Sharpen an image
Bring out detail in a photo that looks a little soft, for example after resizing or from a phone camera. Compare with the original as you go.
Drop an image hereAdd an image
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or AVIF, up to 80 MB. You can also paste an image.
Processed on your device. Your image is never uploaded.
How it works
- Your browser decodes the photo and makes a slightly blurred copy of it.
- The difference between the two is the fine detail. Adding it back, stronger, makes edges crisper; this is called an unsharp mask.
- Differences below the threshold are ignored, so smooth areas and noise stay smooth.
Supported formats
- Opens
- JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, BMP and GIF (the first frame of an animation)
- Saves
- The same format, or JPG, PNG or WebP
- Limits
- Files up to 80 MB. The saved image can be up to 16.7 megapixels on iPhone and iPad, 36 on Android and 64 on computers, and 16,384 pixels on its longest side.
- Sharpening makes existing edges crisper. It can’t recover detail that was never captured, such as in a badly out-of-focus or motion-blurred photo.
- Metadata such as camera details and location is not copied to the new file.
Your image stays on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. The image is never uploaded, so there is nothing for us to store, see or delete.
To check, open your browser’s developer tools, switch to the Network tab and use the tool: you will not see your image being sent anywhere.
Related tools
Questions
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is read and processed by your own browser. Nothing is sent to our servers, so there is no copy of your image anywhere but your own device.
What settings should I use?
Start with the defaults: 80% amount and a 1 px radius. For large or very soft images, try a radius of 2–3 px. If you see bright halos along edges, lower the amount.
Should I sharpen before or after resizing?
After. Making an image smaller or larger softens it a little, so sharpening is best as the last step before saving.