# Gradient Energy Mode

Gradient Energy mode determines the sharpness of an image by summing the squares of the differences of adjacent pixels over an entire image. Sharper images generally have greater pixel-to-pixel contrast values and generate higher result scores.

An Image Sharpness tool uses a 3-pixel kernel to generate the score:

The Gradient Energy mode supports a smoothing parameter, set to 0 by default, which you can increase to remove potential high frequency image noise from consideration.

Some notes about Gradient Energy mode:

- Produces reliable results for most types of images
- Good for reducing high frequency image noise by using a non-zero smoothing parameter
- Requires more processing time when using a non-zero smoothing parameter, and can reduce the original clarity of the image if you choose a smoothing parameter that is too high