In a color television receiver including a comb filter for separating luminance and chrominance components of a color television signal, a network is included for selectively restoring, enhancing and paring vertical image detail to preserve and enhance vertical resolution in the luminance content of a displayed image. The comb filter provides a combed luminance signal output from which vertical detail signal information has been unavoidably deleted, and a combed chrominance signal output including signal frequency components representative of the deleted detail signal, which are selectively extracted from the combed chrominance signal. Low level detail signals are restored to the combed luminance signal via a first signal processing network which exhibits a prescribed signal restoration gain. The detail signal is also combined with the combed luminance signal via a second signal processing network which cores (removes) low level detail signals including noise, enhances moderate level detail signals through amplification to enhance vertical image definition, and pares (amplitude reduces) high level detail signals. A resultant reconstituted luminance component manifests restored low level vertical detail information, enhanced moderate level vertical detail information without enhancing unwanted signal components such as noise, and pared high level detail signals to avoid excessive contrast.