Photo software....?

Question

Is there such a software that when zooming extremely close up can make the resolution better? Thing is, there are several pics taken in our possession that we are trying to make out a face in the background,but the resolution is horrible. We want to be able to zoom in on the face and actually be able to see some detail. Is this possible?

Answer 1

Arus.geo has it exactly right, but, I will say that if you're very skilled in working with Photoshop or similar software, you can use a combination of the Unsharp Mask filter (at various/sequential settings) in combination with Contrast and/or Levels to bring a little more enhancement to the picture. You can sometimes also achieve better results by editing individual color channels or using the Lab color model in Photoshop. It all depends on how good you are. In the end, it won't be a "pretty" picture, but it might help you make an ID of some face if you have the time/skills. In the end, you can't invent new pixels of info, but you might be able to creatively enhance the differences enough to see more than what you're seeing now.

PS
Working with the Lab color model in Photoshop allows you to isolate the density information from the color information, which is sometimes very helpful in your situation. Often, the density (black to white exposure information) contains the detail info you're looking for, while the two color channels are much mushier.

Answer 2

nope.

when digitizing photos, and then "enlarging" (which is what you are doing when "zooming" in), it reinterprets the data there, making the pixels area "bigger" to accommodate for the enlarging.

If your original picture is blurry, you will only being enhancing the "blur"

What you see in hollywood movies and TV episodes where they are clearing up the "zoomed" in pictures are purely fictional.

Answer 3

thats what you call enhancement free software not that I'm
aware of but there may be some one that can do it for