The Red Eye Effect: How to Prevent & Get Rid of Red Eye in Photos

Ever wrapped up a wonderful, late-evening photo shooting session, only to realize all your photos include some red eyes staring disturbingly back at you? Welcome to the dreaded red-eye photography club. The red eye effect has haunted flash photography ever since digital cameras came into existence.
 

Luckily, there are some workarounds you can count on to keep the terrifying red eyes at bay or – if the deed is already done – remove them in post-processing. 

What causes red eyes in photos?

Before we get to the solution, let’s first try to understand the mystery behind red eyes in photos. Brace yourself – it can get a bit technical, but it’s all for a good cause, and I’ll try to keep it simple. 

Essentially, when the flash from a camera hits your eyes, especially the retina where there's a dense network of blood vessels, that light bounces off and that gives the eyes that eerie red halo. 
 

It happens more often (or rather, stands out more) at night or in low-light situations because the pupils are open wider, trying to absorb as much light as they can. Since the flash only takes a fraction of a second, the pupils don’t have time to contract, and the red-eye effect is more dramatic. 

Quick facts about red eyes in photos

So the flash hits your eyes, reflects off the retina and bam, you get red eyes. Pretty straightforward, right? Even so, this eerie red-eye effect in flash photography has obviously sparked curiosity and even controversy over the years. Here are some quick facts that might surprise you: 
 

• Light-colored eyes have it worse

Depending on the color of your iris, the red-eye effect might look different on you. Generally, darker eyes are less prone to this effect, because they absorb more light which helps reduce the intensity of the flash reflection. Lighter eyes (green, blue and especially gray) have less melanin which means more light can pass through to the retina, resulting in a more stronger red-eye effect. 
 

• A single red-eye effect can mean trouble

Under normal circumstances, whenever you take a photo with flash, both eyes reflect that light equally, creating a double (classic) red-eye effect. When that doesn’t happen (e.g. one eye appears red and the other one doesn’t, one is white or yellow and the other dark, etc.) it might mean something’s off. This uneven reflection can be traced back to different eye conditions, like retinoblastoma (a type of eye cancer), strabism (eye misalignment) or cataracts. 

• Red-eye was once a spooky myth

Before people started understanding the science behind the glowing red-eye effect, some cultures actually saw this as a sign of possession, or as proof that you were some kind of supernatural being, like a vampire or spirit. 
 

• The older the camera, the harsher the red-eye effect

We’ve come a long way when it comes to red-eye prevention. Modern cameras (especially those on smartphones) are now designed to use what is called a red-eye reduction flash, which  emits a series of pre-flashes to “prepare” the eye before actually taking the photo. 
 

How to prevent the red eye effect

Speaking of reduction, it’s time to learn how we can actually prevent this effect from happening in the first place. You might think that using a modern camera is the only solution, but there are other useful tricks you can employ even when modern technology fails you: 

More light

Everything looks better with the right lighting, and the red-eye effect is a testament to that fact. To avoid this creepy effect from showing up in your photos, try shooting in well-lit environments. Bright artificial lights are good, but if you can go outside and take advantage of natural daylight, that is even better. And of course, the more light you have, the less you need to use the flash in the first place.

No eye contact

Another way to avoid this effect is by asking your photo subject(s) to not look straight into the camera when you’re taking the picture. No eye contact, no flash reflection, no red-eye halo. Bonus: your photos might actually come out looking more candid, like you accidently caught a perfect moment.

Shoot from a distance

The closer the flash is to the subject’s eyes, the more intense the red-eye effect will be. If you can zoom out and switch to landscape mode instead of getting up close and personal, this will give the flash light more room to disperse, which means less of it will actually hit the eyes directly. 

Experiment with different angles

Another way to dodge the dreaded red-eye effect is to shoot from different angles, by either tilting the camera or asking the subject to move their head slightly. This makes it so that the flash light will not hit their eyes from a straight angle, so the chances of getting a full-on red-eye effect are significantly lower.

Red-eye fixes on your phone

Your phone camera may have some tricks up its sleeve to help you reduce red-eye in your photos. One of them is using burst shooting mode, which takes multiple shots in quick succession. While the first few shots might catch the dreaded red-eye, the chances are that the following shots will be spared. 

Another trick is to switch to Night Mode – which is available on most smartphone cameras. This will replace the harsh burst of light from the flash with a softer glow that still casts enough light to properly illuminate your subject. 

How to remove red-eye after taking a photo

If you just can’t avoid getting red-eye in your photos, or you're stuck editing pictures you didn’t take – don’t worry, not all hope is lost. Technology has evolved to the point where you can easily make red-eye a thing of the past (where it honestly belongs). 
 

Here’s quick a rundown of apps that can help you remove red-eye in post-processing: 

Pixlr

When it comes to photo editing, it’s best to keep it simple and intuitive, and Pixlr does it best. This app (available both on web and mobile platforms) combines simplicity with flexible editing options. One of its standout features is, of course, the one-tap Red Eye Removal tool – which is very conveniently placed in the app’s main Tools panel. 

Those looking to explore more artistic edits can also explore the Double Exposure, Liquify and Glitch feature, and the dozens of filters and effects available in the app’s library. 
 

Snapseed

If you want a more professional-grade, granular photo editing tool that also helps remove red eyes in photos, you might want to try Snapseed. Developed by Google, Snapseed has a massive variety of editing capabilities – including the option to import and edit RAW files to preserve image data, do selective adjustments and apply preset filters. 
 

While it may not have a dedicated red-eye removal tool, Snapseed makes it easy to mitigate this issue by using the Selective tool to desaturate red tones in the eye area.
 

Cymera

Cymera is a popular photo editing app often used for enhancing selfies and portraits. Since the absence of the red-eye effect is a major improvement in any portrait enhancing process, Cymera also includes a dedicated red-eye removal option – once again, included in the main editing menu for ease of access. 
 

With Cymera, you can also combine multiple photos into creative collage using the many layout available, apply beautification effects in real time and have fun with a massive collection of stickers, filters and AR effects. 
 

Flixier

While Flixier may not have a dedicated red-eye removal tool (yet), it’s still a fantastic choice for those looking for more creative flexibility in photo editing (as well as video editing of course) – without having to download any app or sign up for an account.
 

With Flixier, you can tweak your images by adjusting color, vibrance, contrast, and brightness. You can also apply colorful filters, tweak perspective, and share your edited photos online as soon as they’re ready!
 

If you’re feeling extra creative or want to turn your latest photo session into something special – like a slideshow, for example – Flixier’s got your back. You can easily stitch multiple photos together, add animations, transitions, text, and anything else you need  to transform your images into a memorable story
 

Alternative DIY fixes

When everything else fails – or you simply don’t want to invest any time or money into a tool that promises to rid you of red eyes in photos –  that’s when you have to get really creative. Here’s a few extra DIY tricks you can try in this case: 

• Turn your photo black & white

If there’s no color, there’s no red-eye, simple as that! Converting your photos to black and white, especially close-up portraits, can also add a more dramatic, artistic or moody touch to them. As the saying goes – two birds, one stone.
 

• Cover it up with stickers

Especially if you’re posting your pictures on social media, adding stickers or emoji over the eyes can be a quick and playful fix for red-eyes. If you’re feeling really quirky, you can even add a sunglasses sticker to make your subject look effortlessly cool. 

• Redirect attention

If there’s nothing you can do about red eyes, try to draw attention somewhere else on the photo. Adjust the exposure to highlight certain areas, such as the background, or other subjects that aren’t affected by red-eye in the same way. You can also apply a vignette effect to subtly darken the edges of the photo and "distract" viewers from what's happening in the center.