How to fix red eye in lightroom

(The Lightroom video tutorial in this post is just under the introductory text below. The working files for this Lightroom video tutorial can be found just above the video.)

Lightroom is quite good when it comes to fixing red eye via the Red Eye Correction Tool. However, as you get more and more into photography, you should find that red eye reduction is rarely ever needed.

The reason being that red eye is actually created when you are shooting in low light with cameras that have flashes that are placed very close to the lens element. Because the pupil of our eyes are so wide open in low light settings, the light from the flash is entering the pupil and reflecting off of the blood in the blood vessels in the back of our eye. The reflected light comes out red and goes straight into the lens, and thus you have an image with red eye.

However, as you upgrade your camera to a DSLR and begin shooting with a hot shoe mounted flash, red eye rarely occurs because the light is no longer coming into the pupil at the exact same angle of the lens. As you begin bouncing your hot shoe flash, and then moving to off camera flash, you can pretty much kiss red eye completely bye bye. So, while it is important to know how to fix red eye, it may be a tool you rarely visit.

In this Lightroom video tutorial, we will teach you how to fix and remove red eye using Lightroom’s Red Eye Removal Tool. It is a very simple process and we will be done in a jiffy, so sit back and enjoy!

Exercise File Download Links:

Note: These images have been provided to the SLR Lounge users curteousy of Lin and Jirsa Photography for educational purposes only. They may not be used in any other manner outside of these SLR Lounge learning videos without the express written consent of Lin and Jirsa Photography. Thank you.

Full RAW Exercise Files (265MB) – For faster connections. The full RAW files will allow you to follow the tutorials while achieving the exact same results as shown.
JPEG Exercise Files (24MB) – For slower connections. The JPEG files will allow you to follow the tutorials, although the results may vary due to not having the image details of the full RAW file.

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Spot removal is not just for landscapes or dust removal, it can also be used to retouch facial blemishes. Let’s do some spot work on a face. For this image, I’m just doing light work to demo the process. There’s been some negative Clarity brushed on the skin, and a little red removed from the skin. All blemishes were left intact for the initial shot.

For the circles under the eyes, I draw over the area to be retouched with Feather and Opacity at 100. The Size is set so only one stroke is required. Next, I reduce the Opacity to blend the fix with the original area. This helps it look more natural. The aim is not to remove, but to improve. Lightroom won’t select the best area, so move the source to the cheek directly below the eye. When retouching, you need to match areas because skin texture is different all over the face. Skin from the upper cheek is different from cheek skin near the chin. The side of the forehead is different than the center, or even the area just above the nose. It’s critical that you match skin as you spot.

With one eye done, repeat the process for the second eye. The settings you’ve changed for the first eye will be set for the second. Now tackle the blemishes. After the first blemish is removed, reset the Opacity to 100. You want to completely remove these. Set the size to match the blemish. Use the shortcut Command + Option + click and drag (Mac) or Control + Alt + click and drag to size the spot as you go.

The difference between the Before and After views is subtle. That’s the point.If a retouch is noticeable, you’ve done a bad job.

Red Eye

Red Eye occurs when flash is reflected from your subject’s retina.It’s prone to happen with compact cameras and in-camera flashes from digital SLRs.It can still happen with external in-camera flashes if you’re far enough away from your subject and using a telephotos lens.In fashion circles, it’s common when using a ringflash.

Red Eye is the third tool in the Tool Strip.It has no shortcut and can’t be synced to other photos.Lightroom 6 has a new addition to Red Eye; the Pet Eye tool. Let’s look at both.

Red Eye Removal

For humans (and possibly some aliens), the retina reflects red.This tool will detect the redness and apply a black mask to hide it.In order for the redness to be detected, you must draw an oval over the eye area.

As per the panel instructions, click the center of the eye and drag outward to include the whole eye.If it works, you’ll see a little animation as Lightroom zooms into the pupil and darkens it.

If you’ve not included enough of the eye, or the currently selected size hasn’t worked, you’ll see an error message. Once the eye has been fixed, the panel changes to Edit mode.In this mode, you can change the pupil size, as well as darken the pupil further if necessary. In addition, you can drag the red eye position around. Click the other eye(s).If you want to avoid the error dialog, drag over each eye individually.

These helpful tips were taken from Lightroom Guru Sean McCormack’s book, The Indispensable Guide to Lightroom CC – Available now!

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