CodeFormer at a glance
Checked 16 Oct 2026CodeFormer restores blurry or damaged faces, with a weight (-w) that trades fidelity against quality, plus optional Real-ESRGAN background and face upscaling, video input, and colorization and inpainting for cropped faces. It is a Python research project (conda, PyTorch, CUDA). Code and weights are under the NTU S-Lab License 1.0, which allows non-commercial use only, so it cannot replace a paid tool for client work. It does not upscale general photos on its own. Last commit Nov 2025; weights released Aug 2022.
RepoQuarry. “CodeFormer.” Checked 16 Oct 2026. https://repoquarry.dev/projects/codeformerHow much of Topaz Gigapixel does it replace?
2 of 6 jobs. Strong face recovery for personal use only; whole-image upscaling relies on Real-ESRGAN. Command line, non-commercial.
For recover and redefine low-quality or compressed images, upscaling art, batch upscaling of many images, Photoshop and Lightroom plugin, see other Topaz Gigapixel alternatives. You may also need to build an interface, an API server and hosting yourself.
Facts, with sources
Every answer links to where we found it. We read the documentation; we did not install it.
python inference_codeformer.py -w 0.7 --input_path [image folder]|[image path]github.com · CodeFormer#readme ↗ today
Redistribution and use for non-commercial purpose in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permittedgithub.com · LICENSE ↗ today
This project is licensed under NTU S-Lab License 1.0. Redistribution and use should follow this license.github.com · CodeFormer#license ↗ today
Redistribution and use for non-commercial purpose in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permittedgithub.com · LICENSE ↗ today
CUDA >= 10.1github.com · CodeFormer#dependencies-and-installation ↗ today
For Windows/Mac users, please install ffmpeg firstgithub.com · CodeFormer#readme ↗ today
conda create -n codeformer python=3.8 -ygithub.com · CodeFormer#dependencies-and-installation ↗ today