GFPGAN
Blind face restoration for old and low-quality photos.
- Stars
- 37.7K
- Forks
- 6.3K
- Open issues
- 402
- Last commit
- 2024-07-26
Live from the GitHub API · updated 2026-10-15
What is GFPGAN?
GFPGAN restores degraded faces — blur, noise, compression artifacts — in old photos and AI images, and can upscale the background with Real-ESRGAN in the same pass.
Key features
- Face restoration for old or blurry photos
- Background upscaling via Real-ESRGAN
- Multiple model versions (1.3, 1.4)
System requirements
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Linux
- GPU
- NVIDIA recommended; CPU works slowly
- Python
- 3.7+
How to install GFPGAN
Summarized from the project’s README. Projects change quickly — check the GitHub page for the latest instructions.
Python
- 1Clone and install dependencies.
git clone https://github.com/TencentARC/GFPGAN.git cd GFPGAN pip install basicsr facexlib pip install -r requirements.txt python setup.py develop pip install realesrgan - 2Restore the faces in a folder of images.
python inference_gfpgan.py -i inputs/whole_imgs -o results -v 1.3 -s 2
Strengths
- Fast, good-looking face fixes
- Built into many UIs
Limitations
- Can make faces look too smooth
- Older Python dependencies
GFPGAN alternatives compared
| Software | Stars | License | Platforms | VRAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFPGAN Blind face restoration for old and low-quality photos. | 37.7K | Apache-2.0 | — | |
| CodeFormer Robust face restoration with an adjustable fidelity–quality trade-off. | 18.2K | S-Lab License 1.0 (non-commercial) | — | |
| Real-ESRGAN Practical image and video super-resolution models. | 37.1K | BSD-3-Clause | — | |
| Upscayl Free desktop app that upscales images with AI. | 50.6K | AGPL-3.0 | — | |
| rembg Remove image backgrounds from the command line, Python or an HTTP server. | 25.1K | MIT | — | |
| BiRefNet High-resolution dichotomous segmentation — state-of-the-art background removal. | 4.3K | MIT | — |
FAQ
Is GFPGAN free?
Yes — GFPGAN is open-source software released under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license (and any model weight licenses) before commercial use.
Does GFPGAN run on Windows, Mac and Linux?
GFPGAN supports: Windows, macOS, Linux.
What hardware do I need for GFPGAN?
NVIDIA recommended; CPU works slowly
How do I install GFPGAN?
1. Clone and install dependencies. 2. Restore the faces in a folder of images.
What are the best GFPGAN alternatives?
Popular alternatives include CodeFormer, Real-ESRGAN, Upscayl, rembg. See the comparison table on this page.
Can I use GFPGAN online without installing it?
If you just want results, AiLoft runs top image models such as GPT Image 2.5 and Nano Banana Pro in the browser — no GPU or setup required.
Skip the install — generate images in your browser
No GPU, drivers or Python needed. Use GPT Image 2.5 and Nano Banana Pro online and compare them side by side.