Fans of old Final Fantasy VII game increase resolution with machine learning

The PC version of Final Fantasy VII is now almost 21 years old. It is therefore not surprising that graphics look dated, especially the backgrounds. A number of modders from the Final Fantasy VII fan community felt these wallpapers could use some upscaling.

A modder by the name of CaptRobau shows in a Final Fantasy modding forum the difference between the backgrounds without and with the use of his Remako HD Field Mod. It is based on AI Gigapixel, software that can automatically optimize the quality of photos through machine learning.

During the development of Gigapixel, the software analyzed millions of photos. A neural network learned how best to enlarge and sharpen images, with more detail. CaptRobau claims that the resolution of the backgrounds can be increased by up to four hundred percent with the help of the mod.

According to the modder, the Remako HD Field Mod will be available next week for all interested. Another modder on the same forum, satsuki, uses a similar kind of method as CaptRobau. However, he uses Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks, or Esrgan, for the upscaling of the wallpapers.