The short answer
Why use Edge Detection?
A focused effect tool is faster than opening a full editor when you already know the look you need. The amount control makes it easy to stop before texture and detail disappear.
Edge Detection focuses on applying an adjustable edge detection treatment to a copy of an image. Filters work on decoded image pixels and write a separate output. The preview is the place to judge edges, skin tones, and any text inside the image.
The selected file stays in this browser tab and is released when you leave the page. The effect is applied to a new copy. Inspect detailed areas at full size because a strong setting can hide texture or introduce banding.
What Edge Detection does
Open the source photo
Drop, choose, or paste a supported file into Edge Detection. Applying an adjustable edge detection treatment to a copy of an image. The source stays on your device; we work on a copy.
Apply the treatment
Edge Detection is for applying an adjustable edge detection treatment to a copy of an image. The preview is the place to decide if the setting went too far. The original file is not overwritten.
Useful controls
Main controls: Effect amount, plus a color choice for effects that need one. Working limit: 50 MB and 50 megapixels per image. Watch the preview at full size before you save. A current desktop browser usually has more memory than a phone.
Download a copy
Export is a flattened png or browser-supported raster image. The download is a new file. Keep the original until you have opened the copy once.
Where Edge Detection fits
These are ordinary jobs where the focused controls save time. They also show where a full editor or a manual review may still be the better choice.
Style tests
Try Edge Detection on a finished layout before rebuilding the design around it.
Social graphics
Give a photograph a consistent treatment without changing the source file.
Readability checks
See whether a simplified tonal treatment makes overlaid text easier to read.
Start to finish
How to use Edge Detection
- 01Choose, drop, or paste a supported file.
- 02Adjust the edge detection controls and check the preview at full size.
- 03Download the finished copy and open it once before using it elsewhere.
What to expect from Edge Detection
This table covers the parts that matter before you begin: what goes in, which controls do the work, what comes out, and where the browser draws a hard line.
| Check | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Supported input | JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, SVG and browser-supported AVIF images |
| Main controls | Effect amount, plus a color choice for effects that need one |
| Output | A flattened PNG or browser-supported raster image |
| Working limit | 50 MB and 50 megapixels per image |
| Privacy | Files and entered values stay in this tab. Filenames, pixels, metadata, OCR text, QR contents, locations, and passwords are not sent to analytics. |
Before you export
- Start near the middle, then move the amount in small steps.
- Judge faces and smooth gradients carefully; heavy effects show artifacts there.
- Compare the result at the size where it will actually be used.
- Save a new copy instead of running several destructive passes on one export.
Frequently asked questions
If you cannot find what you are looking for, write us a message and we will get back to you.
What should I check before saving with Edge Detection?
Does my file get uploaded?
Can I use Edge Detection on a phone?
Will Edge Detection overwrite my original file?
Why might the Edge Detection result look different in another app?
Is Edge Detection free to use?
How does Edge Detection work?
What can I put into Edge Detection?
How do I save the result from Edge Detection?
Why did Edge Detection fail or look wrong?
Will Edge Detection keep a copy of my work?
Related tools
More in Filters & Effects.
Continue the workflow
These tools handle common next steps after edge detection.