Correcting Green Eye in Animals

Ask Tim Grey


eNewsletter

August 20, 2010

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Today's Question:

In people we now have several ways to remove red eye but in animals especially dogs we have a “green eye”. What is the best way to remove this?

Tim's Answer:

Actually, my preferred method for removing green eye in animals is the exact same as my preferred method for removing red eye for people. This is a two step approach I take in Photoshop, which separates the color and tonal adjustment to maximize the degree of control you're able to exercise.

The first step is to create a new layer that will allow you to correct the color in the eyes. Click on the Background image layer to make it the active layer, and then hold the Alt key (Option key on Macintosh) and click the Create New Adjustment layer button (with the blank sheet of paper icon) at the bottom of the Layers panel. Because you were holding Alt/Option key, the New Layer dialog will appear. You can type a new name for the layer (such as Color Fix), and change the Mode to Color. Then click OK. Select the Brush tool, set the foreground color to black (you can simply press "D" to set the colors to their defaults) and make sure the brush has the Hardness set to 0% using the Brush popup on the Options bar. Adjust the brush size using the left and right square bracket keys (left square bracket to reduce the brush size and right square bracket to increase the brush size). Then simply paint on the eye to remove the color, producing gray eyes instead of green (or red, or any other color).

At this point the color has been corrected, but the eyes will likely appear far too bright. To correct this you'll want to use a similar technique, but with a different blend mode. Hold the Alt key (Option key on Macintosh) and click the Create New Adjustment layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel. In the New Layer dialog type a new name for the layer (such as Tone Fix), and change the Mode to Overlay. Then click OK. With the Brush tool, paint with black (the brush should still be configured properly from the prior step) to darken the eyes. Don't worry that the effect is too strong at this point. When you're done painting to darken the eyes, reduce the Opacity for the Tone Fix layer using the control at the top-right of the Layers panel.

I cover this technique for correting red eye (which can also be used for animals to correct a similar effect that appears with a different color) in one of the video tutorials on my "Photoshop Hands-On: Image Cleanup" DVD. You can order this instructional video DVD at a discounted price of only $15 through my online store here:

http://www.timgrey.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=DVDImageCleanup

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