AMD brings Radeon Image Sharpening to select Radeon RX 500 and RX 400 series GPUs

What you need to know

  • Image Sharpening is now available on the Radeon RX 570, RX 580, RX 590, RX 470, and RX 480 graphics cards.
  • The feature improves clarity and crispness of gameplay without having a large hit on performance.
  • The feature works with the latest Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition driver.

Radeon Image Sharpening (RIS) is now available on several more Radeon RX GPUs. The feature brings improved clarity and crispness without having a significant impact on game performance. Specifically, the Radeon RX 570, RX 580, RX 590, RX 470, and RX 480 gained support for RIS.

RIS aims to deliver better-looking gameplay without having a noticeable negative effect on gameplay performance. The feature coming to more budget-friendly cards means that gamers can get better-looking games without having to break the bank.

RIS improves gameplay visuals by adding clarity and crispness to areas of games that have been softened by post-process effects.

RIS is an intelligent contrast-adaptive sharpening algorithm that brings crispness and clarity to in-game visuals that have been softened by other post-process effects, with virtually no impact on gaming performance. When paired with Radeon GPU upscaling, RIS enables sharp visuals and fluid frame rates on very high-resolution displays.

RIS works with the latest Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition driver, which can be downloaded from AMD's website. The feature works across DirectX 12 and Vulkan titles on the newly supported cards, meaning developers do not need to implement RIS support into games. Be sure to have a look at our best graphics card picks to see where these GPUs stack up.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.