An image enhancing process promotes either noise reduction or image sharpening on a pixel-by-pixel basis as a function of the recognition of specific patterns of sampled pixel values surrounding each pixel to be enhanced. The sampled pixel values are divided into two or more subgroups and the enhanced pixel value is provided to promote either image sharpening or noise reduction as a function of the number of pixel values in the different subgroups and their positions relative to each other in the subgroups.