8 Best Photo Sharpening Software in 2024

Images have become an indispensable part of our online narrative. Whether you're a professional photographer, a social media influencer, or a digital marketer, high-quality visuals are essential to capture the attention of your audience and leave a lasting impression. However, often, even the most stunning images can fall prey to pixelation, blurriness, or noise, diminishing their overall impact. This is where image sharpening software comes into play.

What is Image Sharpening

Image sharpening is a digital technique that enhances image clarity by increasing contrast between adjacent pixels, making edges more defined. Thanks to the advent of artificial intelligence, this process has become remarkably simplified and more efficient. Traditional image sharpening methods rely on manual adjustments to contrast, brightness, and saturation, while AI sharpening uses machine learning algorithms to detect edges, textures, and patterns, and apply targeted sharpening for a more natural and realistic appearance.

Below we have collected the top 8 photos sharpening software that you can leverage to restore clarity, contrast, and vibrancy to your visuals. Read on!

8 Best Photo Sharpening Software in 2024

1. Aiarty Image Enhancer

Platform: Windows 10 (x64) 1809 or higher; Mac OS X 10.15 or higher

Overall Best photo sharpening software to sharpen, upscale, and enhance images of any sort.

Aiarty Image Enhancer is a cutting-edge image enhancement and upscaling software powered by deep learning technology. Designed to effortlessly enhance, upscale, and customize images, this AI-driven tool boasts exceptional sharpening capabilities that can sharpen images with more details, clarity, and precision. It effectively removes blur and noise from images, restoring their original quality.

The image sharpening software features three specialized AI models: More-detail GAN V2 (for enhancing detail, clarity, and sharpness, particularly for skin, hair, and textures), Smooth Diff V2 (for producing a smoother, more flawless version of the original image), and Real-Photo V3 (tailored for photo restoration), each optimized for different types of images. This allows users to select the model that best matches their specific image requirements, ensuring optimal sharpening results.

Furthermore, Aiarty Image Enhancer provides extensive customization options to fine-tune the sharpening process. Users can choose the CPU or GPU to process their images or opt for a 2-pass processing approach to achieve even more intricate detail. The interface of the software is intuitive, offering a user-friendly experience complemented by a real-time preview function, making it accessible for both novice and professional users alike.

Pricing: $85/1 year (3 PC/Mac); $115/lifetime (3 PC/Mac).

2. Topaz Labs Sharpen AI

Platform: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit only), and macOS Sierra 10.12 and higher.

Best for sharpening slightly soft photos, with feathers, and details like anime feathers and leaves.

Widely regarded as one of the best AI photo sharpening software, Topaz Labs Sharpen AI uses artificial intelligence to effectively enhance the clarity and detail of digital images. What sets the AI image sharpener apart from other image sharpening solutions is its ability to automatically detect and correct the type of blur present in an image. This means that whether you're dealing with a photo that's soft due to camera movement or subject motion, Sharpen AI can identify the problem and apply the appropriate correction. Moreover, the image sharpening software comes with four different sharpening modes to address specific types of image blur and softness.

Note that for severely damaged or degraded images, such as those with extreme out-of-focus or massive motion blur issues, Topaz AI, like most other image sharpening tools, may struggle to fully correct the issues.

You can read our in-depth review of Topaz Sharpen AI and the results of our testing.

Pricing: one-time payment of $79.99

3. Luminar Neo

Platform: Windows and macOS

Best photo editing software with a plethora of features to sharpen photos.

Luminar Neo is a powerful photo editing software that offers a range of advanced features to sharpen images. This includes the classic Sharpening filter for defining edges, the Dehalo filter for removing halos, the Clarity filter for enhancing contrast along midtone edges, and the Structure and Microstructure filters for improving surface contrast and detail clarity. Together, they offer a robust toolset for photo sharpening.

In addition, added by its AI Structure tool, the photo sharpener can smartly enhance detail and clarity based on the content of the image, which means the different areas of the photos could receive customized adjustments based on their specific needs, ensuring a natural and appealing sharpening result. Note the software demands a substantial amount of RAM and is less suitable for beginners.

Pricing: $11.95/month, $99/year, $145/2 years, and a one-time payment of $349.

4. VanceAI

Platform: Web-based and Windows

Best online AI image sharpening solution.

For those seeking an online solution for photo sharpening, VanceAI is an ideal solution. Using advanced artificial intelligence to analyze and enhance images with remarkable precision and efficiency, the AI image sharpening software can effortlessly identify and enhance edges, textures, and details without introducing artifacts or over-sharpening. The software provides a range of sharpening options and settings, allowing users to fine-tune the intensity and style of the sharpening effect to suit their specific needs. Whether you're looking to subtly enhance the clarity of a portrait or bring out the intricate details in a landscape photo, VanceAI has you covered.

The online image sharpening software operates on a credit-based system, where image sharpening consumes credits. Without these credits, the tool will imprint watermarks on the processed images.

