5 Free Online Apps for Improving Photo Quality
Have a blurry or grainy photo you want to fix or enhance, but aren't sure how to do it yourself? Check out these great online apps for improving photo quality.
Mobile Apps | Software | By Ashley Darrow
Every photographer I know eventually has to find a way of improving photo quality after they’ve taken their shot.
This is a pretty common scenario. You put a lot of effort into framing and focusing the perfect shot, only for there to be blur or distortion when you get home to edit your images.
Thankfully, I found a few free online apps that you can use to enhance image quality.
These have been a lifesaver when I’ve had to quickly clear up a blurry photograph to save an otherwise great shot.
I’m also going to touch on a few ways that you can improve your image quality before you even press the shutter button.
Just because your final picture isn’t as sharp as you want it doesn’t mean that the shot of a lifetime was lost.
I’ll show you all the tips and tricks you need for clearing up blurry, pixelated, and soft photos!
How Can I Improve the Quality of a Photo Once It’s Taken?
Image Credit: George Milton
Even the most meticulously planned shots don’t always turn out right. There could have been dust on your lens filter or camera shake that lowered your photo resolution.
The first thing you should do to enhance image quality is adjust the sharpen slider. This is available in most image quality enhancer apps and even comes standard in camera apps like the one for iPhone.
You could also try increasing the contrast of an image which will sharpen up details and lines. Adding a gaussian blur filter might feel like it would make things worse, but it can actually smooth out a rough or pixelated image.
If photo print quality is what’s got you down, you can use apps like Adobe Express, Adobe Photoshop, or inPixio to increase your image resolution and go for a higher DPI before you hit print.
Heavily pixelated images can be cleaned up by using an AI de-pixelating app. These programs use advanced software to reassemble images that have been distorted by severe pixelation.
5 Free Image Enhancer Apps
Photography can get really expensive, but you don’t have to empty out the savings account to enhance your pictures.
Here are five free image enhancer apps that you can download today without spending a dime.
App 1: Fotor
Fotor is one of the most popular free image enhancer apps. Fotor is available as a web app, for mobile, and for desktop use.
Fotor has simple controls that are easy to use even if you don’t have a lot of experience editing photos. The mobile version is particularly impressive thanks to its one tap controls.
You can easily clean up blurry or distorted images with this photo enhancer, but it has plenty of other features to try out as well like making collages with your images.
App 2: Adobe Express
Adobe Express is packed with features for photography, video, and digital art. This is an online image enhancer that also has some great utility for boosting image resolution.
Adobe Express comes with an entire Enhance menu including a Super Resolution feature. This feature is great for clearing up blurry images from an old hard drive.
App 3: inPixio
The free version of inPixio comes with a few image enhancer tools for quickly fixing up and retouching a photo.
inPixio presets can have a major impact on a blurry picture. This photo editor also offers simple controls and an easy to navigate menu.
inPixio also has a suite of other features available for its premium and paid options that let you edit image details even more.
App 4: Pixlr
Pixlr has an impressive range of features for enhancing images.
Pixlr comes with the features that you would expect for an app on this list. You can reduce graininess, adjust color temperature, and improve the contrast of your images.
This app also has a bunch of powerful, AI backed features including the ability to mimic HDR photography.
App 5: Remini
Remini is the only app on this list that’s a dedicated image enhancer that can restore blurry or low quality images.
This photo enhancer boasts one touch controls that will let you restore a beat-up photograph with a single tap. The only real limitation here is that if your image is too distorted or blurry, Remini might not be able to save it.
If your main goal is cleaning up less-than-perfect pics, Remini should be one of the first apps you try.
How Can I Improve the Quality of a Photo Before It’s Taken?
Image Credit: JESHOOTS.com
Your best chance to enhance photo quality is to make sure you take the best picture possible. Photo enhancer software has gotten powerful over the last few years, but it still can’t make up for the skill of the photographer.
Before you even head out the door to start shooting, you want to make sure you have the right equipment on you. Using the right camera and lens combination, and bringing a tripod can make a world of difference when it comes to photo quality.
You should also take the time to clean and maintain your gear. I regularly give my cameras and lenses a once-over with an air blower and some basic cleaning supplies.
I’m also a huge proponent of taking your cameras and lenses into the shop for the ol’ CLA at least once a year.
Another thing you’ll hear from season photographers is that you should double check your settings before taking your shot. Proper focus, exposure, and depth of field make editing easy even if there are some things that need to be touched up in the image.
The last tip I’ve got for you is always to take multiple shots. Taking multiple shots of a single subject or composition is called giving yourself protection.
There’s a good chance that one of the images will be cleaner than the others, giving you a much easier editing job when you get back home from a busy day of shooting.
When you combine these tips and the photo enhancer apps I just mentioned, all of your images are going to be as clean and as enhanced as they can be.
FAQ
How do I improve my image quality online for free?
There are plenty of online photo enhancer apps that let you improve image quality for free. You can try Adobe Express, Fotor, Let’s Enhance, or other programs to improve image quality without having to spend any money. You could also look for trial versions of paid photo quality enhancer tools.
How do you make a blurry picture clear?
There are a few quick edits that you can do to make a blurry image clear. Increasing the contrast can help clear out details as can using editing tools like sharpen. There are also dedicated photo enhancer apps that use AI software to clear up blurry photos.
How can I get a higher resolution for an image?
The best way to get a high resolution image is to take your picture using a professional camera with plenty of megapixels. You can also use an image quality enhancer that can increase the size, digital resolution, and print resolution of a photograph you’ve already taken.
How do I fix pixelated images?
Fixing a pixelated image is actually really easy. You can do this easily in Photoshop by using the sharpen filter or adding some gaussian blur. You can also use photo enhancer apps that have a de-pixelate feature.
Final Words
Blurry images don’t have to hold back the photography that you’re posting online or sharing with friends. There are plenty of free photo enhancer apps out there that can clean up a less than perfect shot.
I want to hear your best advice for getting better photo resolution with clear details. Leave a comment with your go-to photo enhancing tips!
If you want more tips on the best apps for photography as well as tips and tricks for improving your photos, check out my other articles.
Ashley is a photographer, writer, and film critic. When Ashley’s not writing essays on photography, cinema, and theory, he’s out taking pictures with retro film cameras.
