How to Unblur an Image in Photoshop

Unblurfy · Published 2026-11-02

Photoshop can reduce blur, and for a photo that is only a little soft it does a good job. For a photo with heavy motion blur or very low resolution, it can only do so much. This guide covers the tools that work, and when a different approach is faster.

Skip the steps: unblur your image online, free

Before you start

Work on a copy. Right-click the layer and choose Convert to Smart Object, so the filters you apply stay editable and you can change them later.

Method 1: Smart Sharpen

1. Choose Filter, Sharpen, Smart Sharpen.
2. Set Remove to Gaussian Blur for soft focus, or Motion Blur for streaks. For motion blur, set the Angle to match the direction of the streaks.
3. Raise Amount until detail appears, then adjust Radius. A small radius works for fine detail.
4. Zoom to 100 percent and look for halos around edges. If you see them, lower the Amount.
5. Click OK.

Method 2: Shake Reduction

Shake Reduction is made for blur from camera shake.

1. Choose Filter, Sharpen, Shake Reduction.
2. Photoshop analyzes the image and picks a blur trace automatically.
3. Adjust Blur Trace Bounds and Smoothing if the result is noisy or has artifacts.
4. Click OK.

It works best on photos with a clear, straight shake. It struggles with blur in more than one direction.

Method 3: Camera Raw Filter

1. Choose Filter, Camera Raw Filter.
2. Open the Detail panel.
3. Raise Sharpening Amount. Hold the Alt key (Option on Mac) while you drag Masking to sharpen only the edges and leave smooth areas alone.
4. Add a little Noise Reduction if the photo gets grainy.

How to fix a blurry photo in Lightroom

In Lightroom, open the Develop module and go to the Detail panel.

1. Raise Sharpening Amount.
2. Adjust Radius and Detail. A lower radius sharpens finer detail.
3. Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and drag Masking to limit sharpening to the edges.
4. In the Basic panel, a small increase in Texture can add back fine detail.

Lightroom's sharpening, like Photoshop's, adds contrast to edges. It cannot rebuild detail that was lost to heavy blur.

When Photoshop is not enough

If you have strong motion blur, a very small image, or a face or text that you cannot read, sharpening tools run out of room. In that case AI can do more, because it rebuilds detail rather than boosting edge contrast. Upload the photo to our free unblur tool and compare the result with the slider. For screenshots and photos with text, our text deblur tool uses AI to improve readability; small or severely blurred characters may change, so check amounts and identifiers against the original.

Pixelated or blocky image instead? See how to unpixelate an image in Photoshop.

Tips for a cleaner result

• Sharpen last, after you crop and resize.
• Sharpen in small steps. Over-sharpening looks worse than the blur.
• Always check at 100 percent zoom.
• Use a layer mask to sharpen only the subject, not the background.

Skip the manual steps

Have a photo you just want fixed? Try the free unblur tool.