How to Fix an Out of Focus Photo
To sharpen an out of focus photo, upload it to EditThisPic and describe what you need: 'sharpen this out of focus photo' or 'fix the focus on the face.' The AI detects soft regions and reconstructs edge detail to restore sharpness. Free, no signup required.
Why Photos Come Out of Focus
Out of focus photos happen when the camera locks onto the wrong distance. The background is sharp but the subject is soft, or the autofocus tracked a nearby object instead of the person you were shooting. Unlike motion blur, which creates directional streaks, focus blur produces a uniform softness with mushy edges and no crisp detail.
How AI Restores Focus
EditThisPic's AI analyzes the defocus pattern across your image. It identifies which regions are soft and maps the blur kernel — the mathematical shape of the out-of-focus circle. Using the sharp areas as reference, it reconstructs edge detail and texture in the soft zones. The result looks like the lens was focused correctly, not like someone cranked up a sharpness slider.
Focus Problems AI Can Recover
- Autofocus locked on the background instead of the subject
- Shallow depth of field with the wrong plane in focus
- Slightly missed focus on portraits and group photos
- Soft images from budget lenses with slow or inaccurate autofocus
- Photos where the camera focused on a nearby object instead of the subject
When Focus Recovery Has Limits
AI focus restoration works best when the subject is mildly to moderately soft. If the subject is so out of focus that you can't tell what it is — a face reduced to a featureless blob, for example — there's not enough data left to reconstruct. Photos where the subject is slightly soft but recognizable produce the best results. The sharper the surrounding areas, the more reference data the AI has to work with.
Out of Focus vs. Motion Blur
These look different and need different fixes. Out of focus blur is circular and uniform — edges dissolve evenly in all directions. Motion blur is directional — you'll see streaks in the direction of movement. If your photo has streaks, try 'fix the motion blur' instead. If everything looks uniformly soft, it's a focus issue. The AI handles both, but describing the problem correctly gives better results.
Tips for the Best Results
Be specific about where the focus is off: 'sharpen the person in the foreground, the background is fine' gives better results than a generic 'fix this.' For group photos where some faces are sharp and others aren't, describe which ones need fixing. If the first result looks over-sharpened, try 'gently restore the focus' or 'make the subject slightly sharper without overdoing it.'
Step-by-Step Guide
Upload Your Out of Focus Photo
Drop your image into EditThisPic. Works with JPG, PNG, HEIC, and WebP up to 7MB.
Describe the Focus Problem
Type what you see: 'the subject is out of focus, sharpen it' or 'fix the soft focus on the face.' Mention specific areas if only part of the image needs fixing.
Review the Sharpened Result
Use the before/after slider to compare. Zoom in on edges and details — eyelashes, hair strands, text — to verify that sharpness has been restored without artifacts.
Refine If Needed
If the result needs more sharpening, try 'make it even sharper' or 'the edges are still soft.' If it looks over-processed, ask to 'reduce the sharpening, it looks unnatural.'
Frequently Asked Questions
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