Many people want to convert a video from 720p to 1080p to playback the video on a larger screen; some need to merge a 720P 120fps video into a 1080P project. But is it possible to convert 720p to 1080p or even 4K resolution without looking pixelated or at least making the quality close to a true HD?
Virtually all recent smart TVs can upscale your low-resolution content to fill the entire TV screen. If you want to upconvert a video on your PC, you need a best video conversion app.
There are many video resolution converters. But most of them will not make the image quality better, and some will make it even worse.
The article will recommend 3 feasible ways to convert your 720p SD video to 1080p HD video without losing much clarity.
How to Convert 720p to 1080p in VideoProc Converter
VideoProc Converter is a professional video resolution changer and video quality enhancer software. It can upscale 720p to 1080p and 4K without any hassle and guarantee maximum visual quality. Thanks to its advanced upscaling schemes and excellent video fix toolkit, you can not only change 720p videos to 1080p but also fix interlaced, choppy, blurry, pixelated, shaky, noisy videos in one click.
Meanwhile, it has a full set of video dimensions and aspect ratio settings to convert 720p videos to 1080p for TV, iPad, Xbox, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and so forth, in the best form. Additionally, VideoProc Converter supports 420+ video formats and codecs，MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, FLV, 4K, HDR, 3D, 360-degree, etc.
Now, free download VideoProc Converter and follow the steps to upscale 720p to 1080p with best quality.
Step 1. Input your source 720p video files to VideoProc Converter.
Prepare 720p videos on your computer. Open the software and click "Video" on the dashboard. Go to the Video window, and click "+Video" to add one or more 720 videos from your computer.
Step 2. Choose a 1080p option in Resolution.
Select an output format in "Video" at the bottom, e.g. MP4 H264. Click "Codec Option" button on the right and find Resolution under Video Codec Options. Click the drop-down menu and choose 1920x1080 or 2560x1080.
Step 3. Adjust output quality.
Optionally, under Quality, you can drag the control bar to the rightest to keep High Quality. You can also opt for '2-pass Encoding' to guarantee the high quality after encoding. But the two options will make the whole conversion process slower than normal.
Tips: To convert a 720p video to 1080p with the best quality, we suggest you not make other changes of the source video, such as the format, codec, frame rate, bitrate and aspect ratio.
Tips: If necassary, tap Effect in the edit bar. You can apply an effect (filter), or adjust contrast, brightness, saturation and so on to make the video image look better.
Step 4. Hit the RUN button to start converting 720p to 1080p.
Click the "RUN" button on the bottom right and let VideoProc Converter start converting video to HD 1080p.
Learn More about the Resolution Upscaling Tech in VideoProc Converter
- Nearest neighbor interpolation: to sum up, it is to add and to guess. First it adds a heap of "blank" pixels to an image, and tries to guess what each blank pixel should be filled with based on its 4 adjacent pixels.
- Bicubic interpolation: it is to add pixels to an image and take on a color based on the 16 nearby pixels. The main purpose is to smooth the color and make the added pixels look as soft as possible.
- Bilinear interpolation: differently, it only checks the two neighboring blocks. The main purpose is to make the image look sharp.
Video Guide: How to Convert a Video from 720P to 1080P
*The result also depends largely on the source video, for example, how was it shot, what the bitrates and frame rates are (which are related to quality).
How to Convert 720p to 1080p in Adobe Premiere
Adobe Premiere Pro uses a simple algorithm to upscale your video. Typically, it stretches the image out to the edges, and then interpolates back to fill the holes by adding pixels to the original pictures.
Step 1. Download and install Premiere Pro.
Go to Adobe official website to download and install Premiere Pro. But this program is very large in installer size and is CPU-consuming. Please make sure your computer hardware is sufficient.
Step 2. Set the Sequence Presets.
Create a new project > go to File > New > Sequence > Sequence Presets. Choose a 1080p output option (for example, DSLR 1080p24). Set the frame rate and aspect ratio the same as your source file.
Step 3. Set to frame size.
Find Edit on the top menu bar, choose Preferences and click Media, click 'Set to frame size' under Default Media Scaling.
Step 4. Import source video and upscale 720p to 1080p.
Add your source 720p video into the project, drag it to the timeline and let it scale the video.
Step 5. Export the video.
Do some other settings according to your needs. Render your video and export it.
Downsides of this method: Since Adobe Premiere upscales 720p to 1080p in a simple way, your result file may have blurs or noises. You can use Super Resolution Plugin or 'details preserving upscale' effect in After Effects. Or, you can use the unsharp mask in Premiere Pro to improve the blurred part. Or, you can turn to a better 720p to 1080p converter like VideoProc Converter.
How to Convert 720P to 1080P Free with HandBrake
There is no 720P to 1080P converter online free. If you want a free solution, HandBrake is a good software option.
Step 1. Download and install HandBrake.
Go to the official site of HandBrake, and download the latest version.
Step 2. Import the source file.
Install and open the program. Drag your source 720p footage to HandBrake.
Step 3. Set Width and Height manually.
Go to Dimensions, you will see the information about the original Width and Height. For example, Width: 1280, Height: 720. Change 720 Height to 1080, and change the Width accordingly, say, 1920.
Step 4. Set a destination path.
Click Browse next to Save As on the lower part, choose a path you want the output file to be saved, and type the file name.
Step 5. Start converting the 720p video to 1080p.
If no other settings needed, hit Stat Encode on the top menu bar.
Downsides of this method: It will take much more time to upscale and encode the video using HandBrake than VideoProc Converter. Besides, it only outputs 1080p videos in MKV and MP4.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I convert 720p to 1080p in iMovie?
No. To edit a video easily on Mac, iMovie is the best free choice. But it does not allow you to export a 720p file into a 1080p one or higher. If you import a 720p video, the 1080p and 4K options will be grayed out.
How do I change from 480p to 1080p?
The way of changing from 480p to 1080p is similar to from converting 720p to 1080p. But please note that the bigger gap between the resolutions of source and final video files, the more pixels will be added and more guess works will be needed. It means the output image quality will then not as expected.
