Automatically removing highlights on eye photos

[agile_Gem5C09]

Hello,

I need help with automatic removal of highlights from eye photos in Photoshop.

When i take the picture of the eye there are 4 key higlights that need to be removed:

1. flash highlight + specs around it

2. regular light highlights

3. eyelash reflections

4. Sometimes eyelid reflections on top or bottom of the iris

I have a way of fixing geometry of the iris like you see on the attached image (so that it is a perfect circle).

I tried using content aware and generative infill, but the results are not the best. What seems to work best for now is spot healing brush tool plus using other parts of the image to fill in the parts where there are highlights. But this can be a bit tedious, so I need an automatic method, because I have many photos to edit.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! 🙂

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

You're obviously using a point light source, like a direct on-camera flash unit. Most portrait photographers will use large soft-boxes or bounced light for this, in which case you will get a much bigger but not as intense highlight.  Any secondary light will also be non-existent.

These highlights are generally considered desirable, as it tends to look dead and lifeless without.

All this is just for factual information. I'm sure you're doing it this way for a purpose, but that purpose may not be widely shared.

[agile_Gem5C09]

Hello,

I need help with automatic removal of highlights from eye photos in Photoshop.

When i take the picture of the eye there are 4 key higlights that need to be removed:

1. flash highlight + specs around it

2. regular light highlights

3. eyelash reflections

4. Sometimes eyelid reflections on top or bottom of the iris

I have a way of fixing geometry of the iris like you see on the attached image (so that it is a perfect circle).

I tried using content aware and generative infill, but the results are not the best. What seems to work best for now is spot healing brush tool plus using other parts of the image to fill in the parts where there are highlights. But this can be a bit tedious, so I need an automatic method, because I have many photos to edit.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! 🙂

[jane-e]

@agile_Gem5C09 

I've merged this post from December 11 with your duplicate post from October 30.

Jane

[Peyo66]

Hi,

Did you find a solution to automatize this ? I am also interested.

[ExUSA]

There is no way that I'm aware to automatically retouch specular highlights and point light reflections.