VFX Atlas
M 002 / 18301 Edge & Featuresalgorithm output

Sobel X

edge & feature detection

Typeface · Roboto Mono

Real-world algorithm demonstration, applied to a NASA portrait.
Real-world algorithm demonstration, applied to a NASA portrait.Image: NASA / Eileen Collins · scikit-image (public domain)View source ↗

Prompt

Apply a Sobel X effect in monochrome, emphasizing vertical boundaries wherever brightness changes horizontally. Render strong responses as bright narrow bands against black, with weaker gradients in gray. Suppress horizontal boundaries and flat areas while retaining slightly soft edge thickness. Keep the original subject and composition.

Paste it into LetzAI with your own image to apply the effect ↗

Identify

Horizontal changes in brightness highlight vertical edges.

Principle

A derivative filter1 measures the image gradient along the x-axis2.

Try it out

Compare the x and y derivatives of the same scene.

Classification

Calculated image processing result.

Further examples · 7 images

EmiMa-099-Sobel-x
02 EmiMa-099-Sobel-xA gray-toned image depicts a central figure with faint light and dark outlines. The process highlights vertical contours of the subject while horizontal features remain largely invisible.MartinThoma · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Priklad Sobel
03 Priklad SobelThe diagram displays a matrix Gx and a kernel hx. This illustrates the mathematical process of calculating the x-gradient to find vertical edges in digital image processing.B.Palac · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Canny GradientX
04 Canny GradientXVertical structures of the house are highlighted while horizontal rooflines are faint. This demonstrates the x-derivative's ability to measure horizontal intensity changes.Tobias Hermann · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Highpass filter Original - Filtered horizontal
05 Highpass filter Original - Filtered horizontalA side-by-side comparison of a crane and its horizontal derivative. The processed grayscale image emphasizes vertical contours by detecting high-frequency intensity changes across the x-axis.own work by me, Grand-Duc. Die volle Nennung des Autorenpseudonyms und der Zuschreibung wie unten stehend ist für eine L · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons
Intensity image with gradient images
06 Intensity image with gradient imagesA triptych shows an original photo followed by x and y gradient derivatives. The middle pane highlights vertical contours using horizontal brightness changes, demonstrating the core functionality of a Sobel-style x-axis filter.Njw000 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
AI illustration: A cityscape shows highlighted vertical edges of buildings and street lamp
07 AI illustration: A cityscape shows highlighted vertical edges of buildings and street lampA cityscape shows highlighted vertical edges of buildings and street lamps. This illustrates Sobel X by capturing the horizontal intensity gradients while ignoring horizontal features.Illustration generated for the Atlas (AI)