If you’re exploring digital art powered by AI, you’ve probably heard about the hires.fix feature in Krita AI tool. This powerful option helps artists enhance image quality, add fine details, and produce high-resolution results without losing sharpness. Whether you are working on portraits, concept art, or stylized illustrations, learning how to do hires.fix in Krita AI tool can take your artwork to the next level.
In this complete guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know — from what hires.fix is, how it works, and how to use it efficiently — to common mistakes you should avoid. By the end, you’ll be able to confidently upscale your AI-generated art in Krita without losing quality or realism.
What Is Hires.fix in Krita AI Tool?
Hires.fix, short for “high-resolution fix,” is a function used to upscale AI-generated images while maintaining or improving their quality. It’s especially useful when working with Stable Diffusion or AI image generation extensions inside Krita.
In simple terms, it allows you to start your generation at a smaller size (for faster rendering) and then automatically increase the image resolution with additional detail passes. During this process, Krita re-renders the image using the same prompt but adjusts the denoising strength and resolution to enhance textures, edges, and lighting.
Why Use Hires.fix?
Artists use hires.fix to:
- Produce large, print-ready images from smaller drafts.
- Improve fine details such as hair, skin, or texture.
- Avoid blurriness or pixelation when scaling up.
- Save time by combining low-res generation and high-res refinement.
It’s a smart way to balance speed, performance, and image fidelity, especially if your system struggles with full high-resolution generations.
How Hires.fix Works in Krita AI Tool
Before you apply hires.fix, it’s important to understand the basic workflow behind it. Krita’s AI tool communicates with a backend model (often Stable Diffusion) to interpret your prompt and create an image. When hires.fix is activated:
- The AI first generates a low-resolution image, usually around 512×512 pixels.
- The tool then scales that image up to your target resolution (for example, 1024×1024).
- A second pass of the AI model refines details using a controlled denoising strength value.
- The final result combines both passes, giving you a sharper and more detailed high-res output.
This process ensures the final artwork doesn’t just look like a stretched version of your original. Instead, it’s reinterpreted intelligently by the AI, leading to natural detail enhancement.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Do Hires.fix in Krita AI Tool
Now, let’s walk through the complete process step by step. This method assumes you already have the Krita AI plugin or Stable Diffusion extension installed.
Step 1: Launch Krita and Open the AI Tool Panel
Open Krita and load your preferred workspace. From the toolbar, go to:
Tools → Scripts → Stable Diffusion → Dockers → Stable Diffusion Docker
This opens the AI panel where you’ll set your generation parameters. Make sure the connection to your AI backend (like AUTOMATIC1111 WebUI or SD.Next) is working correctly.
Step 2: Set the Base Generation Settings
Enter your prompt and negative prompt. Adjust your sampling steps, CFG scale, and base image size. A common base resolution is 512×512 for portraits or 768×512 for landscapes.
Keep your settings balanced — too high a CFG value or too many steps can overfit the image before the hires.fix process begins.
Step 3: Enable the Hires.fix Option
Locate the hires.fix checkbox (or “Enable High-Res Fix”) in your generation panel. Once enabled, new options appear for Hires Steps, Upscale Factor, and Denoising Strength.
Here’s how to configure them:
- Upscale Factor: Choose between 1.5x to 2x depending on how much resolution boost you need. For example, 512×512 → 1024×1024.
- Denoising Strength: Set between 0.3 to 0.5 for natural detail. A lower value keeps the base image closer to the original, while a higher value reinterprets it more creatively.
- Hires Steps: 10–20 is ideal for most cases. More steps mean slower but sharper refinement.
Step 4: Start the Generation
Click Generate and let Krita’s AI handle the two-step process:
- It creates the base image at low resolution.
- It automatically upscales and refines it through hires.fix.
Be patient — the second phase usually takes longer, depending on your hardware and model size.
Step 5: Review and Refine
Once complete, zoom in to inspect the image. You’ll notice sharper textures, cleaner edges, and improved lighting. If the result feels too “soft” or over-detailed, adjust your denoising strength and try again. Each prompt behaves differently, so experimentation helps you find the sweet spot.
