pixels. The tool accepts video from 480p upward and can produce output at up to 4K, with separate Precise and Creative modes for balancing identity preservation against more aggressive detail reconstruction.
FLUX Upscale regenerates video instead of stretching pixels
Traditional scaling can make a larger video frame without actually recovering the detail needed to fill that additional resolution. FLUX Upscale takes a generative approach, reconstructing the frame at the target size and attempting to repair imperfections that become more noticeable when footage is enlarged.
Black Forest Labs highlights problems such as smudged faces, soft eyes, and grid-like artifacts in textures such as water and grass. The tool is tuned for FLUX 3 Video output but can also process footage generated elsewhere or conventional existing video, making it usable as a separate post-production stage.
Precise and Creative modes handle detail differently
FLUX Upscale provides two approaches through its creativity control. Precise mode is designed to sharpen and enhance the existing material while keeping the source identity as stable as possible. Black Forest Labs recommends this direction when recognizable faces, products, logos, brand assets, or reference-sensitive details need to remain consistent.
Creative mode regenerates detail more aggressively. It can produce stronger texture reconstruction and sharper-looking results for generated footage, scenery, crowds, and complex surfaces, but that additional freedom can also change facial identity or product details. The choice therefore depends on whether fidelity or visual reconstruction is more important for the final asset.
Video can scale from 480p to 1080p, 2K, or 4K
The upscale factor can be set from 1.5x to 3x, with 2x used as the default. Depending on the source resolution, those factors can move footage toward 1080p, 2K, or 4K while preserving the original aspect ratio. Output frames are currently limited to approximately 14.4 megapixels.
FLUX Upscale accepts source clips up to 20 seconds and 50 MB. The original audio track is carried into the processed result rather than regenerated, which allows the visual enhancement stage to leave existing dialogue, music, effects, or synchronized audio intact.
An optional prompt can guide Creative mode
The tool is available through the Black Forest Labs API and playground. Developers can submit a video using an HTTP or HTTPS URL or base64 input, choose the upscale behavior, and retrieve the resulting MP4 after processing.
An optional prompt can also guide the additional detail introduced during Creative processing. This gives creators some influence over reconstruction when the objective is not simply to preserve the source, although more aggressive generation should be reviewed carefully when continuity or factual visual accuracy matters.
IMPORTANT: FLUX Upscale currently supports source clips up to 20 seconds and 50 MB. Precise mode is priced at $0.07 per megapixel-second and Creative mode at $0.10 per megapixel-second in the launch announcement. Current pricing should be checked before processing larger batches.{alertWarning}
Daisuki's Take: What This Means for Designers
The useful distinction in FLUX Upscale is that resolution and reconstruction are treated as separate creative decisions. Sometimes a designer needs the cleanest possible enlargement of an existing face or product; in other cases, generated scenery can benefit from allowing the model to rebuild texture more freely.
That flexibility is particularly relevant for AI video, where a clip may look convincing at its original generation size but reveal soft faces, unstable textures, or other artifacts once it is prepared for a larger display or higher-resolution delivery.
We would use Precise mode whenever identity or asset fidelity is part of the requirement and reserve Creative mode for footage where reconstructed detail can improve the image without creating a continuity problem. Upscaling is becoming less about making pixels larger and more about deciding how much new visual information the model is allowed to create.
Sources and Recommended Links
- FLUX Upscale: 2K and 4K for Video | Black Forest Labs Official Blog
- FLUX Video Upscale | Black Forest Labs Official Product Page
