Adobe Photoshop
How to Fix Red Eye With Adobe Photoshop CS4
Red eye occurs when photographing subjects in low-light conditions using a flash. Inevitably, the flash reflects on the dilated pupils and turns them red in the photograph. Adobe introduced the “Red Eye” tool in Photoshop CS2, although it previously debuted in Photoshop Elements. This tool remains unchanged in Photoshop CS4, and it will fix most red eye photos with a single click. Photoshop also offers several tools so you can remove red eyes manually.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
Prepare the File
1)Launch Adobe Photoshop CS4 and choose “File,” “Open.” Locate the file on your computer and click “Open” to begin editing.
2)Click and drag the “Background” layer down to the “New Layer” icon at the bottom “Layers” panel to duplicate it.
3)Choose on the “Zoom” tool and click on the image to enlarge the eye area.
Red Eye Tool
1)Select the “Red Eye” tool from the “Tools” panel. Click and hold on the “Spot Healing Brush” to reveal the “Red Eye” tool icon, which is an eye with crosshairs.
2)Check the tool’s settings in the “Options” bar. Begin with the “Pupil Size” and “Darken Amount” set to 50 percent.
3)Click within the red pupil and Photoshop CS4 will automatically repair the photo. If you are dissatisfied with the initial results of the “Red eye” tool, click “Ctrl” and “Z” and try the tool again with different settings.
Manual Red Eye Removal
1)Choose the “Quick Selection” tool, then click and drag to select the pupil of one red eye in your image. Hold down the “Shift” key, then click and drag to select the other eye.
2)Press “Ctrl” and “C” to copy from the selection, then press “Ctrl” and “V” to paste the red eyes into a new layer.
3)Go to “Image,” “Adjustments” and “Hue/Saturation.”
4)Click on the “Saturation” Slider and move it all the way to the left to remove the red tone.
5)Move the “Lightness” slider to the left to slightly darken the pupils, and then click “OK.”
6)Change the blending mode of the layer to “Overlay.” This blending mode will darken the pupil, but also reveal the eye’s highlights.
7)Choose “Filter,” “Blur,” and “Gaussian Blur.” In the dialog box, set the “Pixel Radius” to one pixel or less, and then click “OK.”
8)Select the “Eraser” and pick a small soft edged brush. Click on the areas of brightest highlights with the “Eraser” to remove any shadows caused by the new layer.
9)Hide the new layer by clicking the “eye” icon next to it, and click on the original red eye layer that is under it
10)Select the “Sponge” tool. In the “Options” bar, choose a brush size that will fit within the pupil. Set the “Mode” to “Desaturate,” and the flow to 100 percent.
11)Click and drag over the pupil to remove the red tint. Release the mouse and use the tool again if some red remains. Be cautious of touching the eye’s color.
12)Click the eye icon next to the hidden layer to make it visible. Reduce the opacity of the layer if necessary.
Tips & Warnings
To darken the pupil further, use the “Burn” tool set to 50 percent.
Adobe Photoshop
