Fix looking tired in a photo

Look 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.

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Before: Heavy eyes in a dim restaurant, then fixed with Auto: eyes opened a little, more light on the face and a slight smile. The photo is a little brighter overall; the room, the jacket and the candles stay the same. — Heavy eyes in a dim restaurant, then fixed with Auto: eyes opened a little, more light on the face and a slight smile. The photo is a little brighter overall; the room, the jacket and the candles stay the same.

After: Heavy eyes in a dim restaurant, then fixed with Auto: eyes opened a little, more light on the face and a slight smile. The photo is a little brighter overall; the room, the jacket and the candles stay the same. — Heavy eyes in a dim restaurant, then fixed with Auto: eyes opened a little, more light on the face and a slight smile. The photo is a little brighter overall; the room, the jacket and the candles stay the same.

You usually look tired in a photo because of two things: heavy, half-open eyes and low light from above that puts shadows under them. To fix it, brighten the photo first with your phone's free editor, then open the eyes a little and lift the light on your face with a retouching tool such as Glowly, which keeps the room and the moment as they were.

Free options first

Brighten the photo. In Photos on iPhone or Google Photos, raise Shadows a little and Exposure less. It lifts dark eye sockets without making the background look washed out. Our guide on brightening a dark photo of your face shows the settings.
Another frame. Late-evening photos are often Live Photos or bursts. Eyes are rarely heavy in every frame.
Black and white. Tired skin and redness show less in monochrome. It is a real fix for some photos, not just a filter.

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. In a photo like the one above, it opens heavy eyes a little, adds light to the face and relaxes the expression.
To adjust one part, tap Eyes, Light or Smile and turn its dial. Turn a dial back to the start to undo that part.
Press and hold the photo to compare with the original, then save.

Glowly changes your expression and the light on your face. It doesn't reshape your face, smooth your skin or remove under-eye lines, so you still look like yourself on a good day, not like a different person.

Getting it to look right

Open the eyes just a little. Tired eyes need less than closed ones. Stop as soon as you look awake.
Keep the mood. A dinner photo should still look like evening. Add enough light to see your face, not daylight.
Compare with the original. Hold the photo before you save and check that the eyes still match the rest of your face.

Why do I look tired in photos but not in the mirror?

Overhead light casts shadows under the eyes, a phone flash flattens the face, and the camera catches you mid-blink more often than you'd think. The mirror shows a moving face in light you chose. See why you look different in photos.

Can I fix tired eyes for free?

Partly. Raising shadows in your phone's editor helps with dark circles. Opening heavy eyes needs a retouch. 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 Glowly remove dark circles or wrinkles?

No. It changes the expression and the light, not your skin. Dark circles look softer with more light on the face, but they stay yours.

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 brighten a dark photo of your faceYour face is in shadow but the photo is otherwise good? Free ways to brighten it on iPhone, why it often looks worse, and how to fix the light itself.
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.
Why your eyes look half closed in photos, and how to fix itSquinting, sleepy-looking or half-closed eyes in photos have a few simple causes. Here's how to avoid them, and how to fix a photo where it already happened.

Fix something else

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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.
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