Overview
OpenComic AI Bin includes dozens of AI models optimized for different tasks. Understanding which model to use for your specific needs is key to achieving the best results.
Model types
Models are organized into three categories:
type ModelType = 'upscale' | 'descreen' | 'artifact-removal';
import OpenComicAI from 'opencomic-ai-bin';
// All models by type
const upscaleModels = OpenComicAI.modelsTypeList.upscale;
const descreenModels = OpenComicAI.modelsTypeList.descreen;
const artifactModels = OpenComicAI.modelsTypeList['artifact-removal'];
// Get detailed info about a specific model
const modelInfo = OpenComicAI.model('realcugan');
console.log(modelInfo);
// {
// name: 'RealCUGAN',
// upscaler: 'realcugan',
// type: 'upscale',
// scales: [2, 3, 4],
// noise: [0, 3],
// latency: 2.96,
// speed: 'Fast',
// ...
// }
Upscale models
Upscale models increase image resolution while preserving or enhancing quality. They’re optimized for different content types:
- Anime/Comic content:
realcugan, realesrgan-x4plus-anime, waifu2x-models-cunet
- General purpose:
realesrgan-x4plus, realesrnet-x4plus
- Photography:
4xNomosWebPhoto_esrgan, RealESRGAN_General_x4_v3
Descreen models
Descreen (dehalftoning) models remove halftone patterns commonly found in scanned comics and manga:
opencomic-ai-descreen-hard-compact - Fast, good quality (0.52 latency)opencomic-ai-descreen-hard-lite - Higher quality, slower (3.0 latency)1x_halftone_patch_060000_G - Comprehensive dehalftoning (8.26 latency)1x_wtp_descreenton_compact - Fast alternative (0.51 latency)
Artifact removal models
Artifact removal models clean up JPEG compression artifacts and other image degradation:
opencomic-ai-artifact-removal-compact - Very fast (0.5 latency)opencomic-ai-artifact-removal-lite - Balanced speed/quality (2.97 latency)opencomic-ai-artifact-removal - Highest quality (8.21 latency)1x-SaiyaJin-DeJpeg - JPEG-specific cleanup (8.2 latency)
Every model has a latency value indicating relative processing speed (measured on a reference system):
type Speed = 'Very Fast' | 'Fast' | 'Medium' | 'Slow' | 'Very Slow';
- Very Fast (≤1.0):
realesr-animevideov3, 4xLSDIRCompactC3, RealESRGAN_General_x4_v3
- Fast (1.01-4.0):
realcugan, waifu2x-models-upconv, opencomic-ai-artifact-removal-lite
- Medium (4.01-7.0):
waifu2x-models-cunet
- Slow (7.01-10.0):
realesrgan-x4plus, ultrasharp-4x, unknown-2.0.1
Here are some popular models ranked by speed:
| Model | Latency | Speed | Type |
|---|
opencomic-ai-artifact-removal-compact | 0.5 | Very Fast | artifact-removal |
1x_wtp_descreenton_compact | 0.51 | Very Fast | descreen |
opencomic-ai-descreen-hard-compact | 0.52 | Very Fast | descreen |
4xLSDIRCompactC3 | 1.31 | Very Fast | upscale |
RealESRGAN_General_x4_v3 | 1.35 | Very Fast | upscale |
realesr-animevideov3 | 1.36 | Very Fast | upscale |
realcugan | 2.96 | Fast | upscale |
waifu2x-models-upconv | 2.61 | Fast | upscale |
realesrgan-x4plus-anime | 3.61 | Fast | upscale |
waifu2x-models-cunet | 5.2 | Medium | upscale |
realesrgan-x4plus | 9.44 | Slow | upscale |
ultrasharp-4x | 9.73 | Slow | upscale |
unknown-2.0.1 | 9.87 | Slow | upscale |
For batch processing, faster models can process many more images in the same time. Consider using “compact” or “lite” variants when processing large volumes.
When to use which upscaler
The three upscaler binaries (realcugan, waifu2x, upscayl) have different characteristics:
realcugan
Binary: realcugan-ncnn-vulkan
Models: realcugan
Best for:
- Anime and comic book artwork
- When you need noise reduction (denoising) alongside upscaling
- Fast processing with good quality
Scales: 2x, 3x, 4x
Noise levels: 0 (none), 3 (conservative, denoise1x, denoise2x, denoise3x)
Example:
{
model: 'realcugan',
scale: 4,
noise: 3, // Heavy denoising
}
waifu2x
Binary: waifu2x-ncnn-vulkan
Models: waifu2x-models-cunet, waifu2x-models-upconv
Best for:
- Anime-style artwork
- High upscaling factors (up to 32x)
- Fine-grained noise control (4 levels)
Scales: 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x
Noise levels: 0, 1, 2, 3
Example:
{
model: 'waifu2x-models-cunet',
scale: 8, // Very high upscaling
noise: 2,
}
waifu2x-models-upconv is faster than waifu2x-models-cunet but may produce slightly lower quality results.
upscayl
Binary: upscayl-bin
Models: All other models (40+ models available)
Best for:
- Widest variety of use cases
- Specialized tasks (dehalftoning, artifact removal)
- Daemon mode for batch processing (see daemon mode guide)
Scales: Varies by model (most support 2x, 3x, 4x)
Noise levels: Not supported
Example:
{
model: 'realesr-animevideov3',
scale: 4,
}
Only upscayl-based models support daemon mode, which can provide 3-7x performance improvements for batch processing. Choosing a model for your use case
Scanned comic books
// Fast processing
[
{ model: 'opencomic-ai-descreen-hard-compact' },
{ model: 'realesr-animevideov3', scale: 4 },
]
// Higher quality
[
{ model: '1x_halftone_patch_060000_G' },
{ model: 'realcugan', scale: 4, noise: 0 },
]
Digital manga with JPEG artifacts
// Balanced
[
{ model: 'opencomic-ai-artifact-removal-compact' },
{ model: 'realesrgan-x4plus-anime', scale: 4 },
]
// Maximum quality
[
{ model: 'opencomic-ai-artifact-removal' },
{ model: 'realcugan', scale: 4, noise: 0 },
]
Clean digital artwork
// Fast
[
{ model: 'realesr-animevideov3', scale: 4 },
]
// High quality
[
{ model: 'realcugan', scale: 4, noise: 0 },
]
// Maximum quality (slower)
[
{ model: 'realesrgan-x4plus-anime', scale: 4 },
]
Photography and realistic images
// General purpose
[
{ model: 'RealESRGAN_General_x4_v3', scale: 4 },
]
// Web photos
[
{ model: '4xNomosWebPhoto_esrgan', scale: 4 },
]
// High quality
[
{ model: 'realesrgan-x4plus', scale: 4 },
]
const modelInfo = OpenComicAI.model('realcugan');
if (modelInfo.supportCurrentPlatform) {
console.log('Model is supported on this platform');
} else {
console.log('Model is not available for your OS/architecture');
}
- macOS: x64, arm64
- Windows: x64
- Linux: x64, arm64
Note: upscayl-bin also supports Windows arm64.
Next steps