Adobe Announces Reflection Removal Feature

One skill a photographer must develop is determining which elements in a scene have the most potential to draw the viewer’s attention in the final image. Reducing the visual mass of distracting elements is crucial in directing the viewer’s attention. Sometimes, it is a matter of physically moving an object in the composition. Other times, it’s a matter of the photographer moving their position. Using a different focal length can help to emphasize or de-emphasize certain elements.

Window reflections are a frequent source of distraction. The issue is prevalent when the photographer is outside in bright light attempting to photograph something in a storefront window. The resulting photograph may have as much information about what is across the street from the store as it does about what is in the display case. Often, these reflections are not reduced by the photographer changing position. A polarizing filter can help in some cases. Still, since the magnitude of the effect of the filter is dependent on the photographer’s position, it is not a viable option in every scenario.

Since the recent development of artificial intelligence in computer technology, Adobe has announced several new features across its platforms. The most dramatic of these implementations is its generative AI, which allows programs such as Lightroom and Photoshop to add elements to existing photographs and even create images from scratch based on a user-supplied description. The latest of these innovations is called Reflection Removal, which allows a user to eliminate reflections from windows.

Reflection Removal is powered by AI but is not generative AI. According to Adobe’s press release, “This first iteration of the tech is designed to address only one kind of reflection — from plate glass windows that cover most or all of your field of view. It's not designed to remove reflections from windows that are small or far away, or where the window frame is within the field of view, or reflections from objects like wine glasses, car bodies, or clouds reflected in a lake.” In samples provided by Adobe, the feature works remarkably well. It should be noted that the new Reflection Removal tool attempts to remove the reflection from the image, but it does not add new elements to the image.

Adobe trains its computer model by assembling thousands of photographs of varying subjects that contain no reflections. Images are combined into pairs and fed into a computer that is tasked with separating the single image into two images representing the original images that were used to create the image that was fed into the computer. By ranking the computer’s accuracy and modifying the program accordingly, the computer becomes more accurate in determining how to separate a reflection from an image blended with that reflection.

To access Reflection Removal, open a RAW file in Adobe Camera Raw and navigate to Preferences > Technology Previews > New AI Settings and Features. Restart Camera Raw and import the image. Navigate to the Remove panel (the eraser icon along the right side of the user interface), and in the Distraction Removal section, check the box labeled “Reflections.” The interface provides a slider that is used to vary the intensity of reflection removal.

Currently, the feature works only on RAW files, but Adobe plans to support Reflection Removal for JPEGs, HEICs, and other non-RAW files. Adobe is also looking into removing small reflections like eyeglasses and distant windows. Headshot photographers, such as myself, will want to pay special attention to Reflection Removal updates so that they may reduce the headache of dealing with light reflections inside eyeglasses.