How to Remove Glare From a Photo (Glasses, Flash Hotspots, Window & Screen Reflections)

If you’re here because of any of these, you’re in the right place:

• Your glasses reflect a bright streak and hide your eyes
• Flash created a blown-out white patch on skin
• Indoor lights / windows created light streaks or reflections
• You photographed a phone/monitor screen and got heavy glare

This guide is intentionally how-to. No fluff, no “learn Photoshop first.” Just a reliable workflow to make glare look like it never existed.

Before you edit: the 30-second “is this recoverable?” check

The biggest factor isn’t the tool—it’s whether the glare area still has real pixel detail.

Zoom in and look at the brightest glare spot:

• Some texture/edges still exist (iris outline, text strokes, fabric texture) → usually fixable
• Pure white with no detail (fully blown highlights) → any tool can only “smooth over,” not truly restore what’s lost

Remove glare with ai-glare-remover (7 steps)

Fix by scenario (more reliable than random retries)

Scenario 1: Remove glare from glasses (the easiest to look “fake”)

The real challenge isn’t removing the bright streak—it’s keeping the eyes believable.

Best practice:

• Use the Glasses glare preset
• If eyes are fully blown out in the original, consider a cleaner original photo
• If eyes are still visible and glare is streaky, one run is often enough

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: glasses glare before/after]

Scenario 2: Flash hotspots / shiny face (avoid over-smoothing)

Many “shine removal” edits fail because the skin gets flattened.

A natural goal:

• Reduce the hotspot
• Keep skin texture (don’t turn it into a blur)

Best practice:

• Use the Flash glare preset
• If the hotspot is huge and fully clipped, results depend on original detail

Scenario 3: Window / glass reflections (storefronts, car windows)

Common cases:

• Shooting products behind a storefront window
• Car window reflections
• Indoor lights creating streaks on glass

Best practice:

• Use Window reflections
• If reflections contain a full mirrored scene (you/room), tools can reduce it but may not erase it completely

Scenario 4: Sun glare / lens flare (backlit shots)

The goal usually isn’t to remove every “flare effect”—it’s to make the image readable and realistic.

Best practice:

• Use Sun glare
• If the subject is underexposed or crushed, that’s more of an exposure/dynamic-range issue than glare removal

Scenario 5: Screen glare (photos of phones/monitors)

Two common goals:

• Improve readability
• Make the screen look less like a mirror

Best practice:

• Use Screen glare
• For documents/receipts: make sure original text strokes aren’t fully clipped

How to write a good custom description (copy these 6 lines)

If presets don’t perfectly match your photo, use a short, task-style description. Don’t write an essay.

Copy/paste and adjust:

• “Remove glasses glare and lens reflections, keep the eyes sharp and natural.”
• “Reduce flash hotspots on the face, keep skin texture natural (not plastic).”
• “Remove window reflections and light streaks on the glass, keep the subject clear.”
• “Remove screen glare and reflections, improve readability.”
• “Reduce sun glare/lens flare, keep the photo realistic.”
• “Remove glare without over-smoothing, preserve details.”

Troubleshooting (90% of failures are here)

1) The result looks blurry / smeared

Most common reason: the glare area was fully clipped in the original.

What to do:

• Use a cleaner original photo
• Or aim for “reduce glare” instead of “restore lost detail”

2) Glare is still visible

Most common reason: wrong preset.

Try:

• Streaky glass reflections → Window reflections
• Localized hotspots on skin → Flash glare

3) It looks unnatural (too AI-ish)

Two practical fixes:

• Re-generate in HD/UHD
• Use a cleaner input photo (normal exposure, less clipping)

4) I’m a guest and the output has a watermark

That’s expected:

• Guest outputs include a watermark
• After signup, your first free HD is watermark-free
• You must re-generate to get the watermark-free version

If you prefer manual editing: Lightroom / Photoshop alternatives (short)

If you already use LR/PS, here’s the fastest “retoucher-style” approach:

• Lightroom (fastest): use a local mask to reduce highlights
  • Pull down Highlights/Whites
  • Add a touch of Texture/Clarity if details look flat
• Photoshop (more control): work in layers
  • Start with Camera Raw Filter to tame highlights
  • Use Healing/Clone for small artifact cleanup

If your goal is a natural, usable result without spending time on manual retouching, AI Glare Remover is the most direct workflow.

How to prevent glare (so you edit 80% less)

If you can re-shoot, these help a lot:

• Change the angle: don’t align camera and light source
• Use softer light: window light often beats harsh ceiling lights
• Avoid direct sun into the lens
• Clean the surface: fingerprints/oil make glare worse

FAQ

Do I need Photoshop to remove glare?

Not necessarily. Photoshop gives you manual control, but costs time and skill.

If you just want a clean, usable result fast, AI Glare Remover is the most direct workflow.

Why is one photo easy to fix but another never looks perfect?

Because the original contains different amounts of recoverable detail:

• Some detail left → natural fixes
• Fully clipped pixels → smoothing only, limited realism

How long are results saved?

Results are deleted after 24 hours and can’t be recovered. Download immediately.

Can it remove glasses glare without ruining the eyes?

Usually yes—if the original still contains eye detail.

• If the eyes are completely clipped/blown out under the glare, no tool can truly restore lost pixels.
• If iris/eyelid edges still exist, results tend to look much more natural.

Can it fix glare on documents and keep text readable?

Often yes, but it depends on whether the text strokes are still present.

• Mild glare covering text → recoverable in many cases
• Pure white clipped areas → limited recovery

What image formats are supported?

JPG, PNG, and WebP.

Why do I need to re-generate after signup to get watermark-free HD?

Because the guest output is already rendered with a watermark. Your signup benefit doesn’t retroactively change old results.

The most reliable workflow:

• Try as a guest to confirm direction
• Log in, switch to HD, and re-generate for the watermark-free version