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 

Update (01-16-2025)

To improve the performance and results of this feature, it is important that examples of images that are failing to properly remove the reflections are forwarded to the team via your report.  A large variety of file formats are allowed as attachments in these forum posts. The best option is to attach your image's raw file directly to your feedback post. Note that there is a 50 MB limit on an attachment's file size. If your raw file is too large to attach, the best option is to share the file via a file-sharing service (Dropbox or similar) and then share the link in your feedback post. Thank you for continuing to provide feedback on this Tech Preview!

If you have already shared your raw file with us - thank you!

~Rikk

Posted by:

[VivianBedoya]

Earlier this year I was photographing a bathroom renovation and the reflections on the shower doors were distracting and impossible to avoid. This new feature is a game changer! It's amazing to see how well reflections were removed from my original photograph and how with a remove tool, I will be able to resolve the little bit left behind. It's also pretty cool that when you move the slider to -100, you can see the reflections as a separate image. Congratulations to the team that developed this! 

[DaveBCameron]

Here's a thing; this also works for lens flare.

[youthful_Dazzle0D45]

Good to know.

[peterpreager@rogers.com]

This feature is not working with Nikon NEF raw files. Says file is not compadible with this files format.

[Averil2]

Are you bringing the photo from LRc? If you are then you have to 'edit in' and click smart object. It won't work if you just send the file from LRc to PS. My files are NEF and it works fine most of the time. Some reflections it doesn't detect.

[AndrewPaulCooper]

I have only used it on three images, but it worked flawlessly each time.  It took a little while (Nikon z7 so large RAW image) but so far no complaints.

[peterpreager@rogers.com]

>From my perspective it just gives an error message that the file is not
recognized. Tried numerous different files with the raw nef suffix.

[kilocreations@yahoo.com]

I opened a Sony ARW file in Photoshop and tried using the new Reflection Removal tool in Camera Raw.  I get an error message saying this format is not compatible with the tool.  It says it must be a raw file, and this is a raw file.  

[kilocreations@yahoo.com]

I read others comments in the thread and I opened the picture directly in PS and I was able to run the Reflection tool.  Unfortunately, the results did nothing to remove the reflections in the windows.  

[Eric29489323q7t4]

Please read our blog. It explains how to use the tool for best results.

[Jim23178876lgql]

I tried reflection removal with reflection on glasses and it did nothing.  It would be nice to be able to select a smaller area that is to have reflection removed. Is that possible now?

[Eric29489323q7t4]

Please check out our blog, which discusses future plans.

[GeofferyH]

This is not working for me using CR2 RAW files (options greyed out) if I open a file from Lightroom Classic. I've tried :Edit In Photoshop" as well as "Open as Smart Object in Photoshop" with no luck. I have to open the RAW file directly from Photoshop (File > Open) and only then is the checkbox not greyed out.

iMac 2019 27", Sequoia

[GeofferyH]

I stand corrected.. It does work as a Smart Object, I was going to Camera Raw via Command-Shift-A, but forgot the detail of having to double-click the Smart Object (as opposed to through the menu/keyboard shortcut).

[Conrad_C]

You got it right. To clarify why, it’s because for now, reflection removal requires raw data and Photoshop can provide Camera Raw access to raw data only through the command Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Contents (which double-clicking is a shortcut for). The reason the keyboard shortcut doesn’t work is it’s for a different command, Filter > Camera Raw Filter, which is only a filter for rendered layer data so it doesn’t actually edit in raw.

[miguel_angel_6973]

Siguiendo tus indicaciones sigue sin funcionar. Quedan un montón de rayas en el procesado.

Esperemos que se arregle en una nueva versión de Camera Raw.

[Dolfin]

Bonjour,

Malgré le respect de la procédure, cela ne fonctionne pas

aucun reflet supprimé

Merci

[peter40028700]

This is what I'm getting.   Windows 11 PC. The second you start the process, the PC just grinds to a halt, like nothing I've ever seen before, and the attatched image is the end result....

[phladler]

Not working with Fuji .RAF files

[peter40028700]

Mine are the same, doesn't work with the .RAF files or the .NEF Nikon files

[shmoore59]

I am blown aweay by the results on most of the new features, except when I attempted to remove reflections from a RAW file.  I took the image through a bus window in Vienna, Austria. Attached are the image after reflections removed, the image before reflections removed, and my "About This Mac" information.

[Robert27617956ogbh]

You guys are frickin geniuses!! thank you!

[peter40028700]

I've tried doing it numerous ways, same result. I always drag the raw image into PS from Fastone Image Viewer I don't tend to use Bridge.

PC SPECS - Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-10100 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz

Installed RAM 16GB

64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Windows 11 Home

[sa_4083]

hi @Rikk Flohr: Photography  @Eric29489323q7t4 

I have important comments for the functionality here.

I tried this feature, and it works interestingly, but that I noticed immediately after a couple of minutes and a couple of photos: this is that this function is criticaly lack of manual correction, maybe something like in "Lenz Blur" mask brushes.

For example, in one of the photos I take a cat behind a glass door at a distance of 30-40cm only, not far, but even it is so close and clear, the algorithm thought that the cats mustache - is reflection, and in the end the cat is stay without a mustache... sad. cat discrimination! i stay here for cat rights, so fix it fast!!
I also noticed that with an increase effect on any photo, the (main object)cat itself becomes softer, the lines lose sharpness, although this is noticeable only with an zoom, but sad. Despite the fact that the (main object)cat itself does not contain much reflections, it can even be excluded from the mask at least half, or even 70%, or sometimes completely.

hope you do something with this guys.

best regards

[Eric29489323q7t4]

Please read our blog to learn how to edit your results. This is mentioned near the end.