{"id":11690,"date":"2026-09-02T05:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T03:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2026\/09\/02\/adobe-camera-raw-18-6-adds-a-glow-tool-with-diffusion-bloom-and-halation-applied-to-raw-images\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T05:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T03:00:29","slug":"adobe-camera-raw-18-6-adds-a-glow-tool-with-diffusion-bloom-and-halation-applied-to-raw-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2026\/09\/02\/adobe-camera-raw-18-6-adds-a-glow-tool-with-diffusion-bloom-and-halation-applied-to-raw-images\/","title":{"rendered":"Adobe Camera Raw 18.6 adds a Glow tool with diffusion, bloom and halation \u2013 applied to Raw images"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tDiffusion, bloom and halation arrive in the Effects panel, applied globally or through masks \u2013 but not in Lightroom.<\/p>\n

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Adobe recently released the newest version of its Raw processing software,\u00a0Adobe Camera Raw 18.6<\/a>. Its headline feature is a\u00a0native Glow effect tool that gives users three analog-inspired looks \u2013 diffusion, bloom and halation \u2013 directly within ACR. Other features include a new Metadata Info Panel that shows image data directly in the editing workspace, and photographers and designers who work with composites gain a new Trim tool that makes everything outside a crop transparent, rather than leaving it as hidden pixels. The update also adds support for additional camera and lens profiles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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What Glow does<\/h2>\n

The new Glow tool lives in Camera Raw\u2019s Effects panel alongside the existing Vignette and Grain sliders. Adobe\u2019s documentation describes three selectable styles. Diffusion applies a hazy, film-like softening effect that spreads across the frame, similar to what a Black Mist or Pro Mist<\/a> filter attached to your lens would achieve. Bloom produces a softer, more even glow confined to the highlights, which could be useful for misty scenes and waterfalls. Halation adds a colored halo effect around bright edges and light sources, similar to the warm, or red-orange fringing that appears on film when light reflects off the film base back through the emulsion.<\/p>\n

Glow works inside Camera Raw\u2019s masking system, so the effect can be dialed up or down on a subject, a luminance range or a selected area, though the Style, Range, Spread and Warmth sub-settings are shared globally \u2013 masks control how much something glows, not the kind of glow.<\/p>\n

Greg Benz, a digital photo educator (and a member of the DPReview community<\/a>), posted a helpful video<\/a> on his YouTube channel illustrating the capabilities of ACR\u2019s new Glow tool, including examples of using masks to achieve localized results. If you\u2019re interested in learning more about it, we highly recommend giving it a watch.<\/p>\n

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