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How to Unblur an Image: The 5 Easiest Methods
Whether you're an aspiring photographer, Instagrammer, or just someone who hoards photos in their gallery, knowing how to fix blurry pictures is a skill you'll be thankful to have.
Realistically, if a photo is blurred to the point where it's hard to make out the details, you won't be able to fully recover it, and even AI might not be able to save it. If a picture simply needs a little touch-up, a simple unblurring tool should do the trick.
Picsart - The Best Mobile Unblurring Tool
Picsart is my favorite mobile photo editing app thanks to its massive collection of tools and uses, and it has a browser version too. I'll show you how to use both.
On your browser, head to Picsart's Unblur Image tool and upload your photo from your device. It will take a while to upload since Picsart is doing its unblurring magic at the same time.
Once it's done, you'll immediately see the results which you can download or open in the editor to continue editing. Free users can only download at 2x quality, while pro users can enjoy 4x enhancement. You could always download the 2x version and run it through the upscaler one or two more times. The photo will download without a watermark.
The AI Enhance tool on the Picsart mobile app does a better job at unblurring pictures than the browser version, but you'll need to buy a subscription to use it and download the results.
After opening your photo, head to Tools in the bottom panel, select AI Enhance, and give the app some time to do its thing. You can change the enhancement intensity and also see the before and after for a direct comparison. Hit Apply and download or share your photo via the arrow icon at the top.
Download: Picsart for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
Apple Photos - No Need to Download a Third-Party App
You don't need to download an image editing app, the native image editor on your iPhone can do just the trick. Although Apple Photos doesn't have a dedicated unblurring feature, it has a handful of features that, when combined, produces fantastic results for blurred images.
Locate your photo in your camera roll and hit Edit. In the editor, make sure you're on the Adjust tab, and scroll all the way left.
First, I adjusted the Definition. Look at the difference between the first and second screenshots with Definition turned all the way up—the blurriness is definitely improved. Then I turned Sharpness all the way up. Again, you can see the difference between the third and fourth screenshots.
While not a conventional unblurring tool, the Definition and Sharpness features in Apple Photos do wonders for blurry shots. You can also use the Sharpen tool in Google Photos if you don't have an Apple device.
PineTools - Customizable Settings
PinTools is an online hub of free tools for creative, coding, and mathematical needs. It has dozens of image-specific tools, but all we need is Sharpen Image. No need to create an account, just head to the link and choose your file from your device.
What I like about PineTools is the customization it gives you when enhancing a blurry shot. You can choose between a 3x3 or 5x5 convolution mask, and there's also a strength slider that lets you choose the intensity of the sharpening effect. Another thing I like about this tool is that it doesn't use AI, which is a breath of fresh air amid the oversaturation of AI photo tools.
Hit Sharpen at the bottom once you're happy with your settings, and the results won't take long to load.
Here, I went for the 5x5 convolution mask and set the slider to around 90%. Upon first glance, this is the most unblurred my image looks compared to all the other tools here. However, it seems to have added some grain to my photo, but I'm not phased by this because it improved the overall look of my photo regardless.
I played around with the settings and noticed that the 3x3 convolution mask doesn't add that grain, but it also doesn't sharpen the image as much, so it's a win-lose situation either way. To download the image, simply right-click and select Save Image As.
Artguru - The Fastest and Easiest Unblurring Tool
If you're not a fan of the grain that PineTools leaves on your unblurred photo, then Artguru might be a better option. Just head to the link, upload your photo, and await the results.
You can drag the slider to see a direct comparison of the before and after. If you're happy with the results, hit Download, and it will save to your files.
The blur in my photo is definitely improved, and it doesn't have any grain. Instead, it almost smoothed out some parts, which is a contrast to my results from PineTools, yet both enhanced the image, just in their own way.
It might be worth running the results through Artguru for a second time to get the enhancement you want.
Avoid Blurry Images in the First Place
My best advice is to avoid taking blurry photos to begin with. Make a habit of the following:
- Hold your phone still when taking a picture
- Prop your phone on a tripod
- Avoid shooting in low light
- Download a third-party camera app to control the ISO and shutter speed
And whenever you're attempting to unblur a picture using photo editing software, turn up the contrast—and turn down the highlights and shadows while you're at it. This doesn't fix the blur, but it does make the image pop a little more, giving the illusion that it's been enhanced. Play around with all the basic adjustment settings to see what you can come up with.
You now have several methods at your disposal for fixing blurry images. Refer back to this guide next time you end up with a blurry shot.
