Removing flyaways from a photo means tidying the stray hairs that stick out from the main shape of the hair, so the hairstyle looks the way it did before the wind or humidity got to it. In this example, a woman in a royal blue dress with a flower corsage is a guest at an outdoor wedding. A friend took her photo on the lawn just as a gust of wind blew her curls up and out, leaving a halo of loose strands against the sky in the one photo of her alone from the day.
What changed in this photo, and what stayed the same?
- Tidied: the loose strands floating above and to the sides of her hair.
- Kept: her side bangs, curl pattern and hair color, her face and smile, the earrings, dress and corsage, and the lawn, chairs and sky behind her.
How much of the frizz should go?
Curly hair is not meant to look smooth. The editor removes the strands that clearly broke away from the hairstyle, the ones that stand out against the sky, and keeps the natural texture at the edges of the curls. Cutting the outline too clean makes curls look like a wig. If you want a softer, fuller edge kept, say so.
Why are flyaways harder against a bright background?
Against a dark background, stray hairs barely show. Against a bright sky or white wall, every strand is visible, and the sky behind each one has to be rebuilt with the right color and gradient. Busy backgrounds, such as leaves or a crowd, need the same care, because the pattern behind the hair has to continue.
What this edit does not do
- It does not change the hairstyle or length. To preview a new style, see try hairstyles on your photo.
- It does not make thin hair look fuller; see add hair volume in photos.
- Hair blown across the face can be moved off it, but the hidden part of the face then has to be rebuilt.
More hair edits are under hair retouching.
Private: recreated on our own images, not customer photos
The before/after shown here is recreated on images created or licensed for this site — never a real customer's photo. Your upload is seen only by the editor working on it, and the edit comes with free revisions within 14 days of delivery if anything needs adjusting.
