Why it happens
Pixels run out before the logo does
A PNG or JPG logo is a fixed grid of colored squares. Enlarge it past that grid and every edge turns into a staircase or a smear, depending on how the app scales it.
Compression makes it worse. JPGs and images passed through chat apps or social networks lose detail each time they are saved, which is why a logo pulled from an old website or email signature often looks fuzzy even at its original size.
Common dead ends
Fixes that look promising but do not last
Sharpen filters
They raise contrast along edges. The logo looks crisper at a glance, but the staircase is still there and halos appear around it.
AI upscalers
They make a bigger, smoother image, which can be fine for one use. It is still pixels, so the next size up has the same problem, and colors cannot be changed cleanly.
Saving it larger
Exporting at a higher resolution only adds more copies of the same blurry pixels.
Redrawing by hand
It works, but it takes a designer hours for anything beyond a simple mark.
Step by step
Make it sharp for good
Find the best copy you have
Search old emails, brand folders and your website's files. The largest, least compressed version gives the cleanest edges.
Convert it to SVG
Upload it to the converter. Small, blurry and compressed images go to Ultra, our model built to recover detail from them.
Check the result at high zoom
Drag the divider across the preview and look at corners, curves and small lettering.
Use the SVG as your master
Export fresh PNGs from the SVG at whatever size you need, and keep the SVG for print and future edits.
Before you rely on it
Where to look in the preview
- Sharp corners: they should stay pointed, not rounded off.
- Round letters such as o, e and s: curves should be even.
- Thin lines and small text: they should be complete, not broken up.
- The gaps inside letters: they should be open, not filled in.
Good to know
When a little redrawing is still needed
- A logo saved only a few dozen pixels tall has very little to trace. The tracing will be clean, but fine detail may need redrawing.
- Lettering in a known font is easiest to fix by retyping it in the original font.
- Logos with photographic textures do not become simple vector shapes.