As a wedding photographer, do you want to save your portraits from getting ruined because of glass glare? If so, this ShootDotEdit blog is for you. We know that the presence of a reflection or glare on the glasses of your subject can be annoying. You take a great photograph of your couple only to realize later that there is a glass glare in the photo. A situation like this can spoil your image as well as your mood.
Fortunately, there’s a way out. You can remove glass glare from photos in Photoshop.
What is Glass Glare in Photos
Reflection or glare in photos can be defined as bright spots in your subject’s glasses, streaks of light or circles, or any other shapes. They might not always be very bright and can be different colors. It can also be just a hazy glow rather than a spot or shape.
Remove Glass Glare From Photos in 5 Different Ways
Sometimes, a glass glare might be difficult to prevent or be totally unavoidable when taking photos. That’s why knowing how to remove glass glare in photos during photo editing can be a helpful Photoshop skill for photographers. Here are the easiest ways for the job.
1. Use the Lasso Tool
The lasso tool in Photoshop can help you get rid of the glass glare in photos in the easiest way possible. With the lasso tool, you can simply draw around a spot you want to remove.
- Click the Lasso Tool from the left side of the window (or press ‘L’ on the keyboard).
- Make a circle around the spot.
- Right-click and select Fill.
- Open the dialog box in Photoshop with the ‘Fill’ option selected.
- In the window that appears, next to ‘Contents:’ select Content-Aware.
- Repeat these steps for the rest of the spots.
PROTIP: This method is most suitable for photos with solid colors or repeating patterns. By choosing Content-Aware, you will allow Photoshop to make the edits automatically.
2. Dehaze the Image
If your photo has areas that look hazy, the Dehaze option in Camera Raw will reduce this effect.
- Click Filter at the top menu and select Camera Raw Filter.
- In the window that appears, adjust the Dehaze slider to reduce the glare. If it helps, adjust the other sliders as well.
If this doesn’t help you get rid of all the haze in your image, follow the steps mentioned below.
- In the Layers panel on the right, right-click the Background layer and select Duplicate Layer. A copy of the background layer will appear above it.
- At the bottom of the Layers panel, click the Mask icon to create a mask. Make sure the copy layer is still selected.
- Click Image at the top menu, then select Adjustments, then choose Invert (or Cmd/Ctrl + I).
- Select the Brush tool and brush the hazy areas.
PROTIP: To learn how you can dehaze your wedding images in Lightroom, you can read our blog— HOW TO DEHAZE IN LIGHTROOM.
3. Use the Clone Stamp Tool
The clone stamp tool can be your best friend when it comes to removing glass glare because you can ‘paint’ over the glare using ‘source points’. Source points are other spots in the image (in this case, those without glare).
- Select the Zoom Tool (press “Z” on the keyboard) and press Alt/Option on the keyboard to zoom in close to a bright spot or area. Zooming makes it easier to see what you are doing.
- Select the Clone Stamp tool (or press the “S” key).
- Press and hold the Alt/Option on your keyboard. This changes the cursor icon indicating that you can choose a spot away from the glare.
- Click on a spot and let go of the Alt/Option key.
- The spot you chose will now be visible in the Clone Stamp cursor circle. This will make it easier for you to see what you are going to paint.
- If not, click Window from the top menu and select Clone Source.
- In the window that appears, check Show Overlay.
- Paint over the glare and readjust where you choose to paint from.
Using the Clone Stamp tool does take some practice. Don’t be afraid to zoom in more when you need to. The more you zoom in, the more accurate you can be. Also, be aware that the background layer is the original image. If you don’t want to edit it directly, add a new or duplicate layer and make the edits on that. The background layer will remain untouched as you work.
PROTIP: You can also use the Clone Stamp tool in Photoshop to fix unwanted hair in your images. If you are interested in knowing about it, read our blog on—HOW TO FIX HAIR IN PHOTOSHOP.
4. Add an Adjustment Layer
This technique is effective at reducing glass glare with color.
- Click the Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the Layer panel.
- Select Hue and Saturation from the menu.
- Click the hand symbol next to the Master. The cursor becomes the dropper tool.
- Now, click the flare spot to select the color.
- Move the Lightness slider to the left until the color of the glare matches the background.
- Adjust the other sliders to get rid of more color if needed.
- Now that the adjustments changed the whole image, select the Mask in the Hue and Saturation layer. Masks show what part of the effect you want to either show or hide. The white brush will show the effect, and the black brush will hide it.
- Select the Black Mask and the Brush Tool.
- Brush over the glare spots. You will be able to see the changes you make in the layer mask.
5. Use the Brush Tool to Remove Glass Glare
- Create a New Layer and set the layer blending mode to Color.
- Layer blending modes options distended and ‘Color’ option highlighted.
- Select the Brush Tool (or press ‘B’ on the keyboard) and set it to ‘normal’.
- Reduce the Opacity to 50%.
- Press and hold the Alt/Option key to change the cursor icon to a dropper.
- With the dropper, click a spot next to the glare and stop pressing the Alt/Option key.
- Brush over the glass glare.
Final Thoughts on Removing Glass Glare From Photos in Photoshop
To avoid glare, position your lights and your subject in a way that they don’t reflect off the surface of the lenses in the glasses they are wearing. If this doesn’t work for you, you can use one of our 5 different ways to remove glass glare from photos in Photoshop. If you want, you can try all our methods to see which one suits you best. Different ways might be helpful in different situations.
To learn some more interesting Photoshop tips, you can read—18 HIDDEN TIPS IN PHOTOSHOP 2020. If you are a Photoshop CC user, you can take a look at—28 Amazing Photoshop CC Tips, Tricks, and Hacks.