A blink can spoil an otherwise strong photo. Adobe is bringing a quick fix to Lightroom mobile: a generative AI feature called Open Eyes that can replace closed eyes with a natural-looking version in a single tap.
A quick action appears when eyes are closed
Available for iOS, iPadOS, and Android, the mobile app detects when a person or group in a photo has their eyes shut. It then displays an Open Eyes Quick Action icon over the image, giving users a direct way to apply the repair.
The feature is designed to reduce the steps needed to rescue a shot. Instead of moving into a separate editing workflow, users can start the correction from the photo itself.
Generative AI draws on other photos
Lightroom uses generative AI to create replacement eyes that fit the image’s lighting and pose. It can also reference other pictures of the same person in the user’s Lightroom library to better match their eye color, size, and shape.
That library reference is a key part of how the feature works. The app can use images the photographer already has as a guide for the person’s appearance, while generating a result suited to the particular photo being edited.
How it differs from older fixes
Adobe’s Photoshop Elements has offered a way to open closed eyes for nearly a decade. That approach takes replacement eyes from another photo of the subject, and the result can vary depending on how much the two images differ.
Lightroom mobile’s generative AI method aims to adapt the replacement to the lighting and pose in the current shot. Adobe apps such as Photoshop can make a similar kind of correction with generative AI tools, but the source says that process takes more than one tap and is not free.
Free users get two attempts
People using Lightroom mobile’s free version can try Open Eyes twice. After that, the app prompts them to subscribe to an Adobe Creative Cloud plan that includes more credits for its AI-powered tools.
The feature makes a common photo-editing fix more accessible, while tying continued use to Adobe’s AI credit system. For someone choosing a favorite frame from a group photo, the ability to try a quick repair may be useful; whether the result is right for a particular picture still depends on how well the generated eyes fit.