Sharpenrefine

Sharpenrefine is a term used in digital image processing to describe a two-stage workflow that combines sharpening with a refinement pass to improve perceived detail while mitigating artifacts. The goal is to increase edge definition without introducing excessive halos or noise.

In typical implementations, the sharpening stage uses methods such as unsharp masking or high-pass filtering to enhance edges. The refinement stage then applies texture-preserving denoising or detail restoration, often using edge-preserving filters, deconvolution to compensate blur, or guided filtering to suppress noise while preserving structure. The order is important: sharpen first to reveal details, then refine to balance sharpness with natural texture.

Parameters commonly control the strength of sharpening, the radius, and threshold; refinement includes denoising strength, texture amplification, and whether to apply deconvolution-based deblurring. The technique aims to reduce common sharpening artifacts like halos and overshoot by restricting the refinement to areas with sufficient structure and by preserving fine textures.

Sharpenrefine is not a standardized algorithm with a formal specification; rather, it describes a workflow used across photo editing, satellite imagery, and computer vision tasks. Its effectiveness depends on image content, noise level, and blur characteristics. Evaluation is largely perceptual, with users balancing sharpness and natural look; quantitative metrics may include SSIM or perceptual quality scores.

See also: image sharpening, deconvolution, unsharp masking, detail enhancement, texture preservation.