5 Best Photo Sharpening Applications to Help You Enhance Photos
Last Updated on November 11, 2021 by Peter Wood
When talking about photo sharpening, it means removing blurry from your photos and enhance the details. When you find your photos shot too blurry, the first idea in your mind may be giving them up. But some images are unique and cannot shot again. In such cases, you have to process blurry images and need photo sharpening software. There are many photo editors and people who can't find the most proper software. That is why you need to read our top list.
Top 1: WidsMob Retoucher
For beginners, it is hard to find an easy-to-use photo sharpening software while it is as powerful as professional photo editors. From this point, we recommend WidsMob Retoucher. Its main features include:
- Sharpen photos and remove noise within three steps.
- Keep the photo quality as much as possible with advanced technology.
- Offer extensive bonus tools like portrait retouching.
- Support almost all image formats includes RAW files.
All in all, it is the best option to sharpen photos and reduce noise on the computer.
How to Sharpen a Photo without Quality Loss
Step 1: Import a noise photo
Run the best photo sharpening software once you install it on your computer. Now, you have three ways to add a photo to the software. Go to File -> Open on the top menu bar to trigger the open-file dialog, then find the blurry photo and open it. The easier method is to find the photo on your hard drive, and drag and drop it into the home interface directly. Alternatively, click on the Import button to load the open-file dialog.
Step 2: Sharpen the photo
Select the blurry photo in the library of the photo sharpening software and click the Next button to enter the main interface. Then you will see the toolbar on the right side. You’d better edit the photo as you wish first. Then go to the De-noise mode with a brush icon. The Luminance and Chrominance options can reduce noise from your photos. To sharpen the picture, you need to move the slider under the Sharpen option. Moreover, you can monitor the result in real-time with the preview panel or compare it with the original photo.
Step 3: Save or share a sharpened photo
After sharpening the photo, you have two options to process the photo:
Save it to your computer: Click the Save button, and then enter the filename into the Save As a field, set the location folder in the Where option, pick the proper photo format from the Format dropdown list, and adjust the Quality. Finally, click the Save button.
Share the enhanced photo: Choose the Share button, select the target channel, and follow the onscreen instructions to do it.
Top 2: Luminar
Luminar is a professional photo sharpening software for both PCs and macOS. The latest version is Luminar 4 and provides more advanced features, such as AI enhancement, distortion correcting, and more. Of course, it is not freeware. And you have to pay at least $69.00 to get the full features.
Pros
- Integrate a streamlined interface with a nice workflow.
- Fix photos automatically.
- Include a lot of photo filters.
- Support local adjustment using brush and gradients.
- Offer four editing modes to meet various needs.
Cons
- This photo-sharpening software takes space.
- The pro version is expensive compared to the features.
Top 3: GIMP
As an open-source photo sharpening software, GIMP is free. More importantly, it is as powerful as some professional photo editing software. It includes automatic tools to enhance our photos and a lot of tools, like noise reduction. Plus, it is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Pros
- Free to use without any limit.
- Keep updating with new features.
- Support all popular image formats.
- Customizable and extensive with plugins.
- Sharpen photos automatically and manually.
Cons
- There is no support for 16-bit per channel color.
- The photo sharpening software may have some issues in a new version.
Top 4: Unshake
As its name indicated, Unshake is a dedicated photo sharpening software. If you are a beginner, it is the best choice since you won’t find many features. Another reason that you should try Unshake is that you do not pay a penny. Moreover, it is lightweight and works well on old PCs.
Pros
- Small in size and take less space.
- Easy to use and not require any technical skills.
- Free of charge.
- Support JPG, GIF, and PNG formats.
- Available to Windows 7 and earlier.
Cons
- The photo sharpening software is only available in English.
- There is no support for new systems.
Top 5: Adobe Lightroom
If you have enough budget and look for professional photo sharpening software, Adobe Lightroom is the best option. It costs starting from 9.99 per month. And you can only get it by subscription since there is no life plan. Moreover, it provides two versions CC and Classic. The main difference between the two versions is the plugin support.
Pros
- Include extensive pro-level features.
- Automatically sync photos to the cloud.
- Enhance and sharpen HD photos.
- Offer many photo filters.
- Stable and compatible with PC and Mac.
Cons
- This photo sharpening software is expensive.
- The sharing option is limited.
Conclusion
Based on the review and introduction above, you should master at least the top 5 best photo sharpening software available to Windows, Mac, and Linux. Some of them are free to use, like GIMP, and others are a professional software, such as Lightroom. You can pick the most appropriate software according to your situation and our review. WidsMob Retoucher is the most cost-effective choice to enhance your photos without much requirement or effort. We hope that our review is helpful for you to sharpen your pictures.