Adobe Shows Off Dehaze Tool in Upcoming Lightroom Update

Despite what you think of the pricing model, everyone should agree that the Creative cloud system is great for the ability to receive rapid updates to the Adobe product line. Shown off last night, is the latest tool being developed by Adobe, allowing you to add and subtract haze into your photos using a built in Lightroom slider called Dehaze. This powerful new tool, should add a new level of creativity to your photos with ease.

Adobe hasn't shown off much more, or given us much more information other than the video above. However, the new tool seems to be a simple to use feature, allowing you to add and subtract haze using a slider system. And the tool looks impressive, removing haze effectively, traditionally caused by water vabor in the air, when the sunlight reflects off of it. What makes this tool interesting beyond simply adjusting the contrast slider is its ability to effectively bring back colors that are often muted by haze.

No word yet on when this tool is available, and only time will tell how effective it is at actually reducing haze. But with the teasers out now, one can assume this tool will make its way into the Lightroom software within the coming weeks.

Zach Sutton's picture

Zach Sutton is an award-winning and internationally published commercial and headshot photographer based out of Los Angeles, CA. His work highlights environmental portraiture, blending landscapes and scenes with portrait photography. Zach writes for various publications on the topic of photography and retouching.

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14 Comments

looks impressive!!

Wow!

I wonder if Topaz will sue.

As far as those examples are concerned, I've done that with levels.

Why would you want to "de haze" a photo? Haze and Fog are some of the best atmospheres at least in my own opinion.

The example image makes me cringe because even though the image is more clear upon first glance it only takes a second to notice that the dark areas look like mud. I'd much rather just take advantage of a fog and use it to make a dramatic image. Especially when so many photographers Photoshop them into their images. Perfect opportunity to get the real thing

...just my 2 cents...

Took this photo a couple of weeks ago. It is straight out og the camera. It's like a milky overlay is on the photo (desaturated and background is kinda blue). Will "dehaze" fix a photo like this?

I think that's the idea and the best possible scenario for which I would look forward to such feature. However, I personally feel like the examples look a little too much like the contrast slider was just moved up... Then again, they did pick an image that's not just hazy, per se, but literally foggy. So I would hope the feature would work very well with hazy and slightly smoggy cityscapes such as this. Just not currently feeling the magic that I felt back in the day of the newly unveiled content-aware autofill, puppet warp, etc.

I think that this Dehaze feature will do exactly what Levels offer you in Photoshop.
Here's an example of how you can dehaze your photo in Photoshop pretty easily.

This may solve some of the problem that I face at times. It is a great tool if to use it properly. =)

Might make for an interesting adjustment brush for skin retouching?

GIVE TO ME NOW!!!!!!

We can achieve the same using the tone curve tool, its seems only simplified into one slider, or am I missing something?
* I like the pricing of the creative cloud photography plan, I only wish I could use the apps on three devices instead of two. iMac at Studio, iMac at home, and my Laptop.

meh.....nothing that a competent photo editor can't fix in 15 seconds with what is already available....camera raw, lightroom, etc.

You can already do this in the curve section or levels..

"Despite what you think of the pricing model, everyone should agree that the Creative cloud system is great for the ability to receive rapid updates to the Adobe product line"

Hmm... Adobe promised us rapid updates when CC was released. To be honest I haven't seen many rapid updates, just a flourish on the anniversary date.

It'll be interesting to see how LR fairs in this manner.

I imagine that the LR engineers won't be doing anything too creative at this point: they'll just be copying third party applications and bringing them inside LR.

I don't see anything too exciting at the moment, not with this de-haze anyway. You can de-haze using the controls that are currently in place within LR.

I agree that the CC system is good for anyone who uses the new tools that get developed. But for anyone who doesn't use the new tools, or who is predominantly a LR user, then the CC model does not offer value for money at all. In the long run, it is exceptionally expensive.