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How to Fix Red Eye in a Photo

5 min read
Quick Answer

To remove red eye from a photo, upload your image to EditThisPic and type 'fix the red eye' or 'remove red eye from this photo.' The AI detects the unnatural red glow in pupils caused by flash and replaces it with natural-looking dark pupils and iris detail. Works on multiple people at once. Free, no signup.

What Causes Red Eye and Why It Ruins Photos

Red eye is that eerie red glow in a person's pupils caused by camera flash reflecting off blood vessels in the retina. It happens most in low-light settings where pupils are dilated wide open, giving the flash a direct path to the back of the eye. The result turns a great moment into something that looks demonic. Nearly every flash photo from the pre-smartphone era has it, and it still shows up in modern indoor shots when flash fires.

Common Red Eye Situations

  • Indoor party and event photos with flash
  • Holiday dinner and celebration group shots
  • Old family photos from film cameras with built-in flash
  • Pet photos with green, yellow, or white eye-shine
  • Childhood school portraits taken with studio flash
  • Nightclub and concert photos with direct flash

AI vs Manual Red Eye Removal

Traditional photo editors make you click on each red pupil individually, draw a selection circle, and hope the replacement color looks natural. With multiple people in a group shot, this gets tedious fast. AI skips all of that — it scans every face in the photo, identifies which pupils have red-eye artifacts, and corrects them all in one pass. It also distinguishes between actual red eye and intentionally red elements like clothing, lipstick, or red-colored contacts, so it only fixes what needs fixing.

Fixing Pet Eye Glow

Animals get a different version of red eye. Dogs often show green or yellow eye-shine, cats get bright green or blue, and some animals produce white or orange glow. This happens because many animals have a reflective layer behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum. The fix is the same — describe what you see. 'Fix the glowing green eyes on the dog' or 'remove the yellow eye-shine from the cat.' The AI adjusts for animal eye anatomy and produces natural-looking results.

Getting the Best Results

For a standard group photo, 'fix the red eye' handles everything automatically. If only specific people are affected, narrow it down: 'fix the red eye on the two people in the center.' If the correction makes eyes look too dark or flat, ask for 'fix red eye but keep the natural iris color visible.' For very old or low-resolution photos where the eyes are small, the AI may need a nudge: 'the small red dots in the eyes are red-eye artifacts, please fix them.'

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Upload Your Photo

Drop your image into EditThisPic. Works with any format — JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP. Handles portraits, group shots, selfies, and pet photos.

2

Ask AI to Fix the Red Eye

Type 'remove the red eye' or 'fix red eye in this photo.' For pet photos, describe the specific glow: 'fix the green eye-shine on the cat.' The AI processes all affected eyes at once.

3

Check the Results

Zoom in on the eyes to verify the red glow is gone and the pupils look natural. Make sure iris color and detail are preserved. If any eyes were missed, describe which ones need fixing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Upload your photo to EditThisPic and type 'fix the red eye.' The AI automatically detects every pupil with red-eye flash artifacts and restores natural eye color. It handles multiple faces in one pass — no manual clicking required.
Yes. The AI scans all faces in the image and corrects red eye on everyone affected in a single edit. For large group shots, it identifies which people have red eye and leaves everyone else untouched.
It does. Pets get green, yellow, or white eye-shine instead of red. Describe what you see: 'fix the glowing green eyes on the dog.' The AI adjusts for animal eye anatomy and produces natural results.
No. The AI only replaces the red flash artifact and preserves your natural iris color. If the result looks too dark, try 'fix red eye but keep the brown iris visible' to retain more detail.
Absolutely. Red eye was extremely common with film cameras that had built-in flash. Scan the print and upload it — the AI handles old photos and lower resolution scans without issue.
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