How to Fix Squinting Eyes in Photos

Why Squinting Ruins Otherwise Great Photos

Bright sunlight, strong wind, mid-blink timing, or just laughing too hard — squinting happens in almost every outdoor photo session. The problem is that squinted eyes make people look uncomfortable, confused, or like they weren't ready for the shot. When you only got one good group photo and someone is squinting, you can't reshoot. AI photo editing opens those squinted eyes naturally without making the person look startled or wide-eyed.

Types of Squinting the AI Can Fix

• Sun squint from facing bright light directly
• Wind squint from gusts blowing into the face
• Laugh squint where smiling hard closes the eyes partway
• One eye squinting more than the other (asymmetric)
• Near-blink captures where eyes are almost shut

How AI Eye Opening Works

The AI identifies the eye region and analyzes how much the lids are closed. It then generates a natural-looking open-eye state that matches the person's actual eye shape, color, and proportions. The surrounding skin folds, crow's feet, and expression lines adjust too, so the result doesn't look pasted on. It works even when the eyes are nearly shut, as long as some iris is visible for reference.

Getting Natural-Looking Results

The biggest risk with eye opening is going too far — wide-open eyes on a smiling face look unnatural. Start with 'slightly open the squinting eyes' rather than 'open the eyes wide.' If the person was smiling, their eyes should still show some happy crinkle. Say 'open the squinting eyes but keep the smile natural' to get the right balance. For sun squint specifically, a slight squint can actually look fine — you just want to open them enough to see the irises.

Fixing Squinting in Group Photos

Group photos at the beach, a wedding, or a park almost always have at least one squinter. Target them specifically: 'open the eyes of the person on the right' or 'fix the squinting on the man in the blue shirt.' Handling one person at a time prevents the AI from changing faces that already look fine. For group photos where everyone is squinting from the sun, do one pass: 'open everyone's squinting eyes slightly.'

Tips for Best Results

Photos where some iris and pupil are visible give the AI the best reference — completely shut eyes are harder. Mention if sunglasses are pushed up or if there's a hat shadow, since these can confuse the eye detection. If one eye squints more than the other, call it out: 'the left eye is squinting more, open it to match the right.' Higher resolution photos produce cleaner results around the delicate eyelid area.