You can also use Krita’s built-in tools — like Sharpen, Color Balance, or Overlay Layers — for minor post-enhancements.
Best Practices for Using Hires.fix in Krita AI Tool
To achieve professional-grade results, follow these best practices:
1. Start Small, Then Scale
Generate your first draft at a lower resolution. This saves time and GPU memory. Once you like the base composition, apply hires.fix for the final render.
2. Balance the Denoising Strength
If you set the value too low, the upscale will retain imperfections. Too high, and you may lose key details. Most artists prefer 0.35–0.45 for portraits.
3. Use the Right Model
Different AI models handle hires.fix differently. For example, RealisticVision models are great for realism, while DreamShaper works well for stylized art. Choose based on your artistic goals.
4. Avoid Overscaling
Upscaling beyond 2x often leads to inconsistent detail generation. If you need larger output, use an external upscaler after hires.fix, such as ESRGAN or AI Gigapixel.
5. Keep GPU Memory in Check
Hires.fix uses more VRAM. Close unnecessary programs and keep your resolution moderate to prevent crashes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even advanced users make errors that ruin their final outputs. Here are the most common ones:
- Skipping the base test render: Always check your low-res version first.
- Using high denoising strength: This can distort faces or textures.
- Forgetting consistent prompts: Small prompt changes between the two passes can cause mismatched details.
- Overusing hires.fix on simple images: Not every image needs it. Flat graphics or line art may degrade in detail.
Avoiding these pitfalls will help you achieve cleaner, more consistent AI art results.
Advantages of Using Hires.fix in Krita AI Tool
Hires.fix brings many benefits beyond resolution improvement. Some of the most notable include:
- Enhanced realism: Textures like skin, fabric, and hair appear more lifelike.
- Optimized performance: Faster workflow by combining quick previews and detailed refinements.
- Reduced noise: The second pass smooths unwanted artifacts.
- Creative control: You can control how much the image evolves between passes.
By using hires.fix properly, you can make your AI art look like it was rendered in native high resolution from the start.
Troubleshooting Tips
If your hires.fix process fails or produces poor results, here’s how to fix it:
IssuePossible CauseSolutionImage turns blurryDenoising too highReduce denoising to 0.3–0.4Process crashesGPU memory overloadLower upscale factor or base resolutionDetails don’t improveToo few hires stepsIncrease hires steps to 20Color shiftsDifferent prompt weightsKeep prompts identical in both passesArtifacts appearOverlapping detailsTry different sampler or lower CFG scale
Testing different combinations helps you find the ideal settings for your system and artistic style.
Advanced Tips: Combining Hires.fix With Other Tools
Krita’s flexibility allows integration with external AI tools for even better results. Try combining hires.fix with:
- ControlNet: To preserve poses, depth, or outlines during upscale.
- Inpainting: For correcting small areas post-hires.fix.
- AI upscalers: To reach 4K or print-level clarity after hires.fix completes.
This hybrid workflow gives you professional output similar to what high-end studios achieve with AI art pipelines.
Conclusion
Mastering how to do hires.fix in Krita AI tool can dramatically enhance your AI artwork’s resolution, texture, and clarity. By understanding how the feature works and following the right settings, you can transform rough drafts into detailed masterpieces without losing speed or control.
Whether you’re a beginner experimenting with Stable Diffusion or a professional digital artist, hires.fix is one of the most essential features to learn in Krita’s AI workflow. Experiment, fine-tune your parameters, and enjoy the creative freedom this tool offers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What does hires.fix do in Krita AI tool?
Hires.fix refines and upscales your AI-generated image, improving its resolution and adding more detail without losing quality.
2. What is the best denoising strength for hires.fix?
A denoising strength between 0.3 and 0.5 works best for most images. Lower values preserve detail, while higher ones add creativity.
3. Can hires.fix make images 4K in Krita?
You can reach near-4K quality by setting a 2x upscale and then using an external upscaler afterward for final enlargement.
4. Why does hires.fix take longer to render?
Because it performs a two-step generation process — first at low resolution, then a detailed high-resolution refinement.
5. Is hires.fix available in all Krita versions?
No, hires.fix works through AI extensions such as Stable Diffusion Docker or other compatible plugins integrated into Krita.
