Reflections off windows are a photography problem traditionally tackled by using circular polarizing filters, but software giant Adobe will soon launch a tool to tackle the issue in post. Adobe said that a reflection removal tool is coming to Adobe Camera Raw before the end of this week, along with a new monochrome adaptive profile. Lightroom will also see an update that allows users to open multiple photos as layers in one Photoshop file, as well as enabling photos to open as Smart Objects.
Hidden at the end of an announcement over Lightroom’s title as the Mac App of the Year, Adobe shared that the improvements are coming to Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw “later this week.” The company did not share an exact date as to when the features will begin rolling out.
Adobe Camera Raw will soon gain a reflection removal tool
A reflection removal tool will arrive to Adobe Camera Raw, the RAW processor used prior to opening a file inside of Adobe Photoshop. The company didn’t share how the tool works or whether or not the tool is a slider or something else. Adobe described the tool as both brand new and industry leading.
My all-time favorite photo filter is the circular polarizer or CPL filter, which filters out reflected light for controlling reflections off water or glass. The filter can also help improve the appearance of the sky and foliage. But, while the filter is my favorite, sometimes I pack light and forget to grab the CPL, so the idea of removing reflections in post later is highly appealing.
An edit in post likely won’t have the exact same impact as using a CPL at the shoot, but it could be a workaround for when a filter wasn’t available. My biggest hope, however, would be that the tool would eventually find its way inside of Lightroom, which I use more often than Adobe Camera Raw. Adobe says that the tool is arriving only in Adobe Camera Raw later this week.
Adobe Camera Raw will also gain an Adaptive Profile for monochrome adjustments. Adobe explains that Adaptive Profiles use AI to analyze the photo and then apply adjustments specific to that image, such as the existing Adobe Adaptive that adjusts tones and colors tailored to that specific image. As a profile, it serves as a starting point and doesn’t affect the slider values.
The new adaptive monochrome profile will use AI to apply image-specific adjustments in black and white. It’s launching in public beta inside Adobe Camera RAW later this week.
Updates are coming to Lightroom, Photoshop too
While much of the teased updates focus on Adobe RAW, the company is also tweaking how Lightroom and Photoshop talk to each other. Photographers will soon be able to open multiple images from Lightroom as separate layers in a single Photoshop file, a step that could save time for popular processes like composting.
With the update, Lightroom files can also be opened as Smart Objects inside Photoshop. Smart Objects are layers that retain the original data in order to apply non-destructive edits, Adobe explains. When a Smart Object is linked, the layer in Photoshop updates when the linked file is edited as well.
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