Taking photos with perfect lighting can be a real challenge. Sometimes, excess shine on the skin, reflections on metal surfaces or glass, and even overexposure due to flash can ruin our images. Fortunately, There are multiple techniques and tools to correct these problems and achieve an ideal light balance in our photos. Today we bring you all the tips for eliminate excessive glare and balance the lighting in your photographs.
In this article, we will explore various strategies to reduce excessive glare in photographs, from the moment of capture to post-editing. Whether you're shooting portraits, products, or scenes with reflective surfaces, you'll find effective solutions here that will improve the quality of your images.
Common causes of excessive glare in photographs
Before correcting the problem, It is important to understand what causes itInadequate lighting, incorrect use of flash, and the reflective properties of some materials can cause unwanted glare.
- Direct lighting: Light sources that are too bright can cause reflections on skin, glass or metal surfaces.
- Excessive use of flash: A flash without a diffuser or poorly positioned can cause images to appear overexposed.
- Capture angles: The position of the camera in relation to the light can enhance reflections.
- Reflective surfaces: Glass, metal and water reflect light, creating glare that can affect the composition of the image.
How to avoid glare in photos from capture?
To reduce glare in photos without editing, some tricks can be applied and camera settings.
- Use diffuse lighting: Avoid direct light and opt for lamps with diffusers or take advantage of cloudy days if you photograph outdoors. You can find out more about how to achieve diffuse light in photography.
- Use reflectors and diffusers: Placing a diffuser between the light source and the subject helps to soften reflections.
- Adjust the subject position: Varying the camera angle and lighting can minimize glare.
- Try polarizing filters: These accessories reduce reflections and bring out natural colors in images.
Digital editing to eliminate glare and reflections
If despite the care taken during capture, the glare is still present in the image, There are various editing tools with which they can be corrected.
Removing glare with Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most advanced tools for photo editing and offers several ways to reduce glare.
- Duplicate layer: Before editing, duplicate the image layer to preserve the original.
- Clone Stamp Tool: Use this tool to copy dull areas and cover highlights.
- Healing Brush: Allows you to blend the colors and textures of the bright areas with the rest of the image.
- Exposure and contrast settings: Slightly reducing exposure and contrast helps balance the lighting.
Snapseed: Quick Removal on Mobile
For those who prefer to edit from their mobile, Snapseed is an excellent option. Its “correction” tool allows you to eliminate shine in just a few steps.
- Open the image in Snapseed.
- Select the "Tools" option» and then «Correct».
- swipe over the bright areas to automatically adjust them.
- Save the image edited.
Other useful programs
- Lightroom: Allows fine adjustments in exposure and reduction of reflections.
- Photo: It includes cloning tools to eliminate shine in seconds.
- pixelr: Option free online with tools similar to Photoshop.
Tips to avoid reflections on shiny surfaces
When it comes to photographing objects with reflective surfaces, it is helpful to apply some specific techniques.
- Vary the angle of the light: Moving the light source in different directions helps to avoid annoying reflections.
- Side lighting: Instead of frontal light, use lighting from the sides.
- Dark and matte backgrounds: Minimize the impact of reflections by using opaque backgrounds.
- Post-processing with filters: Many photo editors have tools to automatically reduce glare.
These tips and tools allow to significantly improve the quality of images, obtaining an optimal light balance without annoying reflections. By applying adjustments during capture and editing, a more professional finish is achieved in any type of photography.
And that's all for today! Let us know in the comments what you think of these tips for eliminating excessive glare and balancing the lighting in your photos. What other editing tricks and tools would you recommend?