AS-Scale2X

Resizing an icon or a pixel art image without blurring the image might be a bit difficult. Originally created to enhance the visual quality of low-resolution games, the Scale2x effect is designed to resize small bitmap images while obtaining the best result possible. AS-Scale2X is a lightweight application that makes uses of this technique to increase the size of small pixel art pictures.

Although it is easy to use and should pose no issues to a regular computer user, AS-Scale2X does not come with a standard interface, and that might be an important drawback for some. It only runs in the command console, and loading it with no parameters reveals a list of the available options, which are extremely simple and intuitive.

Practically, the "IF" (input file) parameter points to the source path, while the "OF" parameter depicts the location where the resulting image will be saved. Please note that AS-Scale2X is only compatible with BMP images, and is incapable of reading and writing any other graphic format, both for the input and the output.

The third parameter, called "IC" (short for iteration count) tells the application your option regarding the scaling size. With one being the lowest for an image that doubles its scale, AS-Scale2X supports values up to 256 (2^8) * the current scale.

Once you enter values for all the three parameters, hitting "Enter" instructs the application to start processing the input image. The picture is loaded, then re-scaled, and saved in the target location. A confirmation message is displayed once the process is completed.

On the downside, AS-Scale2X cannot process images in batch. Perhaps a simple interface and support for re-scaling more than one bitmap file at a time would add to its value.