P: (Technology Preview) Reflection Removal (CR)

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

This post applies to Adobe Camera Raw plug-in.  

Adobe Camera Raw team is sharing an early look of our new Reflection Removal feature, which removes reflections caused by plate glass surfaces from photos. 

Note: 

• The feature currently only works on raw photos. Support for non-raw photos (e.g., JPEGs or HEICs) will be added in a future update. 

• There is a known issue on some Windows machines where the feature may produce a corrupt image. We are working on a fix for the upcoming release. 

Check out the HelpX for more detailed usage information. For more technical information on the underlying technology, please refer to this Blog post. 

Getting started with the Reflection Removal feature: 

• Make sure you have the “New AI Features and Settings Panel” Technology Preview enabled in the Camera Raw plug-in Preferences dialog (requires restarting the host application to activate). 

• Go to the Remove panel [B] , and in the “Distraction Removal” section, click on the “Reflections” checkbox. 

• Optionally adjust the slider after the ML model is done computing. 

• Use the rest of the Camera Raw tools just like you would otherwise. 

When using the slider, the key values to note are: 

• 0 – the input photo

• 100 – de-reflected (window reflections removed) photo 

• -100 – reflection photo (what the window was reflecting towards the camera) 

Please try the feature and share feedback in this community forum. It would help to include details like how you access Camera Raw (via Adobe Bridge or Photoshop), your computer system details, and as much information about what you like or do not like about the resulting photo quality. Our team will continually monitor this thread to track issues to improve the future experience. 

When to use Reflection Removal

The feature is designed to deal with large-area reflections when shooting through windows. Many other types of reflections occur in nature and are captured in photographs, but this feature may not recognize and handle those. We plan to work on expanding the supported reflection types in the future. 

Example use-cases for the feature include: 

• Looking through windows inside-out (e.g., from the car, airplane, room windows, etc.) 

• Looking through windows outside-in (e.g., shop windows) 

• Museums (e.g., paintings behind glass, glass case exhibits, etc.) 

How best to use Reflection Removal

For best results, try the new feature following these suggestions: 

• Apply Reflection Removal before applying any other edits to the photo, except for Enhance features such as Denoise
  • The changes made to the photo may be quite profound and render any changes you already made inappropriate.
  • If you plan to use both Enhance (Denoise, Super Resolution, or Raw Details) and Reflection Removal on a photo, it is better to apply Enhance first.
• Play with the feature slider and adjust the removal strength as appropriate.
• If you applied Adobe Adaptive (beta) profile prior to running the Reflection Removal feature, please update it or you may see traces of removed reflections still present in the photo (Adobe Camera Raw will remind you to do this).

Boris Ajdin: Product Manager, Emerging Products Group 

Posted by:

[Conrad_C]

First as others have noted, the RAW file has to be dropped into PS directly, not through LR or it doesn't register as a Raw file.

By @grjas2

This needs to be clarified because technically, it’s working as expected, even though it‘s confusing for a lot of people (Adobe could label the workflow better). And, this applies to any feature that requires raw format, including the Technology Previews reflection removal or non-destructive Enhance:

The raw file is never kept as raw when you use Edit In > Adobe Photoshop. Lightroom Classic does the rendering and sends it to Photoshop, which accepts that rendered (not raw) input. This is how Edit In > Adobe Photoshop has always worked. But because it is no longer raw, the raw-only features are not available in Camera Raw Filter.

To get it to work as raw, it is not required to drop or open the raw file into Photoshop directly (see next paragraph), however, the reason that works is that it’s still raw, so Photoshop can’t open it without something rendering it first and so it calls on the Camera Raw import plug-in (not filter).

It is possible to fully preserve raw data from Lightroom Classic to Photoshop. To do that, instead use the command Photo > Edit In > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop. That encapsulates the raw data in a Photoshop Smart Object layer in Photoshop, and because the raw data is fully preserved, Camera Raw will then present all features that apply to raw files, including reflection removal.

Also important is how to edit a raw Smart Object layer. If you have a raw Smart Object layer in Photoshop, the right way to edit it is by double-clicking, which is a shortcut for the command Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Contents. All raw-only features including reflection removal will work. If you instead choose Filter > Camera Raw Filter, that is not the same thing, you are not editing the contents and you will not see any raw-specific features no matter what you do. So this difference in workflow is very important (and again, should be made clearer by Adobe because lots of people are tripping over this and they shouldn’t have to.)