Pricing: Web version: $4.95 for 100 credits, $7.95 for 200 credits; Desktop version: $39.90/month, $99.99/year, and $129.9/Lifetime

5. VideoProc Converter AI

Platform: Windows; macOS (AI video upscaling features for the Mac version will be coming soon)

Best for sharpening and upscaling images to 4K/8K/10K

VideoProc Converter AI is another top tool for AI image sharpening. Whether you're enhancing old, low-resolution images, correcting noise in high ISO camera photos, refining slightly blurry pictures, fixing compressed images, or sharpening any photo that lacks clarity, the AI image sharpener could deliver impressive results. Utilizing advanced deep learning, VideoProc Converter AI effectively enhances blurry and low-definition images, and restores and refines edges, significantly improving detail and providing a clearer visual output.

Pricing: Free; $25.95/year (3PCs), $45.95 for a lifetime license (1PC), $57.95 for a family lifetime license (3-5PCs).

6. Canva Image Sharpener

Platform: online; iOS and Android.

Best one-stop solution for graphic design online.

As a leading online graphic design platform, Canva provides a powerful and intuitive image sharpening tool to sharpen images and photos, fine-tune the details of an image, enhance edges, and make details pop, which is particularly useful for images that are slightly blurry or have been enlarged from a small size. Largely characterized by its simplicity, users can easily enhance and sharpen photos with just a few clicks without compromising image quality. Canva Image Sharpener is integrated within the Canva platform, and this allows users to combine sharpening with other edits, such as color adjustments, filters, or text overlays, without needing to switch between different image editing software.

Pricing: Free; Canva Pro starts from $15/month for one person.

7. Let's Enhance

Platform: online

Best for sharpening to fix low-resolution photos online with AI.

Let's Enhance is another photo sharpener that you can work with. With the use of cutting-edge AI technology, the tool not only can effortlessly sharpen images but also upscale images up to 16x their original size and recover lost textures. The sharpener's Clarity mode is designed to specifically target and improve the sharpness and definition of an image. It analyzes the photo and selectively enhances edges and textures, effectively reducing blur and making details pop.

Featuring a clean and user-friendly interface, Let's Enhance is accessible to users at all levels. Furthermore, it supports batch processing, which allows for efficient handling of multiple images at once, adapting to the unique editing requirements of each photo. This makes Let's Enhance an exceptionally effective option for large-scale projects,

Pricing: Free; paid plans start from $9 per month.

8. GIMP

Platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Best free and open-source photo sharpening software.

For those seeking a comprehensive solution in photo editing that also excels in image sharpening, GIMP is your option. Widely regarded as an excellent alternative to Adobe Photoshop, GIMP is more accessible in terms of its user-friendly interface and free tag, but it also offers a robust set of features that make it an attractive option for photographers and editors.

In terms of image sharpening, its Unsharp Mask filter allows users to fine-tune the sharpness of their images with precision over radius, amount, and threshold values. Besides, the open-source photo sharpener also includes more AI-driven sharpening methods like Sharpen and Sharpen Edge tools, which can be incredibly useful for quick touch-ups for specific areas of an image.

Pricing: Free and open-source

How to Choose the Best Photo Sharpening Software

Choosing the best photo sharpening software is a pivotal decision for users looking to enhance the clarity and detail of their digital images. Here are some of the factors that you should take into consideration to choose the right photo sharpener:

• Define Your Requirements: Determine what you need the software for. Are you a professional photographer dealing with high-resolution images, or casual users seeking occasionally to edit family photos? Professionals may require more advanced features and batch processing capabilities, whereas casual users might prioritize ease of use and affordability.
• Feature Set and Control: Look for software that offers a range of sharpening tools and possibly advanced algorithms tailored for specific scenarios (e.g., landscape, portrait). The ability to finely control parameters like radius, amount, and threshold is also crucial for achieving precise results.
• Image Quality Preservation: The software should enhance details without introducing excessive noise or artifacts. Check reviews and sample outputs to ensure they maintain a natural look even after significant sharpening.
• User Interface and Ease of Use: A clean, intuitive interface speeds up your workflow. If you're new to photo editing, software with guided workflows, tutorials, and a well-structured layout will be beneficial. Advanced users might prefer customizable workspaces and hotkeys.
• Compatibility and File Support: Ensure the photo sharpening software supports common image formats (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW) and is compatible with your computer's operating system. Compatibility with other software in your workflow (e.g., integration with Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom) can also be important.
• Price and Value: Determine your budget and weigh it against the features offered. While some premium software comes with extensive toolsets and excellent technical support, there are also powerful free or open-source alternatives like GIMP that might meet your needs.

Brenda Peng

Brenda Peng is a seasoned editor at Digiarty Software who loves turning ordinary photos into extraordinary works of art. With years of experience behind the lens and in front of the computer, Brenda shares her passion for photography, image enhancement, and editing through easy-to-follow tutorials.

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