When Adobe introduced the Dehaze control in Camera Raw and Lightroom, I was impressed and a little confused. It was immediately useful for reducing the washed-out appearance that atmospheric haze can give a photograph, but I wanted to understand what it was actually doing.
Adobe describes Dehaze as an adjustment that estimates the effect of light scattering and absorption in the atmosphere. In practical terms, it attempts to restore contrast and colour that have been reduced by haze. It is not simply another version of Clarity, and it does not work only on the brightest parts of an image. The underlying processing is more complex than a straightforward contrast adjustment.
Where does Dehaze belong?
I remember wondering why Adobe placed Dehaze in the Effects section rather than alongside the Basic controls with Exposure, Contrast and Clarity. Vibrance and Saturation are also in the Basic panel, so the choice of location seemed a little arbitrary to me.
In the end, the location of the slider matters less than understanding its effect. Dehaze can be powerful, but too much can create unnatural contrast, darken shadows, exaggerate colour and make noise more visible.
Can I apply Dehaze selectively?
In the early versions of Camera Raw, Dehaze was primarily a global adjustment. Later versions of Lightroom and Camera Raw introduced local adjustments and masking features that allow Dehaze to be applied selectively. The available controls depend on the software version.
My advice is to use Dehaze sparingly. It is a useful tool when atmospheric haze is reducing the impact of a photograph, but it cannot recreate detail that was never recorded. A small adjustment is often enough.
Historical note: This article was written shortly after Adobe introduced Dehaze in 2015. The software has since evolved and now offers more advanced masking and local adjustment options.
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