Python AI Image Enhancement Developer

I am extending an existing AI initiative and need a Python specialist who can create or fine-tune a model that works with images and video to noticeably improve visual quality—think sharpening soft frames, removing or replacing backgrounds, and eliminating common artifacts without introducing new ones.

The current codebase is in Python and already uses standard libraries such as PyTorch, OpenCV, and scikit-image. You are free to swap in alternatives if they deliver better speed or accuracy, but the final solution must integrate smoothly with this stack and run on a single NVIDIA GPU.

What I expect from you:
• A reproducible training or fine-tuning pipeline (data loaders, augmentation, checkpoints).
• An inference script or lightweight API endpoint that takes an input image/video and returns the cleaned, sharpened, or background-free result.
• Clear documentation so another developer can install dependencies, retrain, and deploy in one go.

I will share a small benchmark set at the start; your model must outperform our current baseline on PSNR/SSIM while preserving natural color and detail. If this challenge feels squarely in your wheelhouse, tell me briefly which techniques or architectures you would reach for first—GAN-based upscalers, U-Nets, diffusion models, or something entirely different—and why you believe they are the right fit.