When editing an image with low contrast levels, dehaze is required to make it look sharper and better. However, unlike Lightroom, Photoshop does have a direct dehaze tool. So, even though it may seem impossible to dehaze an image in Photoshop, there is still a way to do it. 

To dehaze your work in Photoshop, begin by selecting your image layer. Then, move towards “filter” from the toolbar and select the “camera raw filter” option. Opening this will show the basic panel of the camera raw, within which you will find the “dehaze slider.” This is like the dehaze tool in Lightroom and is easy to use as it only requires sliding it.

Dehazing is a vital part of editing because it enhances the image details if there is fog or haze in it. So, continue reading to find out how you can dehaze in Photoshop! 

Dehaze an Image in Photoshop

If you open a raw image in Photoshop, it will automatically open the camera raw. However, if the image is not raw and has been loaded in the Photoshop project area, it needs to be converted into a “smart” object for easier editing. 

Converting a Non-Raw Image to a Smart Object

To turn your image into a smart object, follow these steps:

1. Begin by going to “layer” at the screen’s top left corner and selecting “smart objects.”

2. Then, click on “convert to smart object.” This will open the “camera raw filter” workspace.   

For further clarifications on using camera raw to dehaze in Photoshop, refer to this video:

Dehaze Using Camera Raw

Having converted your image, it is time to move to the next steps:

1. Following this, click on the “edit” icon present in the right-side toolbar. Then, move toward the “basics” tab, where all the necessary adjustment sliders, including dehaze, exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, and texture, will be included.

2. Simply adjusting the dehaze slider will not be sufficient to make your image look better. To add to the dehaze effect, start by increasing the exposure by some points. This is crucial as it will stop the image from looking too contrasted because of the dehaze effect.

3. Next, make other adjustments following your preferences. If the image is too dark, increase the shadows by some points and reduce the highlights if it is too bright.

4. Then move to the dehaze slider at the end of the “basics tab.”

5. Sliding towards the right will increase the dehaze effect making the change visible. The image will look clearer.

6. If the edits seem satisfactory, press “ok” to finalize your edits.

Throughout this process, you must ensure not to over-apply the dehaze effect. this is because if dehazed too much, the image will become too dark and noisy, making it look lower quality. 

Final Takeaway

The dehaze effect is essential to editing images with lower contrast to increase their quality. To dehaze in Photoshop, your image must be raw or converted into a smart object. Then, you can use the method described above to apply the dehaze effect to it using the camera raw, remembering not to add too much.