If you want to step outside of Adobe’s native ecosystem for specialized upscaling, several external free tools can be integrated into your post-production pipeline. Upscayl (Open-Source AI Upscaler)
Apply the effect ( Effect > Blur & Sharpen > Unsharp Mask ). Set the Radius to 1.0 or 2.0 and increase the Amount until edges tighten up.
1. The Best Free Built-In Alternative: Detail-Preserving Upscale instant 4k plugin after effects free
While you cannot get true native 4K from blurry footage, you can get "Genuine 4K" output that looks clean enough for YouTube, social media, or broadcast.
Always do your final color grading and sharpening after you have scaled the footage up to 4K. Color grading compressed, low-resolution pixels can introduce heavy artifacting. If you want to step outside of Adobe’s
The 10-Second Render
Low-resolution video often contains compression artifacts that become massive and ugly when scaled to 4K. Color grading compressed
The Best Built-In Free Alternative: Detail-Preserving Upscale