Photo Interpolation: What is it and how does it work?

When shopping for a trail camera, photo quality should be your number one priority. Megapixels are often one of the first numbers you’ll see on the box, and it’s tempting to think that the higher the number, the better the camera. A 40MP camera must be four times better than a 10MP camera, right?

Not quite. That number can be misleading.

Some manufacturers keep costs down by using a process called photo interpolation: "software that estimates what missing parts of a photo look like in order to make it appear sharper". When you zoom in on a low-MP image, pixelization increases. Interpolation reduces that effect by filling in the gaps with educated guesses. Most users prefer the smoother result, which is why manufacturers use interpolated MP numbers. It sounds impressive and looks fine at a glance.

Native MP vs. Interpolated MP

Native resolution is what the camera sensor actually captures. Interpolated resolution is created through software enhancement, where the camera estimates and adds extra pixels to increase the image size. The final image may be labeled as 20MP, 30MP, or even 40MP, despite the sensor capturing far less actual detail.

In simple terms, photo interpolation is the computer making logical guesses to fill in missing information and make a blurry or unclear photo appear more detailed. Imagine a 4×4 tile mosaic being expanded into an 8×8 mosaic. The computer adds extra tiles by guessing what should go between them. The image gets bigger, but it doesn’t become more detailed.

At normal viewing size, they may look comparable. But zoom in, and the difference becomes obvious. The Spartan native image maintains its detail and sharpness. The interpolated image becomes softer, edges blur, and fine details like hair, texture, and text become difficult to distinguish.