**Opera Browser Introduces Lucid Mode to Improve Older Videos**
Opera browser has introduced a new feature called Lucid Mode that enhances the quality of older videos by sharpening them.
**Overview of Lucid Mode in Opera Browser**
Old videos often suffer from poor resolution, leading to blurry images. Opera seeks to improve this issue by incorporating a CSS sharpening filter for videos and images on web pages. This feature leverages hardware acceleration, powered by your computer’s GPU.
By default, the Lucid Mode feature is disabled but can be activated in three ways. Users can access the option through the sidebar by toggling “Sharpen videos on all sites” and optionally enabling the second setting, “Sharpen images on all sites.” Alternatively, adjustments can be made in the browser’s settings page: opera://settings/lucidMode.
Another method to enable Lucid Mode is to open a web page containing a video. Upon clicking the play button, a “Lucid Mode off” button will appear, allowing users to switch it on or off.
Initially skeptical about the feature, some users found that Lucid Mode produced noticeable enhancements, especially for videos with low resolutions. While improvements were modest for videos with adequate detail, objects in the background and foreground tended to appear sharper in Lucid Mode.
The filters used in Lucid Mode are comparable to shader effects like HQ4x, xBRZ, and ScaleFX found in game emulators. Lucid Mode slightly modifies brightness and color correction to enhance image quality.
For animated videos such as cartoons, the quality discrepancy with Lucid Mode is more pronounced and not always favorable. The feature may overly enhance colors and outlines, resembling graphics in video games with anti-aliasing disabled. However, the toggle option allows users to disable the feature with ease.
An annoyance for users is the recurring pop-up that appears over videos when paused and resumed. While Lucid Mode enhances text sharpness, it may impair text visibility on dark backgrounds. Image quality varies based on content type, with text appearing sharper but graphical elements being potentially compromised.
Despite its limitations, Lucid Mode is an amusing feature to experiment with, offering modest improvements to video quality. Its effectiveness hinges on factors such as original video quality and compression. To enhance user control, more customization options should be added beyond a simple toggle switch.
Despite its flaws, Lucid Mode can be tested on popular platforms like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. To try it out, download Opera browser version 93.0.4585.70 for Windows, Linux, and macOS from the official website. Notably, this update also includes crucial security patches for reported issues.
Feel free to share your thoughts on Lucid Mode and its impact on video quality.
Article Source: gHacks Technology News
**Image Source:** PREMIO STOCK / Shutterstock
