How to Remove Glare From Glasses in Photoshop | TechBuzz

Is the glare in someone’s glasses ruining your portrait shot? Here’s a quick fix to get rid of it.

Step 1: Analyze the Glare

One of the most important steps is to analyze the glare. Every image will be different and will present different challenges. Identify what those could be and come up with a plan before you start editing.

For example, in this image of the man with glasses, you’ll notice that there is a strong, green color cast in a few areas. You’ll also notice that the glare is present in two main areas on the left eye and one area on the right eye.

Then, there’s the glare itself. These pixels will have to be darkened to match the exposure values of the surrounding area. Another common problem is that one eye may be brighter than the other as well as richer in color.

Now let’s get to work. If you’d like to follow along, you can download this example image for free from Unsplash.

Step 2: Remove the Color Cast From the Glasses

The color cast needs to be removed first so that the following steps won’t distort these pixels further.

1. To create a new layer, go to Layer > New > Layer and press OK. The keyboard shortcut is Shift + Ctrl + N.

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2. Change the Blend Mode to Color.

3. Press B for the Brush Tool.

4. Select the Soft Round brush.

5. Press and hold the Alt key to sample the colors around the color cast, and brush them on the color cast. Be sure to sample from the highlights, midtones, and shadows for accurate sampling. Do this for both sides of the glasses.

If you need help with the Brush Tool, check out our beginner’s guide to the Brush Tool in Photoshop.

Step 3: Match the Eye Color

Glare in glasses can make the eyes look like different colors. Let’s match them.

1. Create another new layer.
2. Change the Blend Mode to Color.
3. For this image, we sampled the brighter colors directly from the right eye and brushed them onto the left eye. Once more, use the Alt key to sample and the Brush Tool to color. Sample similar regions of the eye while brushing to make the effect look realistic.

You can further enhance the eyes and face in Photoshop with third-party plugins like PortraitPro.

Step 4: Adjust the Exposure Values

In the previous steps, we removed the color cast and matched the eyes. Now, we’ll tackle the glare in the glasses.

1. Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

2. Make a selection around the first glare patch. Be sure to close off the selection so that the marching ants appear.

3. With the selection active, create a Levels adjustment layer.

4. Adjust the three handles (the shadows, midtones, and highlights) until the exposure values match the surrounding pixels. Do this for both sides of the glasses. Look out for any glare patches that still need attention.

You may want to go back and tweak the Levels adjustment layers once you finish these steps. Since we’re working non-destructively, it’s easy to go back into the layer stack and make changes.

Step 5: Remove the Lines

For the final steps, we’ll remove the lines that formed around the perimeters of the glare. This step is unavoidable if you want to completely get rid of the glare.

1. Create a new layer.
2. Select the Healing Brush Tool.

3. As with the Brush Tool, press and hold Alt to sample pixels and brush away the lines.

Depending on the type of image you’re working with, you may find that the Healing Brush Tool may not produce the best results. Don’t be afraid to try the Spot Healing Brush or the Clone Stamp Tool instead. If you need help, check out this guide on using the Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop.

Before:

After:

The glare is gone!

Getting Rid of Glare in Glasses Is Easy With Photoshop

If you’ve followed along with us, you now know how to remove glare from glasses in Photoshop. You’ll never have to worry about such a common problem ruining your portraits ever again.

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