We get a lot of requests for tutorials on enhancing eyes in Photoshop – here’s a video one that hopefully helps those asking:
Of course there are many techniques for most tasks in photoshop – how do you tackle enhancing eyes? Feel free to share your tips in comments below.
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18 Responses to “How to Enhance Eyes in Photoshop [Video Tutorial]” - Add Yours
September 13th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Am I the only one who does not like eye retouches? 90% of the time they are over done and just dont look natural. Some times, it is not because technology allows us to do something that we should.
I try to keep my eye post processing to a ‘normal’ level unless the client wants a all out super processed fashion magazine style portrait.
I have seen more and more people doing post process on baby/kids pictures and I find that a little disturbing. They already have huge eyes relative to the rest of their body, making them pop even more is just too much!
September 13th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Great tutorial! Simple but lots of impact! Of course if you over do it, that’s user error.
September 13th, 2009 at 9:36 am
In my opinion: A constant supply of educational video tutorials are what can or will turn DPS in to if not the absolute best Photography education site available to all. They should charge for this stuff!
thank you DPS for another Great post!
September 13th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
While I don’t like the result of the eye, I did like learning (sort of) how to use the pen tool to create a selection. I’d love to see a detailed instruction for that.
September 13th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I seriously don’t like the pupil replacement, it looks fake and it’s unnecessary. I learnt a bit about the pen tool though ^^
September 13th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I’m going to say qhat quite a few others have said. The pen tool I didn’t really know how to use, I always got angry with it because it wouldn’t work right, but this has helped me learn how to use the pen tool! Getting rid of the pupil I don’t think helped that much, though the changing the colours had a good effect, and didn’t over-do it.
September 14th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Love it… thanks for sharing.
September 14th, 2009 at 1:10 am
I agree that there is a lot of over-doing it on the eyes out there. That said, I do enhance my eyes, slightly, at a very low opacity.
I like the video tutorials – Thanks DPS!!
September 14th, 2009 at 2:01 am
While I may not like the look of the new eye….I do love watching these types of videos to learn about the different tools. Thanks for posting it.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Interesting technique. Always good to learn new techniques regardless of whether we agree to it or not. Thanks!
September 14th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Don´t like it. It´s distracting, awesome ugly imho. After the “retouche” she looks like an alien… All the natural details of the eye are brushed away. Is this the new way to get rid of all the beginners which should not make any money in portrait photography?
Instead of using the dodge, burn and sponge tool: Better use layers with curves, masks and maybe different opacitys to fine control.
Instead of using the sponge (”blurry”) tool: Use a hue/saturation layer and a mask and/or opacity to control the final result.
September 15th, 2009 at 1:01 am
I enjoyed the tutorial, but in many places the work would be better achieved with adjustment layers. That way if you overdo, you can easily go back and repair.
I don’t replace the catchlights, but I might brighten them a bit. I also like to brighten the whites slightly because most people’s whites are not as clear as the model’s.
As others have said, too much eye enhancement is a bad thing. I’m tired of the “psychedelic crack babies” I see all over the place…too much color pop on top of bad eye enhancement.
September 15th, 2009 at 3:16 am
Dodge and burn, baby!
Depending on mood or model, I’ll use adjustment layers/curves. It’s a case by case basis… but I almost never replace the catchlight – dodge it, instead…. occasionally, i’ll add one, if needed.
September 15th, 2009 at 4:38 am
Pretty neat tutorial. I’m just about to do some editing for my wedding photos and video and this will definitely come in handy. Thanks!
September 15th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
As has been said above i think that the end result looks both tacky and fake. Generally when enhancing eyes i just whiten the whites while removing any veins, saturate & brighten up a little using levels. Though the pen tool usage is interesting, am going to try that out now.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
He pretty much just re-created the eye. I think that is a little tacky. Use dodge and burn and that is pretty much it. I also feel like added a lot of saturation is a beginners mistake.
September 18th, 2009 at 6:28 am
i thought it was very informative! i am not sure the fake catch light is a great idea, but maybe for some :-).
what i usually do is clear out the red & yellows from the eye, then sharpen just the eyeball a bit. next, i dodge within the iris and burn the outside of the iris (just like the video), and i burn the pupil. it makes the eyes pop without looking fake, IMHO.
September 27th, 2009 at 2:09 am
It’s a nice method. I think it makes the eye kinda fake, but it’s ok for well produced shots.
When I edit eyes, I try to stay loyal to the original colors of the eye, and instead I play more with the contrast of the iris (luminosity).
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