AI-assisted detail sharpening
Adds fast AI-assisted sharpening through a single Sharpen Amount control, making fine detail more readable without a long manual sharpening setup.
AIUltraSharpen is a compact finishing node for restoring perceived crispness after denoise, scaling, stabilization, compression or other processing that has softened the image.
Overview
The node is intentionally simple: Sharpen Amount controls how strongly the algorithm emphasizes edges and micro-detail. This makes it useful when a predictable finishing pass matters more than tuning several radius or frequency bands.
As with any sharpening process, excessive strength can reveal sensor noise, compression blocks, halos and skin defects. Evaluate the result at 100% and use a mask when only a subject, logo or text layer needs extra definition.
Think of AIUltraSharpen as one intelligent detail knob: increase it until the image regains clarity, then stop before the sharpening itself becomes visible.
Flow anatomy
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
The image, clip or processed branch that needs additional perceived sharpness.
Optional mask that limits where the node affects the image.
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Controls the overall strength of AI-assisted sharpening.
Low values provide a subtle clarity lift; higher values emphasize edges and texture more aggressively.
Practical setup
Place AIUltraSharpen after processing that may have softened the image.
Increase Sharpen Amount gradually.
Inspect faces, text and contrast edges at 100%.
Reduce the amount if halos, noise or compression artifacts become more visible.
Use an Effect Mask when only part of the frame needs sharpening.
Examples
Restore a little perceived detail after a strong cleanup pass.
Add crispness after scaling an image for a graphic or delivery size.
Troubleshooting
Production notes
Related nodes
