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Sharpen

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Filter

Enhances image detail with Unsharp Mask or edge-preserving Detail Enhance.

Sharpen increases apparent detail by enhancing edge contrast. Unsharp Mask is the classic approach: it creates a blurred copy, subtracts it from the original, and adds the difference back. The Amount controls intensity, Radius sets the blur size, and Threshold prevents sharpening in smooth areas.

Detail Enhance is an alternative that uses edge-preserving filtering. It tends to create a more natural, painterly sharpening effect.

Parameters

Section titled “Parameters”

Filter

ModeChoice
Default: Unsharp Mask

Unsharp Mask (traditional) or Detail Enhance (edge-preserving)

  • Unsharp MaskTraditional sharpening — subtracts a blurred copy to enhance edges. Control amount, radius, and threshold.
  • Detail EnhanceEdge-preserving sharpening that creates a more natural, painterly clarity boost.
AmountNumber
Default: 1.5 Range: 0.0–5.0

Sharpening intensity; 0=none, higher=stronger

RadiusNumber · px/%
Default: 1.0 Range: 0.1–25.0

Unsharp mask blur radius; small=fine detail, large=broad edges

ThresholdInteger
Default: 0 Range: 0–255

Minimum pixel difference to sharpen; 0=all pixels

Sigma SNumber
Default: 10.0 Range: 1.0–200.0

Detail enhance spatial extent; higher=broader boost

Sigma RNumber
Default: 0.15 Range: 0.01–1.0

Detail enhance color sensitivity; lower=more aggressive

Sharpen AlphaToggle
Default: false

Also sharpen alpha channel

Mask

Mask FitChoice
Default: None

Mask sizing

  • NoneCenter the mask at its native size — no resizing. Unmasked regions are unaffected.
  • StretchStretch the mask to exactly match the image dimensions. May distort the mask shape.
  • FitScale the mask to fit inside the image, preserving aspect ratio. Letterboxes where needed.
  • FillScale the mask to fill the image, preserving aspect ratio. Crops edges if aspect ratios differ.
Notes

Amount, Radius, Threshold for Unsharp Mask. Sigma S, Sigma R for Detail Enhance. Mask Fit only visible when mask is connected.

Pins: image (required), mask (optional). When mask is connected, the effect is blended with the original using the mask (white = full effect, black = original).

Usage Tips

Section titled “Usage Tips”
  • Use Unsharp Mask with a small radius (0.5–2.0) for general photo sharpening.
  • Increase the threshold to avoid sharpening noise in smooth areas like skies.
  • Detail Enhance works well for giving images a slightly stylized, crispy look.
  • Connect a mask input to sharpen only specific regions, which helps avoid noise amplification in smooth areas.
Section titled “Related Nodes”