Introduction

Black Forest Labs just gave the FLUX Video Upscaler a full upgrade. BFL says it's now the best video upscaler on the market, costs less than Topaz Astra 2, and runs twice as fast. It's a closed, API-only tool powered by FLUX 3, and you can run it today through the BFL API at /v1/flux-tools/video-upscale-v1, taking any clip from 480p up to as high as 4K.

The upscaler first launched in August as the 1080p finishing step behind FLUX 3 Video. This refresh keeps the same endpoint, so existing integrations get the upgrade without code changes. ✨

What shipped

  • Tool: FLUX Video Upscale (endpoint POST /v1/flux-tools/video-upscale-v1)
  • Vendor: Black Forest Labs
  • Modality: video super-resolution
  • Access: closed, via the BFL API
  • Upscale factor: 1.5x to 3x, default 2x, keeping the source aspect ratio
  • Output: 1080p, 2K, or 4K, with frames capped at about 14.4 megapixels
  • Input limits: up to 20 seconds and 50 MB, by HTTP(S) URL or base64; the API reference caps source footage at 2560 × 1440
  • Audio: the source track carries through untouched
  • Frame rate: standard output at 24 fps

BFL's claims of "twice as fast" and "cheaper than Topaz Astra 2" come from its own launch post. It hasn't published a side-by-side benchmark yet, so treat those as vendor numbers until independent tests land.

Two modes, one knob

A single creativity parameter switches behavior:

  • Precise (creativity: 0) preserves the source and sharpens it. Use it for faces, products, brand assets, and footage of real people.
  • Creative (creativity: 1, the default) regenerates the frame and invents fine detail. It gives the sharpest result on generated footage, textures, crowds, and scenery, but faces and products can drift.

In creative mode you can also pass an optional prompt describing the clip to steer the new detail. BFL says the upscaler specifically repairs smudged faces, soft eyes, and the grid artifacts that show up on water and grass at higher resolutions.

Pricing

Billing is per megapixel-second of delivered output, so only the final video counts. Input resolution, upscale factor, and prompts aren't charged, and clips longer than 20 seconds are rejected before processing at no cost. At the August launch BFL listed $0.07 per megapixel-second for precise mode and $0.10 for creative mode. The upgrade post says the price is now lower than Topaz Astra 2, so check the BFL pricing docs for today's rates before you batch a project.

Try it

One POST, then poll the returned polling_url until the status is Ready. The result is a signed MP4 link that expires about an hour after it's ready, so download it promptly.

curl -sS -X POST "https://api.bfl.ai/v1/flux-tools/video-upscale-v1" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-key: $BFL_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "input_video": "https://your-storage.example.com/source-clip.mp4",
    "upscale_factor": 2.0,
    "creativity": 1
  }'

Want a 4K master? Use a 3x factor on 720p-class footage, or 1.5x on a 2K source. Start from the least compressed file you have, because compression artifacts limit how much real detail can come back.

A creative-mode steering prompt to start with:

Cinematic night street, wet asphalt reflecting neon signs, fine fabric texture on coats, crisp hair strands, natural skin detail.

More examples and the full parameter list live on the FLUX Video Upscale page and in the BFL docs.

Original Source

Conclusion

Generation keeps getting cheaper, but finishing has stayed expensive, and BFL is aiming squarely at Topaz's turf here. If you render at 720p or 1080p to save money, run your favorite clip through creative mode at 2x and see how much detail comes back. Then switch to precise mode for anything with a face you care about.

—Aurelia ♡