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General discussion

Eyeglass Glare Removal

Mar 3, 2005 7:37AM PST

Does anyone have suggestions on how to remove eyeglass glare from digital photographs? .... Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Polarizing filters.
Mar 3, 2005 8:13AM PST

The usual filter for such is the polarizing filter on the lens. Downside? You lose some color and light.

Bob

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Glare on Eye glasses.
Mar 13, 2005 7:33AM PST

The easiest wayy to avoid glare on glasses/glass is to use yout flash etc from a slight angle. For a portrait, have the subject look just a bit of center. That is a bit away from the camera. They can still turn their eyes toward the lense while turn their head slightly away. For the photographer it takes some practice to discover how far to look away.

Also, a bounce flash can be useful.

PS I took dozens of photos through glass of the Victorian King and Queen's personal train coaches using a strong flash. I just stood about thirty degrees to the plane of glass. You would have thought the glass wasan't there.

Bill WIlson

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Move so that the camera doesn't see the glare, or
Mar 3, 2005 8:42AM PST

use Photoshop to remove the glare.

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Photoshop?? How??
Mar 10, 2005 7:08PM PST

How?

Can you give step by step / didactic instructions?

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No, I really can't. It is not always an easy thing to
Mar 10, 2005 11:01PM PST

rebuild what was under the glare. Basically, you look for good parts of the image that look the same in terms of shading. The clone 'stamp' can then be used to reproduce those areas. The 'stamp' tool is not used like a stamp. Click, hold, and drag. Kind of like an eraser. Watch were the + sign is as that is where the pixels are copied from. Also, the patch tool can be used quite effectively if the glare is small, or to nibble at the glare. Parts of the other eye may also sometimes be used. When all else fails, create a new layer and try to paint over the glare.

HTH

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other photos
Mar 11, 2005 7:49AM PST

For photoshop....If necessary you can use any other photo to copy from. Bring up a second photo with the eye area close in color and lighting. Use the marquee tool to encircle the eye area in the second photo. Click the move tool and drag and drop the marqueed area into the photo that needs the repair. resize, change hue and lighting as close as possible by using the menu. When new eye is in place, fade edges by using the eraser or clone with opacity set at gradually decending opacities as you near the center of the eye......Sometimes it might be easier to replace the whole head....depends on the photo.

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Eyeglass glare
Mar 12, 2005 3:23AM PST

Or ask your subject to tip their head forward ever so slightly so that the lenses are not parallel to your lens.
Bob

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Lense with proper hood
Mar 3, 2005 12:42PM PST

Use lense with the proper hood. The lense's hood is designed to reduce glare. Meanwhile, there are many hoods designed for the regular lense. Photoshop will be the very last tool; eventually, the software may result in the deviation of light direction.

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Could you elaborate of this?
Mar 4, 2005 2:20AM PST

A lense hood will reduce glare from the lense. I fail to see how it would have any effect on light reflecting off a subject's glasses.

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Re: Can you elaborate on this
Mar 4, 2005 5:55AM PST

Thanks for the suggestion on the lens hood. I am actually struggling with removing eyeglass glare on existing photographs -- I have seen some suggestions on using the "cloning tool" on Photoshop but was wondering if there is something easier.

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I see your point
Mar 5, 2005 11:21PM PST

But, wouldn't that be taking picture from the incorrect lighting direction ? I'd say that the better alternative is to move and find the right spot where lighting relecting off a subject's glasses seem to be weak ( light dispersion ). In additions, adjust the proper shutter speed and aperture stop, that would reduce the light reflecting off a subject's glasses.

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Moving would help. I don't see that either aperture or
Mar 6, 2005 3:35AM PST

shutter speed would help with glare. If the glare is from your flash, you need to:

turn the flash so that you get reflected light
instead of direct (from the flash) light

get the flash off of, and away from, the camera

turn off the flash

Older, existing pictures of course need a photo editor to cope with the problem.

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Fixing existing photographs
Mar 4, 2005 12:40AM PST

If you are wanting to fix photos that have already been taken, you will need a good graphics software package.

I use Adobe PhotoShop Elements. ($80)

The "Clone Stamp Tool"

will let you correct most eyeglass glare.

I have done this quite a few times and usually with a good degree of success.

It is not simple, as you will have to enlarge that area of the photo and use the tool to copy good parts of the photo to apply to the bad parts of the glasses.
On several occasions when only one eye was affected, I could copy the entire good eye and stamp it onto the bad eye.

It takes a bit of practice and patience.

You can use the same method to remove glare from the frames of the glasses.

...
..
.

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Prevent glare by tipping glasses
Mar 10, 2005 11:25PM PST

If you think glare from your flash will be a problem you can have your subject remove their glasses or tip them down slightly by moving the frame (temples) a little above the ears. This sends the reflection of the flash below the camera and unless it is a close-up you cannot tell that the glasses are not in their normal position.

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The Easy Way
Mar 11, 2005 1:14AM PST

When I used to run my own photo studio I always seemed to have a problem with Eyeglass Glare, that is until I learned the secret. The main photographer in town told me to go and stop by my local optician and have a talk. The suggestion he had given me was simple. Get a small sellection of frames with NO lenses. I worked out a deal with the optician where he provided me with the frames for free and I had a small display advertising his wares. No it wasn't a perfect solution but for the most part it did work. People would choose a frame that was similar in shape and color to their own and I would take the pictures. Afterwards they changed back to their own glasses.
Now another source of frames may be found in your dollar stores believe it or not. Try getting some reading glasses and remove the lenses.
Usually it is only the appearance of having glasses that look somewhat like their own that is needed.

Failing this simple trick, the only way I know to get rid of eyeglass glare is with a polarizing filter, and your camera lens must be able to accept a filter mount or you have to really get creative and make your own.

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Post Edit
Mar 11, 2005 2:10AM PST

use your photoediting sw same as for manual red eye removal. Blur or paint out the glasses glare with the appropriate sized small brush or clone tool (use eye or non glared area to produced the fill in as you clone OUT the glare. Then perhaps if necessary, blur the result a little by blending the edges more with the smudge tool small soft edged brush. Xperiment, you can't loose and you will blow countless hours leanring stuff no one else will care that you know !

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glass fix
Mar 12, 2005 5:00AM PST

Not really an easy fix, but Adobe Photoshop is useful. Better solution is to try to avaoid the problem in the first place by having subjects turn their heads down slightly when taking the photo.