Sharpen video with Anime4K
Anime4K can sharpen lines and improve how video looks when enlarged. You can use it on desktop and Android. It leaves the source file and stream bitrate unchanged.
Turn it on
Open Settings > Sharpen video (Anime4K), or Settings > Watch on desktop, and choose a preset. Desktop shows a short description of each one. The shaders download on first use. To download them ahead of time, choose Download (Download now on desktop). You can also switch presets in the player's Anime4K menu.
The standard shader pack downloads once. Experimental downloads extra shaders when needed.
Pick a preset
| Preset | A good place to use it |
|---|---|
| Off | Original playback, or when you want to save power |
| Standard | A starting point for most anime |
| Soft | Video that already looks fairly clean |
| Denoise | Grainy or blocky video, with a capable GPU |
| Light | Weaker graphics hardware or a phone running warm |
| Maximum | Strong cleanup on a powerful GPU |
| Experimental | Very low-quality video, with a big performance cost |
| Extra sharp | Crisper lines, though faint halos can appear |
| Extra soft | 720p video with jagged edges |
| Denoise + sharpen | A starting point for 480p video |
Try a scene with faces, line work, and motion to find a preset that suits the show.
If playback gets choppy
Switch to Light or Off. Shader processing can use a lot of GPU power, especially on phones. If the video becomes smooth with Anime4K off, the source connection probably wasn't the problem.
You need an internet connection to download shaders. The player shows download progress, then the active preset's name. If the download fails, sharpening stays off for that playback session and tries again next time. Installed shaders work across episodes without another download.