How to Remove Shadow Around Eyes in Photoshop?

To remove shadows around eyes in Photoshop, you can use a combination of techniques involving the Spot Healing Brush Tool, cloning, and blending modes. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Steps to Remove Under-Eye Shadows:

1. Open Your Image in Photoshop: Start by opening the photograph you want to edit in Adobe Photoshop.

2. Duplicate the Layer: Press Ctrl+J (Windows) or Cmd+J (Mac) to duplicate the background layer. This allows you to work non-destructively.

3. Zoom In: Zoom in to the area around the eyes to get a closer look. This will help you with precise editing.

4. Use the Spot Healing Brush Tool:

   • Select the Spot Healing Brush Tool from the toolbar (or press J).
   • Ensure the Content-Aware option is selected in the tool options bar at the top.
   • Adjust the brush size to be slightly larger than the shadow or dark circle.
   • Click or paint over the shadow. Photoshop will automatically sample nearby pixels and blend them to remove the shadow. Repeat as needed for refining.

5. Using the Clone Stamp Tool (If needed): If the Spot Healing Brush doesn't completely remove the shadows, the Clone Stamp Tool can be helpful.

   • Select the Clone Stamp Tool from the toolbar (or press S).
   • Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) on an area of skin that has good tone and texture near the shadow to set the source point.
   • Paint over the shadow. Reduce the opacity of the layer if the cloned area is too harsh. Experiment with different blending modes (e.g., Lighten, Screen) for smoother transitions.

6. Adjust Brightness and Contrast (Optional):

   • Add a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast).
   • Slightly increase the brightness and decrease the contrast to lighten the under-eye area further. Be careful not to overdo it, as this can make the area look unnatural. Use a layer mask (black filled) to only apply these changes to the under-eye area by painting with a white brush on the layer mask.

7. Dodge and Burn (Optional): The Dodge and Burn tools can be used carefully to subtly lighten and darken areas, respectively.

   • Select the Dodge Tool (lighten) or Burn Tool (darken) from the toolbar.
   • Set the Range to Midtones and the Exposure to a low value (e.g., 5-10%).
   • Gently paint over the shadow area with the Dodge Tool to lighten it. Use the Burn Tool sparingly to add subtle shadows where needed for a natural look.

8. High Pass Filter (Advanced): A High Pass filter can help retain texture while reducing the shadows.

   • Duplicate the working layer again.
   • Go to Filter > Other > High Pass. Adjust the Radius until you see fine detail of the skin, but not too much underlying color information.
   • Set the blend mode of this layer to Linear Light, or Overlay. Then reduce the opacity.
   • Add a black layer mask. Then paint with a white brush where you want to soften shadows.

9. Refine and Repeat: Step back and evaluate the results. Repeat any of the steps above as needed to achieve the desired effect.

10. Save Your Work: Once you're satisfied with the result, save the edited photo. Save a copy as a PSD file to keep the layers intact for future editing, and save another copy as a JPEG for sharing.