How to Upscale Images for Book Covers & Kindle
Self-publishing platforms reject low-res covers. Here's how to upscale your cover image to meet KDP and Kindle resolution requirements.
Self-publishing platforms like Amazon KDP have firm minimum resolution requirements for cover images — and a beautiful design still gets rejected if the source photo or art is too small. Upscaling lets you take an image you love and boost it to the resolution KDP needs for crisp e-book and print covers, so your book looks professional on every device and shelf.
Why covers need high resolution
KDP recommends covers with a long side around 2,560 pixels for e-books, and print covers need enough resolution for ~300 PPI at trim size. A cover that looks fine on your screen may be far below these thresholds. Low-resolution covers look soft on the Kindle store, blurry when zoomed, and unacceptable in print. Upscaling bridges the gap, turning a modest image into a print-and-digital-ready cover.
Upscale your cover image
Step 1 — Prepare your best source. Use the highest-quality photo or artwork for your cover concept.
Step 2 — Upscale 4×. Upload to Pixel Shine and choose 4× to comfortably exceed KDP's minimums. The AI keeps edges and text-friendly areas crisp.
Step 3 — Design and export. Add your title and author text in a design tool over the upscaled image, then export to KDP's required dimensions.
Tips for a professional cover
Upscale the background image before adding text, so your typography stays razor-sharp at full resolution. Verify the final file meets your platform's exact pixel and file-size rules. Illustrated and painterly covers upscale beautifully; photographic covers benefit from a clean, sharp source. Since the tool is free, you can test different concepts without cost before finalising.
Free for indie authors
Pixel Shine's upscaler is free, unlimited, and watermark-free — ideal for self-publishers watching every rupee. It runs online.
Give your book a pro cover at Pixel Shine — upload your image and download a high-resolution version in seconds.