Remove Reflections in Photoshop with the New AI Tool
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Remove reflections in Photoshop with a single AI-powered tool built into Camera Raw, made to erase glass and window reflections in a few clicks.
Tired of trying to edit out annoying reflections from your photos? Photoshop’s latest update has you covered. With a brand-new AI-powered feature in Camera Raw, you can now remove reflections in just a few clicks. Whether you’re editing through glass or cleaning up distractions, this step-by-step guide will help you seamlessly navigate the entire process.
Note: The video was recorded in Camera Raw’s Technology Preview, in Photoshop 2025 (version 26.6). You can now remove reflections in Photoshop without switching on any preview toggle: the tool reached the general release in Photoshop 2025 (version 26.8), June 2025.
Key Takeaways
- The Reflections tool lives inside Camera Raw’s Remove panel, under Distraction Removal.
- The Intensity slider works both ways: drag it to 100 to erase the reflection, or to -100 to isolate the reflection by itself.
- You can drag an isolated reflection onto a different photo and blend it in with the Screen blending mode.
- Reflections Removal graduated out of the Camera Raw Technology Preview in June 2025, so it now works without enabling any toggle.
- Converting the layer to a Smart Object first keeps the Camera Raw adjustment fully editable later.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Remove Reflections in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
- Step 1: Convert Your Layer to a Smart Object
- Step 2: Open the Camera Raw Filter
- Step 3: Enable the Remove Tool
- Step 4: Apply the Reflection Removal
- Step 5: Adjust the Intensity
- Step 6: Clean Up Residual Reflections
- Step 7: Isolate the Reflection for Compositing
- Step 8: Blend the Reflection with the Background
- Step 9: Fine-Tune the Reflection with Brightness & Contrast
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to turn on Camera Raw’s Reflections tool and remove a window or glass reflection
- How to fine-tune the effect with the Intensity slider
- How to clean up leftover reflections with the Remove Tool
- How to isolate a reflection and composite it onto a different photo
- How to blend a reflection naturally with Screen blending mode and a Brightness/Contrast clipping mask
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2025 (version 26.8 or later) or the current version
Remove Reflections in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Enter the Remove tool in Camera Raw | B | B |
| Move Tool | V | V |
Step 1: Convert Your Layer to a Smart Object
Start by converting your image layer into a Smart Object. Right-click on your image layer in the Layers panel. Select Convert to Smart Object since this ensures that your adjustments remain editable later.
Step 2: Open the Camera Raw Filter
Go to the Filter menu and choose Camera Raw Filter.
Step 3: Enable the Remove Tool
Press B (Windows) or B (macOS) or click the Remove tool icon in the toolbar.
Expand the Distraction Removal section. Look for the Reflections Controls section.
Note: If you don’t see it, click the gear icon in the upper right.
Go to Technology Previews and make sure “New AI Features and Settings Panel” is enabled. Click OK to confirm.
Note: Current Photoshop turns on Reflections by default. You no longer need this Technology Previews toggle; look for Reflections directly under Distraction Removal in the Remove panel.
Step 4: Apply the Reflection Removal
Set the Quality dropdown to Best for the most accurate results.
Check the Apply box to remove reflections and Photoshop will process the image, removing reflections while preserving important details.
Step 5: Adjust the Intensity
Use the Intensity slider to control the strength of the effect. These are the differences:
At 100, reflections are fully removed.
At 0, your image returns to its original state.
At -100, only the reflection is visible which is great for compositing.
Step 6: Clean Up Residual Reflections
Although AI does a great job, some reflections may remain.
Click OK to apply the Camera Raw adjustments, then create a new blank layer.
Select the Remove Tool from the toolbar and paint over any leftover reflections to remove them manually.
Step 7: Isolate the Reflection for Compositing
Want to reuse the reflection?
Double-click the Camera Raw Filter on the Smart Object to reopen it. Drag the Intensity slider to -100 to isolate the reflection. Click OK.
Next, to move the reflection to another image, select the Move Tool (V (Windows) or V (macOS)).
After that, drag the layer to another Photoshop tab and release it onto the new canvas.
Step 8: Blend the Reflection with the Background
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to soften harsh texture.
A blur radius around 5.4 px should do the trick.
Change the blending mode of the reflection layer to Screen. This makes the dark parts invisible and blends the lighter areas like a real reflection.
Step 9: Fine-Tune the Reflection with Brightness & Contrast
Create a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer.
Click the Clipping Mask icon to affect only the reflection layer. Adjust the Brightness to control the intensity of the reflection: Increase brightness to make it stronger. Decrease it for a more subtle effect.
And that’s how you can effortlessly remove or even repurpose reflections using Photoshop’s latest AI tools. Overall, this new feature saves time while delivering impressive results, whether you’re cleaning up a photo or crafting a composite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Convert your layer to a Smart Object, then open Filter > Camera Raw Filter. Press B to open the Remove options, then expand Distraction Removal and look for Reflections.
No. Reflections Removal was a Camera Raw Technology Preview when this video was recorded, but it reached the general release in Photoshop 2025 (version 26.8), June 2025. It now appears directly under Distraction Removal with nothing to turn on.
The Intensity slider controls how strong the effect is. Drag it to 100 to fully remove the reflection, to 0 to return to the original image, or to -100 to isolate just the reflection.
Yes. Drag the Intensity slider to -100 to isolate the reflection by itself, then use the Move Tool to drag that layer onto another photo.
Blur the reflection layer with Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur to remove its texture, then change its blending mode to Screen so the dark areas disappear. Add a clipped Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer afterward to control how strong the reflection looks.
Create a new blank layer, then select the standalone Remove Tool from the toolbar. Paint over any reflection that Camera Raw’s automatic pass missed to clean it up manually.
It works on both. Reflections Removal in Camera Raw supports JPEG and other non-raw formats, not just raw files.
Conclusion
You can now use Photoshop’s Reflections tool in Camera Raw to remove distracting glass reflections in a few clicks, then reuse the reflection you pull out for compositing.
Comment on the video if you have a question about any of these steps.
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