Anisotropic filtering is a method of enhancing the image quality of textures on surfaces of computer graphics that are at oblique viewing angles with respect to the camera where the projection of the texture appears to be. It allows for non-square applications of textures, which means it allows different values on different axes, rather than uniform values. Anisotropic filtering eliminates aliasing effects, but improves on these other techniques by reducing blur and preserving detail at extreme viewing angles. It is relatively intensive, primarily memory bandwidth and to some degree computationally, though the standard space–time tradeoff rules apply, and only became a standard feature of consumer-level graphics cards in the late 1990s. Anisotropic filtering is now common in modern graphics hardware and video driver software and is enabled either by users through driver settings or by graphics applications and video games through programming interfaces.

Anisotropic filtering is commonly abbreviated as "AF" in game menus. It is a graphical enhancer built to improve in-game texture noticeably, and it does not impact the systems performance as much as other graphic-based parameters. It allows players to enjoy sharper image quality in-game without having to worry about frame drops. Anisotropic filtering gives clarity to distant surface textures that are seen at an angle, and it costs very little in the way of performance. The best way to see the effect of anisotropic filtering is to turn off the settings, look at the ground a few meters ahead, then compare it to the clarity of the ground close to you. As you look farther away, the surfaces become blurrier.

To summarize, anisotropic filtering is a method of enhancing the image quality of textures on surfaces of computer graphics that are at oblique viewing angles with respect to the camera where the projection of the texture appears to be. It allows for non-square applications of textures, eliminates aliasing effects, reduces blur, and preserves detail at extreme viewing angles. Anisotropic filtering is commonly used in modern graphics hardware and video driver software, and it is enabled either by users through driver settings or by graphics applications and video games through programming interfaces. It is a graphical enhancer built to improve in-game texture noticeably, and it does not impact the systems performance as much as other graphic-based parameters.