Adobe’s groundbreaking Reflection Removal tool, formerly known as Project See Through, emerges from its technology preview phase, offering photographers a powerful solution to eliminate distracting reflections from window-captured images. While avoiding shooting through glass remains the ideal scenario, this innovative tool provides a much-needed remedy for those inevitable situations where a captivating scene is marred by unwanted reflections. Currently available for RAW files within Adobe Camera Raw, with planned support for JPEGs and HEICs in future releases, this tool promises to significantly enhance image quality and unlock the true potential of photographs taken through windows. Integration with Lightroom is also on the horizon, further broadening its accessibility to photographers.
The Reflection Removal tool leverages the power of artificial intelligence, specifically a model trained on a massive dataset of images. This training involved a sophisticated process of merging thousands of reflection-free photographs to create millions of synthetic images with simulated reflections. This vast and diverse dataset allowed the AI model to learn the complex interplay of light and reflections, enabling it to effectively discern and separate the desired scene from the superimposed reflection. The model achieves this by analyzing various image characteristics, including content differences, variations in white balance (often warmer indoors versus cooler outdoors), and sharpness discrepancies between the two superimposed scenes. Through a reinforcement learning process, the model honed its ability to extract the original scene, effectively removing the unwanted reflection.
The results achieved by the Reflection Removal tool are frequently remarkable, demonstrating its capability to restore clarity and detail to images previously compromised by reflections. However, Adobe acknowledges that the tool’s effectiveness is influenced by the complexity of the reflection itself. In instances where the reflection is exceptionally strong or intricate, making it challenging for even a human observer to differentiate the layers, the AI model may encounter limitations in its ability to perform a clean separation. This highlights the inherent difficulty in disentangling interwoven visual information, especially in extreme cases.
Accessing this innovative tool requires a few preliminary steps within Adobe Camera Raw. Users must first navigate to the Technology Previews section within the Preferences Panel. Here, enabling the “New AI Settings and Features Panel” option unlocks access to the Reflection Removal tool. A restart of either Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Bridge is then required to fully integrate the new functionality. Once these steps are completed, the Reflection Removal option becomes readily available within the Distraction Removal section of the Remove panel when a RAW file is imported.
Upon selecting the Reflections option, the tool begins processing the image, analyzing and separating the reflected layer from the primary scene. This process typically takes a few seconds, after which a reflection-free version of the image is presented, along with a slider control set to a default value of 100. This slider provides granular control over the degree of reflection removal. Adjusting the slider towards zero gradually reintroduces the original reflections, allowing users to fine-tune the balance between reflection removal and preserving certain elements of the original image. Moving the slider to -100, on the other hand, isolates and displays only the reflected image, offering a fascinating glimpse into the secondary layer captured by the camera.
The Reflection Removal tool marks a significant advancement in image editing technology, empowering photographers to overcome a common obstacle and extract captivating images from challenging shooting situations. By leveraging the power of AI, Adobe has created a tool that intelligently analyzes and separates reflections, revealing the true essence of the intended scene. While the tool’s performance is subject to the complexity of the reflection, its impressive results in many scenarios underscore its potential to transform the way photographers approach capturing images through windows. Furthermore, the planned expansion of file format support and integration with Lightroom promise to make this powerful tool accessible to a wider range of users, further enhancing its impact on the photographic workflow.
