Enhance, the algorithm that improves photos as in the movies

A group of German researchers has created a photo editing software that uses machine learning to improve our shots

Those who have watched at least once in their lives an episode of the TV show CSI will have noticed the work done by the investigators to analyze photographs and videos with special advanced software. From the movies this technology will pass to real life, thanks to special algorithms that will be used on computers and smartphones.

A research conducted by the German institute specializing in machine learning Max Planck, in fact, has developed a new technology, called Let's Enhance (literally improve). This system uses machine learning to sharpen details in photographs and refine the quality of the shots. Researchers are making this technology available to everyone. A web platform, called Just Let's Enhance, has been created that anyone can try out by simply logging on to the site. To test the software just drag an image to the home page of the portal and see the improvements made by the system. The site is: www.letsenhance.io.

How Let's Enhance works

After a first analysis, the photos edited automatically by this system are sharper than those worked with Photoshop and programs for professional image editing. The founders of the system, Alex Savsunenko and Vladislav Pranskevičius, explained that their software uses some machine learning algorithms, known as SRGAN and EDSR, which serve to improve all images. SRGAN, for example, uses two neural networks to compare different enhancements to the shot and then decides which solution will look better to the human eye.