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Andrew Williams's picture

Reflections on Technique

Adobe recently added the ability to eliminate reflections in some existing raw files, including Nikon NEF files, through a technology preview. There are several YouTube videos out there explaining how to activate this, including one from PixImperfect. Eventually, I expect Adobe will add the capability to process other formats when it becomes a regular part of Photoshop.

Since I am usually shooting through car windshields and windows, reflections were often a problem for which there is now a solution, imperfect though it may be. These two images shot in the summer of 2019 illustrate the possibilities.

The first image was shot outside Brockway, PA. In addition to removing the reflection, I also removed the mailbox with Generative Fill. I admit to not being satisfied with the color balance in either version.

The second image is outside Eastern State Penitentiary on Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia. After removing the reflections, I used DxO Viewpoint 5 to straighten and fix the perspective. Then I used Generative Fill to fill in the corners and remove the car and the sign. Removing the car was the most troublesome part of the process and I'm still not happy with the sidewalk results.

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3 Comments

Wow! I did not know this, Andrew! Thank you for the heads-up. It is really incredible what can be done these days.

I like to explore PS and its AI capabilities (or rather incapability's in come cases...people, pets....)

I agree that AI is an imperfect tool. but it is still lightyears ahead from Lightroom's Clone/Heal from just a few years back.

Living on the West Coast I have indeed heard of Eastern State Penitentiary and explored using Google ~ Street View.

I use generative fill quite a bit to remove smaller, distracting elements.
I find it really useful also when real-estate is lost when straightening images. Generative expand works great when needing to re-establish the balance when pixels have been lost through straightening.

ESP is a fascinating place - I was lucky enough to visit a few years back, and although the interior is dark managed to get some keepers.