Fix looking angry in a photo
Look 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.
Before
AfterYou usually look angry in a photo because your brows were lowered or drawn together for a moment, often from concentrating, bright light or waiting for the shot. To fix it, raise your brows a little with a retouching tool such as Glowly, which leaves the rest of the photo as it was.
It's an easy thing to get wrong in the moment. A face that looks calm in motion can look stern when one frame is frozen, and the brows do most of that work. A very small change is often all it takes.
Free options first
- Another frame. Look through a Live Photo or a burst. Expressions change quickly, and the next frame may be friendlier.
- Crop or brighten. Shadows over the eyes make a frown look deeper. In your phone's editor, raise Shadows a little.
- Black and white. It softens a harsh expression in some photos, and it costs nothing to try.
How to fix it with Glowly
- Open the web editor in any phone or computer browser, or Glowly on iPhone, and choose the photo.
- Auto runs first, then you can adjust one thing at a time.
- Under Face, tap More, then Brows, and turn the dial toward Raise. Stop when the frown is gone.
- If you also want a softer mouth, tap Smile and add a little.
- Press and hold the photo to compare with the original, then save.
Glowly changes your expression, not your features. It doesn't reshape your face or smooth your skin.
Getting it to look right
- Go gently. Too much looks surprised. You want relaxed, not startled.
- A small smile helps. Relaxed brows with a flat mouth can still read as serious. A little smile changes the whole photo.
- Keep what's yours. If a serious look suits the photo, leave it. This is for the times it doesn't match how you felt.
Why do I look mad in photos when I'm not?
A photo freezes one moment, and lowered brows read as a frown even when they only lasted a split second. Bright sun and concentrating on the camera both cause it. Our guide on why you look different in photos explains more.
Can I fix it for free?
Sometimes. Another frame or a little more light on the face may be enough. Glowly is free to preview. In the web editor there's nothing to install and no account needed to try; 3 full-size saves cost $1.99. On iPhone your first 2 saves are free.
Does this change my face?
No. It moves your brows the way they could have moved anyway. You can compare with the original before you save.
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.
Read more
- Why do I look different in photos than in the mirror?The mirror flips you, phone cameras stretch faces up close, and light and timing do the rest. What's really going on, and what to do about it.
- How to look natural in photos when you feel awkward on cameraWhy you look stiff in photos even when you feel fine, and practical ways to look relaxed and like yourself, from posture and hands to where to look.
- How to smile naturally in photos (and fix a forced smile)Why camera smiles look forced, how to get a real one while the photo is being taken, and how to fix a stiff smile in a photo you already have.
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 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 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 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 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.
- 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 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.