How to unblur text in an image with Adobe Express.
Learn what causes blurry text in images and how Adobe Express can help you to fix it.
If you’ve ever encountered blurred text in an image, either at work or for a personal project, you’ll understand how frustrating it can be. Whether you’re deciphering the quick snap you took of a friend’s phone number or are trying to read a poorly rendered digital ad, knowing how to unblur text in an image is a useful skill to have. In this article we’ll explore the options you have at your disposal and the best ways you can unblur text with Adobe Express.
What causes blurred text in an image?
Blurry text in an image can be caused by both photography and digital issues. Factors like camera shake, low resolution, or image compression can all affect clarity, making it difficult to read or extract text from photos. Here are some common culprits:
- Poor lighting. If you’re taking photos in low light, you phone may overcompensate by increasing the exposure to let in more light. However, long exposures are prone to blurs because any movement will be captured also.
- Motion blur. This occurs when something moves while capturing an image. Whether it’s the camera moving or the text, you’ll find motion will often lead to blurred images.
- Poor focus. Today most cameras come equipped with autofocus functions. Even so, it’s possible for the auto focus to track something other than the intended text, leaving you with a blurred, or out of focus, image.
- Distance. If the image you’re trying to capture is too close or too far away, the resulting text in the photograph is going to be blurry.
- Compression. Image compression reduces file size by removing visual data. In lossy formats like JPEG, this can degrade sharp edges and fine details—like text—making them appear soft or blurry. Using lossless compression can be a real lifesaver.
- Improper upscaling. Digitally enlarging a low-resolution image can stretch and blur the text, reducing legibility.
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How to unblur text in an image online with Adobe Express.
The days of squinting to read the out of focus text in an image are over. With Adobe Express you can unblur text in an image in a matter of minutes. Follow our simple guide to transform images and regain clarity.
If sharpness alone won’t make your text legible, there are other sliders at your disposal. Try adjusting the ‘Light’ and ‘Colour’ sliders to improve the image. You may find adjusting the brightness, contrast or colour saturation helps to make text clearer.
Alternatively, some adjustments may work best when applied alongside others. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore your options until you achieve the look you want.
Once you’re happy with the results, you’ll be able to download and share your image. Click ‘Share’ to send your image to others. You’ll also be able to share to social media, make a template and more.
You can also save your image to an online drive or onto your computer.
Similarly, click ‘Download’ and you’ll have the option of adjusting the file format before you download as well as to print and deliver.
Tips for preventing and editing blurred text.
Avoiding unblurred text is better than having to edit it, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Below we’ll explore the ways you can try to prevent and edit blurred text.
- Adjust the blur slowly to avoid over-sharpening your image. If you dial the sharpening adjuster too high, you may end up with an image that is over-sharpened. It’s best to make lots of minor adjustments rather than one big one.
- Always check your image resolution. The resolution of an image can determine how much detail you can see with the human eye. If an image has low resolution, you may not be able to zoom in without losing detail. Look at the pixels per inch (PPI) in digital images and dots per inch (DPI) for prints to ensure the resolution is adequate. For high quality images start at 300 DPI/PPI as standard.
- If you’re taking a picture of a document, take your time. Many of the causes behind blurred text in photos, whether motion or a lack of focus, can be solved by taking your time and getting an accurate picture. Hold the camera steady, ensure lighting is even and flat across the page and adjust the focus until it is crystal clear.
- Don’t be afraid to adjust other sliders. The sharpen tool may only be able to take you so far, but with other tools and adjustments from Adobe Express you may be able to get better results. Try using tools like Contrast and Noise Reduction.
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Resize and edit your images with ease using the AI Image Resizer.
You can use Adobe Express’ AI tools to resize your images. While cropping cuts away parts of an image without changing its original resolution, AI-powered resizing lets you expand your image beyond its existing borders by generating new content.
Start by uploading your image, then resize the picture into a size that works for you and watch as Adobe Express generates content to fill the new dimensions. If you’re unhappy with the results, you can simply choose to generate more, until you have the image you want. Once your image is expanded you can download and share the image across marketing channels, social media and more.
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