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Lightroom Reflection Removal Limitations and Photoshop Generative Fill Workaround

4 min read

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Lightroom Reflection Removal Limitations and Photoshop Generative Fill Workaround

Clip title: Reflection Removal NOT WORKING in Lightroom? Try this Author / channel: Glyn Dewis URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv_E9IyzCpU

Summary

This video addresses the challenge of removing unwanted reflections from glass in photographs, specifically when Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom’s built-in “Distraction Removal > Reflections” feature proves ineffective. Glyn Dewis explains that this native tool, which is not based on generative AI and does not consume credits, is primarily designed to remove reflections from dominant windows that constitute a significant portion of the image. Consequently, it fails to produce results when applied to smaller, less dominant reflective surfaces, such as the glass panels of a bookcase or a shop window.

To overcome this limitation for smaller reflective areas, Dewis demonstrates a workaround using Adobe Photoshop’s Generative Fill. The process involves opening the RAW image in Photoshop, using a selection tool (like the Polygonal Lasso) to accurately outline the reflective glass area, and then employing Generative Fill. A key step is to input a specific prompt, such as “remove the reflection from off the glass, do not change the original contents,” and to select the “Firefly Image 5” model, which is optimized for preserving original image detail.

Through two practical examples—a glass-fronted bookcase and a bakery window—Dewis showcases the impressive capabilities of Generative Fill. In both instances, the reflections are dramatically reduced or eliminated, allowing the underlying contents of the bookcase (books) and the bakery interior (pastries and a person) to become clearly visible. While zooming in on the bookcase revealed a slight softening of detail, the overall result was remarkably convincing. The bakery window example yielded even more striking results, appearing as if a polarizing filter had been used during capture.

In conclusion, while the native reflection removal tools in Camera Raw and Lightroom have their specific use cases for large windows, Adobe Photoshop’s Generative Fill offers a powerful and precise solution for removing reflections from smaller, more intricate glass surfaces. The judicious use of a detail-preserving generative model, like Firefly Image 5, ensures that the original content behind the glass remains largely intact. Dewis anticipates that Adobe will eventually integrate more advanced, generative AI capabilities into Camera Raw and Lightroom to address these smaller reflective areas more seamlessly in the future.

Video Description & Links

Description

If you have tried using the new Reflection Removal tool in Lightroom or Camera Raw and found it simply did not work, there is a good reason for it. In this quick video, I explain why the built-in tool currently struggles unless the glass dominates the frame, and I walk you through a simple, reliable fix inside Photoshop using Generative Fill and Firefly Image 5 to remove unwanted reflections while preserving original details behind the glass.

00:00 Intro 00:40 The Problem with Camera Raw Reflection Removal 01:09 Why Dominant Windows Matter 01:46 AI Fix vs Non-Generative Tools 02:08 Using Generative Fill & Firefly Image 5 03:18 Reviewing the Results & Detail Retention 04:20 Example 2: Shopfront Window Reflection

🪖 39-45 Portraits Project: https://glyndewis.com/3945portraits

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Tags

lightroom, adobe, colour, color, contrast, saturation, Dodge, Burn, Lighten, Darken, Mask, Brush, intersect, select, subject, AI, Compositing, Lighting, Generative Fil, cotent Aware Scale, compositing, blending, Firefly, masking, landscape, community, presets, remix, mobile, camera raw, web, Remove, Photoshop, eyes, enhance, Layers, ChatGPT, photoshop, topaz, gigapixel, generative upscale, remove, distraction, benq, calibration, display, projects

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