In short, if you start from Lightroom Classic and you want to send a raw file to Photoshop to use the raw-only Camera Raw technology preview features:

1. From Lightroom Classic, in the Develop module choose Photo > Edit In > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop. 

2. In the Photoshop document that is created, double-click that raw Smart Object layer. 

[youthful_Dazzle0D45]

This proceedure I tried ealrier, it still does not work. It only works for me as I stated, open in PS and PS Beta only.  

In short, if you start from Lightroom Classic and you want to send a raw file to Photoshop to use the raw-only Camera Raw technology preview features:

1. From Lightroom Classic, in the Develop module choose Photo > Edit In > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop. 

2. In the Photoshop document that is created, double-click that raw Smart Object layer. 

[hajfimannen]

Unfortunately I was not able to check the box in Camera Raw 17.1 with an .ARW file.

A raw file taken with my Sony A7IV. The check box was greyed out.

But when I converted the ARW to a DNG, then I could check the box again.

What coult be the cause? I am running Mac OS 15.1.1.Sequoia on a Macbook Pro with Intel Core i5 (2020).

[bmoag]

My ongoing experience in systems with AMD and nVidia discrete GPUS, Windows 11 and x86 macOS:

The Win system with a discrete AMD GPU crashes inside the converter more than half the time, occasionally with the converter image pane showing digital hash. The changes are not applied to the Bridge thumbnail when crashing.

X86 macOS with its AMD GPU crashes inside the converter but less often than Windows. Changes not applied to the thumbnail in Bridge with the crash.

The nVidia system , also Win 11, crashes almost always opening the image onto the Photoshop desktop (total PS freeze, have to close PS with Task Manager). Like every time for the last dozen attempts I made just before writing this. However the changes are applied to the thumbnail of the raw image in Bridge.

When I can actually see the results from reflection removal they are fair/not bad to didn't do much at all to the reflections or missed a chunk of the reflections. Simple reflections are, not surprisingly, the best handled.

I only post this because these crashes are constant and annoyingly repeatable now for me on three computers with two different operating systems. 

I admire greatly what Adobe has done with Generative AI in Photoshop (not so much the responses to written prompts) and Reflection removal could salvage some snaps that would be helpful. As of now, for me, reflection removal is not only hit or miss results but unstable to the point of unusable.

[Mark Wycherley]

Love for this to be able to remove building or cloud reflections in cityscapes. So where one glass-surfaced building  shows the other buildings around in reflection, or else where it is reflecting clouds from the sky.

[patrikl]

Impressive technology. Thank you for this.

I notice a slight color shift using the tool. Not huge, but in professional use it can be be too much of a change.

To look into in the development hopefully.

Again, thanks.

[Eric29489323q7t4]

Thank you for sharing. We have noted this case. 

[Shayne001]

The tool didnt work at all for me. I had taken photos of the front of a jewlry store and there was significant reflection in all of the windows and it didnt remove anything at all. If you move the slider all of the way to zero the image just goes 100% black. In the video I watched, the samples used were of glass panels that filled the entire photo frame. My photo was taken at an angle of the storefront and there were 4 big glass panels across the front but it also had other exterior materials like the metal glass frame and brick. See jpg of image used

[Eric29489323q7t4]

This result is expected because your photo is of distant windows that do not cover the field-of-view (and so they do not block your view of the subject). In the future, we are planning to handle cases like the one you've tested. You can read our blog post to better understand the situations that are handled the product today.

[Alpaca Camera]

Using latest Photoshop on a M1 MacBookPro. Open a Leica DNG image in PS then as a smart object in Camera Raw 17.1 with technology improvements activated. It keeps the Reflection removal greyed out (Yes, I did restart PS after checking "tech improvements". Used DNG from 2 different cameras (M10 and SL) with same result. The DNG were straight from camera with no adjustments.

[youthful_Dazzle0D45]

I just had the same issues, I found that if I opened the image in PS, and did not send it straight from LR, it worked. See my earlier post, and also...see Concrad C post above: re: Develop module choose Photo > Edit In > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop. ALthough, this did not work for  me in PS or PS beta.

