Sharpen

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How to use

The sharpen transformation allows you to enhance the edge contrast in an image, making it appear more defined and crisp.

Pass the following query param to the API endpoint:

sharpen=sigma

Where:

• sigma is the strength of the sharpening effect.

For example: sharpen=3.5

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Parameter

sigma: The strength of the sharpening effect. This parameter accepts positive float values:

• Lower values (e.g., 0.5 to 2.0) result in subtle sharpening.
• Higher values (e.g., 3.0 to 5.0) produce more pronounced sharpening effects.
• Very high values may lead to over-sharpening and introduce artifacts.

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Effect of Sharpening

• Increases the contrast between adjacent pixels, particularly along edges in the image.
• Enhances the perceived detail and clarity of the image.
• Can help correct slight blurriness or focus issues.

This transformation is useful for improving the overall crispness of images, especially those that may have lost some sharpness during resizing or compression.

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Original Image

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Image with moderate sharpening

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Image with strong sharpening

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Best Practices

• Start with lower sigma values (around 1.0 to 2.0) and gradually increase if needed.
• Be cautious with high sigma values, as they can introduce noise and create an unnatural look.
• Use sharpening judiciously on portraits to avoid emphasizing skin imperfections.
• Apply sharpening as one of the last steps in your image processing workflow.
• Consider the final display size of the image when choosing the sharpening strength.
• Combine with other adjustments like contrast or saturation for more refined image enhancements.