The Truth About “Red-Eye”

Jeff Faulk

A lesson on preventing and editing red-eye

 

 

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In this assignment you will learn what red-eye in photography is, how to avoid it and how to edit it in the new PhotoShop CS.

What is red-eye?

In flash photography, red-eye is the undesirable effect that occurs when light reflects off the retina in the eye of the subject. The blood vessels give the pupil its red color.

Example

http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Community/ColumnsArticles/SoftwareTips/software-2003-10-22.htm

 

Prevention

The key to preventing red-eye is to find a way to keep the subject’s pupil from enlarging too much. Practice taking some pictures with a partner. To see what NOT to do, turn off any red-eye reduction feature on the camera and shoot in dim light. This will cause the pupil to be enlarged. Take shoots close up, zoomed in and in normal mode. Notice the effect on the camera review mode. Now, just to experiment, have the subject look into the nearest light source just before taking some more shots. You may even wish to shine a flash light in their eyes--(be careful not to do this too much or too long!)

Next, turn the camera’s red-eye reduction back on. Do not do make any other adjustments this time. Take several shots just like before. See if you notice a difference in the red-eye effect. Hopefully it is not as bad as before.

5. Make sure the brush size is somewhat smaller than the eye. Also choose:

Mode=color

Sampling=Once

Limits=Contiguous

Tolerance=30%

 
 

3. Choose the Color Replacement tool
 
Editing

No matter how hard you try, you are going to get red-eye sometimes. ONE way to edit with PhotoShop:

  1. Open one of your examples from above in PhotoShop CS.
  2. Zoom in so the eye fills the work area.

4. Choose black from the swatches palette.
 

 

 

6. Click in the red area of the eye and begin “painting in” the new color.
 

7. When you are finished, zoom out to see your work.
 

Text Box:

 

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