Fix closed eyes in a selfie

Blinked in the selfie you liked best? Pick another frame if you have one, or open your eyes in the photo you took. Your smile and the background stay as they were.

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Before: A café selfie caught mid-blink, then opened with the Eyes dial. The smile, the earrings and the café stay the same; the skin comes out a little softer. The person is AI-generated. — A café selfie caught mid-blink, then opened with the Eyes dial. The smile, the earrings and the café stay the same; the skin comes out a little softer. The person is AI-generated.

After: A café selfie caught mid-blink, then opened with the Eyes dial. The smile, the earrings and the café stay the same; the skin comes out a little softer. The person is AI-generated. — A café selfie caught mid-blink, then opened with the Eyes dial. The smile, the earrings and the café stay the same; the skin comes out a little softer. The person is AI-generated.

Selfies catch blinks more than other photos. You're looking at yourself on the screen, the flash or a bright window makes you blink, and you tap the shutter at the same moment. Here's what to try, starting with the free options.

1. Pick another frame (free)

If your camera saves a few moments around each shot, one of them may have your eyes open.

iPhone: if the selfie says Live in the corner, tap Edit, then the Live Photo button. Slide to a frame where your eyes are open and tap Make Key Photo. Our guide on choosing a Live Photo key photo has the details.
Android: with Motion Photo on, open the selfie in Google Photos, swipe up, tap View all under the shots in this photo and save a better frame. The Android guide covers Samsung too.

2. Look at the photos next to it (free)

Most people take a few selfies in a row. Scroll through them before you edit; one may have the same smile with your eyes open.

3. Open your eyes with Glowly

If every frame has the blink, retouch the one you like.

Open app.glow.ly on your phone or computer and choose the selfie. Nothing to install.
Auto runs first. If your eyes are still closed, tap Eyes and turn the dial toward Open.
Press and hold the photo to compare with the original, then save.

Only your eyes and the skin around them change. Your smile, hair and everything behind you stay as they were. It works best when your eyes are mid-blink, with some of the eye still showing.

Avoid the blink next time

Look slightly away, then back at the lens just before the shot.
Use the timer or a volume button instead of tapping the screen.
Take three or four in a row; it costs nothing.

More ideas in how to take a good selfie and how to stop blinking in photos.

Can I fix a blink in a selfie for free?

Yes, if your phone saved more than one frame: a Live Photo on iPhone or a motion photo on Android. Pick a frame where your eyes are open. If every frame has the blink, you need a retouch.

Will it still look like me?

Yes. Glowly opens your eyes and leaves the rest alone: it doesn't reshape your face or change your smile. Skin around the eyes can come out a little softer, as in the example above.

How much does it cost?

Previews in the web editor cost nothing. 3 full-size saves cost $1.99. In the iPhone app your first 2 saves are free.

What happens to my photo?

Your original is never changed. Originals and unsaved edits are deleted from our servers after 7 days. See the privacy policy.

How to take a good selfie: light, angle and a real expressionA good selfie is mostly light, distance and timing. Here is how to take one that looks like you on a good day, with the phone you already have.
How to stop blinking in photosWhy you always seem to blink in photos, what photographers do about it, and how to fix a blink in a photo you already have.
How to pick a different frame from a Live Photo on iPhoneBlinked or looked away in a Live Photo? Choose a better frame as the key photo in a few taps, and know when that trick isn't enough.

Fix something else

Fix closed eyes in a photoBlinked in the one good photo? Open your eyes in the photo you already have. Only your eyes change; the light, the room and your expression stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a photo on AndroidMost Android phones can't open closed eyes, but there are a few ways to fix a blink, from a motion photo frame to Best Take on Pixel and Best Face on Galaxy.
Fix closed eyes in a group photoBlinked in the group photo where everyone else looks great? Open your own eyes in that photo. Everyone else, and everything around you, stays exactly as it was.
Fix closed eyes in a photo on iPhoneThe iPhone Photos app can't open closed eyes, but there are three ways to fix a blink on iPhone, two of them free. Here's which to try first.
Fix closed eyes in a vacation photoBlinked in the best photo from your trip? You can't go back for a retake, but you can open your eyes in the photo you have. The view, the light and your smile stay the same.
Fix a dark face in a backlit photoSunset behind you and your face came out dark? Light your face and keep the sunset. Your expression and hair stay as they were.
Fix a forced smile in a photoA stiff, held-too-long smile can make a good photo look awkward. Soften it into a natural one in the photo you already have, and keep everything else.
Fix half-closed eyes in a photoEyes caught halfway through a blink, or squinting in the sun? Open them a little in the photo you already have. Only your eyes change; the light, the place and your smile stay as they were.
Fix eyes not looking at the cameraGreat smile, but your eyes were on something else? Turn your eyes to the camera in the photo you already have. Your face, smile and background stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a graduation photoBlinked in your graduation photo? Open your eyes in the photo you already have, from the ceremony, the campus or the family shot. Only your eyes change.
Fix closed eyes when you laughed in a photoLaughed so hard your eyes shut in the best photo of the night? Open your eyes and keep the laugh. Your smile, the light and the background stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a night photoBlinked in the one good photo from a night out? Open your eyes in the photo you already have. Your smile, the city lights and the background stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a wedding photoBlinked in a wedding photo? Ask the photographer for the next frame, or open your own eyes in the photo you have. Everyone else and the moment stay exactly as they were.
Fix your head tilted down in a photoChin down and looking up at the camera, so you look tired or moody? Lift your chin a little in the photo you already have. Your face, hair and background stay the same.
Fix looking angry in a photoLook annoyed in a photo when you felt fine? Relax lowered brows in the photo you already have. Your face, the light and the background stay as they were.
Add a smile to a photoLooked serious in a photo you otherwise love? Add a natural, closed or open smile to your own face, and leave the rest of the photo untouched.
Fix squinting in a photoSquinted in the sun in a photo you otherwise like? Open your eyes a little in the photo you already have. The sunlight, the place and your smile stay as they were.
Fix a tight-lipped smile in a photoPressed your lips together when someone said "smile"? Turn a tight, closed smile into your natural one in the photo you already have. Everything else stays the same.
Fix looking tired in a photoLook tired in a photo taken late or in dim light? Open heavy eyes a little and lift the light on your face, in the photo you already have.
Make your dating profile photo betterYour best dating photo is often one you already have, minus a blink or a stiff smile. Fix the moment, keep the person, and put your best real photo first.