Sharpen Image

Free Image Sharpening Tool Online

Sharpen blurry images online for free with our professional image sharpening tool. Perfect for fixing out-of-focus photos, enhancing details, improving clarity, sharpening scanned documents, preparing images for print, and restoring old photos. Features multiple professional-grade sharpening algorithms (Unsharp Mask, Laplacian, High-Pass Filter), adjustable intensity control (1-10), real-time live preview, and quick presets for common needs. All processing happens locally in your browser—no server upload required, ensuring complete privacy. Works with JPG, PNG, WebP and all common formats. No watermark, no registration, unlimited use.

What is image sharpening?

Image sharpening is the process of increasing the contrast along edges to make an image appear crisper and more detailed. It enhances the definition of features and textures by accentuating transitions between light and dark areas. Sharpening doesn't create new detail—it makes existing details more visible by increasing edge contrast. It's commonly used to fix slightly out-of-focus photos, compensate for lens softness, prepare images for printing, or enhance scanned documents.

When should I sharpen an image?

Sharpen images when: photos are slightly out of focus or soft, images look less sharp after resizing, scanned photos or documents need enhancement, preparing images for printing (print often needs extra sharpening), smartphone photos lack crispness, photos were taken with lower-quality lenses, you need to emphasize texture and detail, images have been compressed and lost edge definition. Don't over-sharpen: already sharp images (creates artifacts), very blurry images (sharpening can't recover severe blur), images you'll resize later (sharpen after resizing).

What are the different sharpening methods?

UNSHARP MASK: The most popular method, creates natural-looking results. Works by enhancing contrast at edges. Best for general sharpening of photos and portraits. LAPLACIAN: Strong edge detection method. Creates high contrast sharpening with emphasis on edges. Best for images needing dramatic enhancement or technical images with clear edges. HIGH-PASS: Professional-grade method that preserves midtones while enhancing edges. Best for maintaining texture and avoiding halos. Ideal for print preparation and professional photography.

How do I choose the right intensity?

Start low and increase gradually. LIGHT (1-3): Subtle enhancement, for already decent photos or portraits where natural look is important. MEDIUM (3-6): General purpose sharpening, works for most photos, landscapes, and social media. STRONG (6-8): For significantly soft images, scanned documents, or when you need obvious improvement. EXTRA (8-10): Maximum sharpening for very soft images, technical documents, or creative effects. Warning: high intensity can create halos (bright edges around objects) and noise. Always preview before applying.

Can sharpening fix very blurry images?

No, sharpening has limitations. It can improve SLIGHTLY soft or out-of-focus images by enhancing existing edge detail. However, it CANNOT fix: severely out-of-focus images (no detail to enhance), motion blur (sharpening makes it worse), intentionally blurred backgrounds, images with no detail information. For slightly blurry images, use medium to strong intensity. For very blurry images, sharpening will only make imperfections more obvious. The best solution is to capture sharp images originally or use specialized deblurring software.

Why does my sharpened image look worse?

Common problems and solutions: HALOS (bright edges around objects): reduce intensity, change method to High-Pass. INCREASED NOISE: sharpening amplifies noise—denoise image first, use lower intensity. OVER-SHARPENING: image looks unnatural—reduce intensity, start with Light preset. ARTIFACTS: blocky or strange patterns—your image may be too low quality or heavily compressed. LOSS OF SMOOTHNESS: Unsharp Mask being too aggressive—try High-Pass method instead. For best results: start with low intensity, use High-Pass for noisy images, sharpen high-quality originals when possible.

Should I sharpen before or after resizing?

General rule: ALWAYS sharpen AFTER resizing. Resizing changes image dimensions and often introduces slight softness—sharpening compensates for this. Workflow: 1) Edit your image (brightness, color, etc.), 2) Resize to final dimensions, 3) Apply sharpening. Exception: if you're upscaling (making larger), you might need extra sharpening. If you sharpen before resizing, the sharpening effect will be reduced (when downsizing) or amplified (when upsizing), neither is ideal.

How much sharpening is too much?

Signs of over-sharpening: Visible halos or light edges around objects, increased noise and grain, unnatural-looking textures, loss of smooth gradients, harsh or crunchy appearance. The goal is enhancement, not obviousness. Sharpening should make images look clearer, not processed. For web/social media: moderate sharpening is acceptable. For professional/print work: subtle sharpening is better. When in doubt, sharpen less—you can always sharpen more, but you can't undo over-sharpening after saving.

Does sharpening work on all image types?

Sharpening works differently on various subjects: WORKS GREAT: landscapes, architecture, product photography, scanned documents, portraits (light sharpening), texture-heavy subjects. WORKS POORLY: already noisy images (amplifies noise), heavily compressed JPEGs (creates artifacts), very low-resolution images, intentionally soft/dreamy photos. REQUIRES CARE: portraits (avoid over-sharpening skin), food photography (maintain appetizing softness), macro photography (easy to over-sharpen). Different methods work better for different subjects—experiment with the preview.

Can I use this for print preparation?

Yes! Images typically need extra sharpening for print because: print resolution is different from screen, ink spreads slightly on paper, viewing distance is different. For print: 1) Resize image to print resolution first (usually 300 DPI), 2) Apply Medium to Strong sharpening using High-Pass method (best for print), 3) Print a test if possible—monitor preview isn't perfect. Different paper types may need different amounts—glossy paper shows sharpening more than matte. Professional printers often recommend output sharpening as the final step before printing.