Reducing Red-Eye

Perhaps the most annoying thing that can go wrong in a photograph is red-eye, a demonic red glow to subjects' eyes that plagues flash photography. iPhoto provides a solution to red-eye, though its results aren't always ideal.

To reduce red-eye in a photo (I):

1.	Draw a selection rectangle around the eyes (Figure 4.28). Figure 4.28. To reduce the effect of red-eye in a photo, draw a rectangle around the eyes and click the Red-Eye button.
2.	Click the Red-Eye button. If all goes well, iPhoto converts the red shades in the clicked areas to dark gray.

To reduce red-eye in a photo (II):

1.	Click the Red-Eye button. iPhoto switches to the red-eye reduction crosshair pointer, and displays a small pop-up with instructions.
2.	Click in the center of the subject's eyes. If all goes well, iPhoto converts the red shades in the clicked areas to dark gray.
3.	When you're done, click the Red-Eye button or the X button in the pop-up.

Tips

• Sometimes one method works better than the other; if necessary, try both.

• It can be easier to click the subject's eyes accurately if you zoom in first.

• Press and release to toggle between the "before" and "after" views.

• The Red-Eye tool works poorly if the subject isn't facing the camera directly.

• iPhoto's technique makes people look as though they have black eyes, and it won't work on green-eye in dogs. You can achieve better results in other image-editing programs. Also consider converting the photo to black-and-white.

What Is Red-Eye?

Red-eye is a phenomenon that occurs in photographs when light from the camera's flash reflects off the blood vessels in the retina of the subject's eyes. It's worse when the flash is close to the lens, with young children, with blue or gray eyes (which reflect more light than darker eyes), and in dim settings.

You can reduce the likelihood of red-eye occurring in the first place:

• Try to cause the subject's pupils to contract by increasing the room light, asking the person to look at a bright light right before taking the picture, or using a red-eye reduction feature in your camera (which pulses the flash before taking the picture).

• Have the subject look slightly away from the camera lens rather than directly toward it.

• If your camera supports an external flash unit, use it to increase the distance between the flash and the camera lens.