[oberth]

There is a problen in windovs with pictures just behind the glass

[Mike-in-AK]

I got here by clicking "Provide Feedbaclk." I had just the photo to try the Reflection Removal Tool on. It originated as an Olympus (TG-6 camera model) ORF RAW file that I had Lightgroom Classic convert to DNG when I imported the photo into LrC. I made sure the Reflection feature was activated in Photoshop Camera RAW. Restarted PS and Imported the file into Photoshop from Lightroom (tried both just a straight edit in, and also edit as Smart Object). There, I found I could NOT click the Reflections checkbox. There was a triangle with an "!" in it. When I clicked that, I was sent to an Adobe webpage with the info: "Currently, the Reflection Removal tool does not support non-raw file formats like JPEG and HEIC." But, this was a DNG file created by LrC (latest version).

Following someone's post, below, I also found that the feature was available if I opened the file directly in Photoshop. When it works, it is pretty remarkable, I must say.

M2 Mac Studio, macOS Sequoia v15.2

LrC v14.1

PS v26.1.0

Adobe Camera Raw v17.1.0.2100

[gabriele_3429]

Spettacolare!! Grazie è davvero potente!! Vedi esempio

[Averil2]

Pretty Cool tool! It pretty much worked for me. It didn't remove all the reflections so I would suggest to put a function in that can add the missed reflections for the tool to remove.

[Steve0412]

Had no effect (+100)

[Steve0412]

.NRW file, Windows 10 Camera Raw 17.1

[louise__s]

I was so excited to use this and here are the steps I followed.  Opened an image in Lightroom Classic.  Converted to DNG, close LRC and the opened the file in Photoshop and then CMD+SHIFT+A for camera raw and it's constantly disabled.  See the screenshot below.  I've tried everything and all versions of the software are up to date.  What am I doing wrong?

[Conrad_C]

I was so excited to use this and here are the steps I followed.  Opened an image in Lightroom Classic.  Converted to DNG, close LRC and the opened the file in Photoshop and then CMD+SHIFT+A for camera raw and it's constantly disabled.

By @louise__s

It’s because of what I posted earlier: The image must stay raw all the way into Photoshop, as a raw Smart Object layer, and it has to be opened into Camera Raw through Edit Contents, not through Camera Raw Filter (Command-Shift+A is the shortcut for Filter > Camera Raw Filter, which again, will never, ever work for any features requiring a raw source).

Again, if you want to start from Lightroom Classic, the steps that should work are:

1. Before you begin, make sure that in Camera Raw Preferences / Technology Previews, the option New AI Features and Settings Panel is enabled.

2. From Lightroom Classic, in the Develop module choose Photo > Edit In > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop.

3. In the new Photoshop document that’s created, double-click that raw Smart Object layer (or select that layer and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Contents). 

[VivianBedoya]

Check to make sure Camera Raw has "technology previews" enabled: 

1. Click the gear in the top right corner
2. Select Technology Previews
3. Turn on the checkbox
4. Click OK
5. Restart Camera Raw

[RandyF79]

Thank you so much for ths great new option!

One issue I've encountered is that if I am starting in LrC with a NEF (raw) file...and I want to take via "Edit In..." to Photoshop to do the reflection removal, the only two options for file format are TIFF and PSD, neither of which will work with Reflection Removal.  Is there a way to fix this?   Othewise, I have had to Export the original file and bring it into Photoshop via "Open..." and then it is multiple steps to get it back into LrC and replace the original.  Thank you!  

[Averil2]

Try Edit in PS as a smart object when you send from LRC to PS

[RandyF79]

After further review of previous comments/replies....I see where the path to use is to select Send to PS as a SmartObject.  What took me a minute to figure out, is that once it is in PS, you still have to click on the Smart Object icon in the bottom right hand corner of the Thumbnail to open it in Camera Raw and then you can use the Reflection Removal tool.  Just note, when you Save/Close to send it back to LrC, it will come back as a PSD file.

[vincef14148664]

I have a very old computer running Windows 10 with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 graphics card. The Reflection Removal tool gives me an "unknown error" message soon after the progress bar starts. Is it because the graphics card is too old to be compatible?

[NatalieRC]

I'm getting a message "the reflection removal tool is currently not compatible with this file format" for a Canon raw file .CR3. But the help says it doesn't work non-raw files. This is a raw file. Is Canon compatibility coming soon? Or do I need to update something? Thank you!