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Photoshop Unveils Powerful New AI Tool to Eliminate Unwanted Reflections in Photos

A snapshot that was ruined by reflections from a glass window[/caption]

One of the common frustrations in photography is dealing with unwanted reflections, especially when shooting through windows. Whether you’re capturing breathtaking landscapes through airplane windows or snapping a photo of an art exhibit behind glass, reflections can often ruin a perfectly good shot. But Adobe’s latest breakthrough promises to make this issue a thing of the past.

With its new Reflection Removal tool, Adobe is introducing an AI-powered solution that can remove reflections from photos taken through windows with just a single click. Available in beta as part of Camera Raw and coming soon to Lightroom, this tool is designed to work with raw photos and tackle the tricky problem of reflections that obscure the scene you actually want to photograph.

How Does Adobe’s Reflection Removal Tool Work?

The physics of reflections in photography is complex. When you shoot through a window, you’re actually capturing two overlapping images: the scene you want to photograph on the other side of the glass and a reflected image of your surroundings, often including yourself and the window frame. This dual-image setup can be hard to untangle, especially when dealing with reflections from large glass surfaces like car windows, store displays, or airplane windows.

Adobe’s Reflection Removal tool is powered by AI, but unlike generative AI, it doesn’t create new elements or alter your image artificially. Instead, it uses a model trained on millions of simulated photographs to learn how to separate the real photo from the reflection. The tool identifies the two images, separates them, and produces a cleaner version of the photograph where the reflection is eliminated.

To achieve this, Adobe’s AI model works by understanding the visual cues of reflections—such as edges of objects crossing each other or subtle variations in focus and white balance between the reflected and real scenes. This approach allows it to successfully remove reflections without distorting the rest of the image.

How to Use the Reflection Removal Tool

Currently, the tool is available for raw image formats (DNG, CR2, ARW, ProRAW) through Camera Raw and Adobe Bridge. If you want to give it a try, you can enable it by going to the Technology Previews section of the preferences in Camera Raw. Once activated, simply import your photo, open the Remove panel (the eraser icon), and check the Reflections box. The model will process the image in a few seconds and provide a preview of the scene without the reflection.

You can then adjust the strength of the effect with a slider. If you move the slider to 100, the reflection is completely removed. Moving it to 0 will bring back the reflection, and you can use the slider to find the perfect balance.

 

Real-World Examples of Reflection Removal

The tool works well in a variety of scenarios. For example, photos taken through airplane windows, where reflections of the cabin often obscure the view, can be cleaned up using Adobe’s new feature. In other examples, shots taken through museum display cases, train windows, or even those capturing the natural beauty of tidepools, all show significant improvements after using the Reflection Removal tool.

However, it’s important to note that the technology isn’t perfect yet. In cases with particularly strong or complex reflections, like cityscapes at night or highly reflective surfaces, the tool may struggle. If you find that it removes a reflection you actually wanted to keep, you can adjust the strength with the slider.

Tips for Best Results

While the tool can help you salvage photos with reflections, it’s still a good idea to minimize reflections in the first place. For example:

  • When photographing through windows, avoid bright indoor lighting or try to press your camera lens against the glass to reduce reflection.
  • For display cases or museum glass, using a telephoto lens or shooting from an angle can help reduce the appearance of reflections.
  • If you’re shooting from a car window or airplane, aim for a head-on shot to minimize the reflection’s strength.

Though these techniques can help, sometimes reflections are unavoidable, and that’s where Adobe’s new tool really shines.

The Future of Reflection Removal

Currently, the Reflection Removal tool is available for raw photos, but Adobe plans to expand it to support other image formats like JPEGs and HEICs in the future. They also hope to extend the tool’s capabilities to remove smaller reflections (like those on eyeglasses), as well as things like dust, scratches, and even rain or snow on windows.

The goal is to provide an all-in-one solution for cleaning up unwanted elements from photos—whether they’re reflections, dust, or other distractions. Over time, Adobe’s AI model will continue to improve, making it more effective at handling complex scenarios.

Final Thoughts

Adobe’s Reflection Removal tool represents a significant leap forward in photo editing technology. While it’s still in its early stages, it already shows tremendous potential for photographers and everyday smartphone users alike. This tool could become an essential part of the editing workflow for anyone who frequently shoots through glass or windows, offering an easy way to turn a frustrating shot into a shareable masterpiece.

Stay tuned for updates, as Adobe refines this powerful new tool, and make sure to try it out for yourself in Camera Raw to see how it can improve your photos.

Press Release Link

 

An absolute tech junky, I graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Computing and now live on the outskirts of Leeds working with you guessed it, Computers. I love all things gadgety but really dislike wires. For those of you who haven’t worked it out the name of the site is a combination of my nickname (Gaj) and the pronunciation ‘Gadget’.