The Photoshop® CS Book for Digital Photographers

Instant Red Eye Removal

When I see a digital camera with the flash mounted directly above the lens, I think, “Hey, there’s an automated red-eye machine.” If you’re a pro, you probably don’t have to deal with this as much, because your flash probably isn’t mounted directly above your lens—you’re using bounce flash, holding the flash separately, you’ve got studio lights, or one of a dozen other techniques. But even when the pros pick up a “point-and-shoot,” red eye can find them. Here’s the quick “I-just-want-it-gone” technique for getting rid of red eye fast.

Step One.	Open a photo where the subject has red eye. Zoom in on the eyes by dragging a rectangle around them with the Zoom tool (the Magnifying Glass tool).
Step Two.	In Photoshop CS, ...