How enhanced output resolution works
Learn how AI enhancement always delivers a 4K JPEG at 3840 pixels on the long side, whatever the source render quality.
The final enhanced deliverable is always a JPEG with its long side at exactly 3840 pixels, aspect ratio preserved from the render. This is a fixed spec that works in both directions: lower-quality sources (HD, Full HD) are AI-upscaled up to 4K, while sources already at or above 4K (4K and cinema-quality C_4K/C_6K/C_8K renders) are enhanced and then scaled back down to 3840 on the long side. So a client who renders at 6K or 8K and then enhances will receive a 4K file with smaller pixel dimensions than their raw render - this is expected behavior, not a bug, and the raw render remains downloadable at full resolution from the original card. Conversely, enhancement cannot exceed 4K: there is currently no way to request an 8K enhanced output. The interim enhanced preview (visible before the 4K step finishes) matches the source render's dimensions, so clients may briefly see the enhanced image at its original size before the 3840 version replaces it. If a client wants maximum resolution and photorealism together, advise rendering at 4K and enhancing: the enhancement keeps composition, layout and materials identical and the output lands exactly at 3840 on the long side.
If you plan to enhance the render with AI, firing an HD render is sufficient, because AI enhancement upscales the result to 4K anyway.
Because AI enhancement upscales the result to 4K anyway, firing a free HD render first is sufficient — there is no need to render at Full HD or 4K before enhancing.
'Enhanced. Upscaling...' means the AI enhancement itself succeeded and the system is now producing the 4K version in the background. The 4K step normally completes within a few minutes; the server stops waiting after roughly 10 minutes, so a card stuck on this badge for 15+ minutes will not finish on its own. The Rendered Images dialog refreshes progress automatically about every 30 seconds while open; the pipeline keeps running server-side even if the client closes the dialog or the browser, and reopening shows the latest state. While the badge shows, the enhanced (pre-4K) image is already displayed on the card, so the visual result is available immediately - only the resolution bump is pending. If the badge never clears: the client has not been charged (billing only happens when the full enhance-plus-4K completes), the enhanced intermediate is safely stored, and support can trigger a server-side recovery that produces the 4K without redoing the AI pass. The recovery completes the original enhancement rather than starting a new billable one, so the client is not double-charged. As a self-service alternative, 'Re-enhance render' runs a fresh enhancement as a new render (chargeable).