Image Sharpen Tool
Enhance image sharpness and detail with adjustable unsharp mask.
Drop your image here
or click to browse · max 50 MB
Settings
wasm-vips (~5MB) will be downloaded on first use and cached by your browser.
Image Sharpen Tool
Enhances image details and edges using an unsharp mask filter. Sharpening increases local contrast at edges, making the image appear crisper and more defined. Uses wasm-vips for professional-quality sharpening entirely in your browser.
What is it used for?
- Enhancing soft or slightly out-of-focus photographs
- Improving clarity of scanned documents and images
- Sharpening images after resizing or downscaling
- Restoring detail in compressed images
- Preparing images for printing (print requires more sharpening than screen)
Step-by-Step Guide
- Click the upload area or drag and drop your image
- Adjust the sharpen amount using the slider
- Choose your output format
- Click Convert to sharpen the image
- Preview and download the result
How it works
Upload an image and adjust the sharpen sigma. Click Convert to apply the unsharp mask using wasm-vips. Preview and download the sharpened result.
Tips & Best Practices
- For general photos, sigma 1.0-1.5 provides natural-looking sharpening
- Sharpen after resizing to compensate for softness introduced by resampling
- Use JPEG output for photos and PNG for graphics with text
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between sharpen sigma values?
Lower sigma (0.5-1.0) sharpens fine details. Higher sigma (2.0-5.0) sharpens larger features and edges. For most photos, 1.0-2.0 gives good results without artifacts.
Can over-sharpening damage an image?
Yes, excessive sharpening creates halos around edges and amplifies noise. Start with lower values and increase gradually.
Should I sharpen before or after resizing?
Always sharpen after resizing. Resizing softens the image, so sharpening afterwards restores the lost detail.
Privacy & Security
This tool uses wasm-vips (libvips compiled to WebAssembly). The WASM binary (~5MB) is downloaded on first use and cached by your browser. All image processing happens locally on your device - your images are never uploaded to any server. This makes it safe for sensitive, private, or confidential images.