The Unsharp Mask

a mirror with a reflection of a person

The Unsharp Mask

n.
the tendency for social networks to magnify unexpected personality traits of people you know, a consequence of compressing someone’s raw persona into a low-res digital format, which can randomly brighten their outer glow, sharpen their comic edges, darken their shadows, or add motion blur to a stationary life.

In digital photo processing, unsharp mask is a filter that combines the original negative with a blurred positive image. The resulting image may look sharper but is actually a less accurate interpretation of the subject.

Lilo

Cover image for the Lilo word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Fellchaser

a blurred shadow of a person in a dark room

Pithered

stacks of papers and folders piled high on a table

Boorance

a group of objects on a table

Furosha

a storm raging in the sky over a building

Exulansis

Cover image for the Exulansis word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows