130. Correct Red Eye See Also  133 Awaken Tired Eyes
When used properly, a camera flash can help lighten shadows and illuminate an otherwise dark image. Unfortunately, using a flash might sometimes have unintended effects, such as red eye. In nonhuman subjects such as dogs or cats, the result might be "glassy eye" rather than red eye. No matter; you remove it in the same way: with the Editor's Red Eye Removal tool. KEY TERMS  | Red eye A reddening of the pupil caused by a reflection of the intense light from a camera flash against the retina in the back of the subject's eyes. Pupil The black center of the eye which adjusts in size based on the amount of ambient light. Iris The colored part of the eye; typically brown, blue, or green. |
1. | Zoom In on Eye
Open an image in the Editor in either Quick Fix or Standard Edit mode and save it in Photoshop (*.psd) format. Zoom in on the first eye you want to correct so that you can see it better. To zoom in, click the Zoom tool in the Toolbox. Then select a Zoom amount on the Options bar or click the Zoom in button on the Options bar and drag a rectangle within the image around the eye you want to see more closely.
| 2. | Click Red Eye Removal Tool
Click the Red Eye Removal tool in the Toolbox.
| 3. | Set Options
TIPS  | When you're shooting your photograph, you can avoid giving your subjects red eye by separating the flash unit from the camera (if possible), or by telling your subjects to not look directly at the camera. Some cameras have a red eye reduction feature, which causes the flash to go off several times. The first series of flashes at lower intensity cause the pupil to contract, thus blocking the reflection, while the final flash at full intensity illuminates the subject for the picture. Just be sure to warn your subject not to move until the second flash goes off. |
If the pupil of the eye you want to correct is larger in area than 50% of the iris, change the Pupil Size setting on the Options bar to the correct ratio. If the Pupil Size ratio is way off, the Editor might not remove all the red eye, or it might paint in too much of the iris color, making the iris larger than it should be.
Typically, you won't have to adjust the Darken Amount on the Options bar. However, if the pupil is not darkened enough after you apply the Red Eye Removal tool, you can try the tool again after increasing the Darken Amount.
| 4. | Select the Red Pupil
Drag the Red Eye Removal tool to select the red area of the pupil you want to correct. You don't have to be terribly precise because only red pixels will be affected; on the other hand, you don't want to select too big an area and accidentally remove the red from pixels you don't want to change. After you drag, red pixels within the selected area are changed to black or the iris color, depending on the Pupil Size you've set.
 | 5. | Repeat for Second Eye
Scroll the image if necessary so that you can see the second eye. Drag again to select the red area. The red pixels within that area are changed to black.
| 6. | View the Result
TIP | Instead of dragging to select the area to change, you can click anywhere within the red area of the pupil. Red pixels contiguous to the pixel you clicked are changed to black. If one method doesn't work for you, try the other and you might get better results. |
After you're satisfied with the result, make any other changes you want to the PSD image then save it. Resave the result in JPEG or TIFF format, leaving your PSD image with its layers (if any) intact so that you can return at a later time and make different adjustments if you want.
This photo of a young "Hermione Granger" at her Harry Potter birthday party was marred only by a bit of red eye. Lucky for me, the problem was quickly fixed with the Red Eye Removal tool.
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