waifu2x.booru.pics vs Palette.fm

waifu2x.booru.pics was a free online photo upscaler that ran the waifu2x algorithm for anime-style art and photos. You uploaded an image, picked noise reduction and upscale settings, and downloaded a higher-resolution file without paying or creating an account. The site operated as a community mirror of the open-source waifu2x project from 2016 through 2024.

Unlike the official waifu2x.net generator, this mirror stayed free for eight years by absorbing GPU costs without ads or subscriptions. Operators noted their models lagged slightly behind the original project, but the service handled the same core workflow: denoise JPEG artifacts and upscale images by factors like 2x.

The operators shut the site down to repurpose their GPU server for other projects, citing rapid advances in image generation and upscaling alternatives. The homepage now points visitors to waifu2x.net or self-hosted tools like Stable Diffusion WebUI and video2x.

Palette.fm colorizes black-and-white photos through a browser upload flow with 21+ filter presets and keyword-based color tweaks. Upload an image, pick a filter, adjust descriptive keywords if needed, then download a full-resolution result or keep iterating on previews. The photo editing workflow targets family historians, photographers, and creators restoring old prints without opening Photoshop.

Most colorizers lean on heavy sepia and purple casts with little room to steer skin tones or fabric colors. Palette.fm lets you click a filter then fine-tune hues through plain-language keywords, and it sells one-time credit packs alongside subscriptions. Free previews cap at 500x500 pixels with a watermark, while paid credits remove the logo and support files up to 5000x5000 pixels.

Genealogy researchers, photo archivists, and YouTube educators use Palette.fm to batch-test color looks before committing credits. The site reports 54 million photos colorized and 6.6 million registered users, with an API option for teams that want programmatic access.