Free Red-eye Correction Web Service Helps HP Research

Hewlett Packard Research is perfecting its software methods for

automatically removing photo flash red-eye with its <a

href="http://www.redbot.net">RedBot.net</a> service. By submitting

photos to this service you can help them make it better, and have

your JPEG red-eye photos fixed for free!

<p>

Red-eye is that familiar problem where a subject's eyes in a flash

photograph appear red instead of their normal color. As shown below

the photo on the left is how the image should appear (as corrected by

RedBot) while the photo on the right is what the camera produced.

<img src="/news/graphics/redbot370.jpg">

<p>

The reason this happens is best illustrated in the graphic below

(from http://FAQ.redbot.net). In humans the red color observed is due

to the direct reflection of the flash off the blood vessels of the

retina. The camera captures both the burst of light AND the reddish

hue of the reflection. The more compact the camera the worse the

effect is --the closer to the flash the lens is the more likely you

are to get red-eye.

When-ever the angle beta is less than alpha red-eye will occur.

<img src="/news/graphics/red-eye.gif">

<p>

Past approaches to mitigate this effect simply strobe the eye prior

to the exposure to reduce the pupil size -a technique employed in

almost all camera. A pre-flash is expensive from a power perspective

and has limited efficiency. Besides not always reducing red-eye,

subjects --especially children-- often presume the initial flash is

for the photo, then move to ruin the composition not realizing the

actual photograph is moments later.

<p>

Using a single flash with post-exposure software correction is less

expensive from a power perspective and is ideal for today's tiny

cameras and cell phone cameras where power is at a premium and the

red-eye effect is exacerbated.

<p>

RedBot actually employs three algorithms: one based on face

detection, an eye-detector-based algorithm, and one licensed from

FotoNation Inc.

of San Francisco. Each photo submitted to RedBot uses one of these

algorithms selected at random. The Web service logs the details and

records feedback from the user.

<p>

This wide testing helps improve red-eye correction performance for

HP's cameras and printers. The HP R707 was the first camera to have

red-eye correction built in.

<p>

Several thousand users have already corrected their red-eye photos

with RedBot and have been pleased with the results. Red-eye

corrected JPEG images are returned with the highest quality

preserving the integrity of the original.

<p>

Try it out for your self at <a

href="http://redbot.net">http://redbot.net</a> and tell us what you

think below?

Based on your after shot it looks like it goes from red-eye to cataract-eye. None too pleasing looking.

Does H/P have a free "cataract eye" correction website?

Lol. Richard and Bill really started the discussion in the right direction, the funny one. Points for each of you.

 

I prefer to darken the pupil when correcting red-eyes, not to get this effect.

I can see what the jokers mean about cataracts, but the processed version is an improvement on the original, and people who want an auto fix for this problem will probably like it.

Another humorous aspect is the appended ads: Cure your "red eye" and other ocular problems with DryEye.com. I suppose these are automatically attached to the article based on a computer analysis of the content.

I was very suprised to see how effective red-eye removal works on Photoshop Album (PSA). My wife uses PSA for to organize/catalog her p&s snap shots, and I was suprised and pleased to see how easy and effective PSA removes red eye. My 2 year-old goes from little vampire to little angel with 2 clicks.

My parents opted for a "professional photographer" last year. What they got back was....evidence of an incompetent amateur attempting to remove redeye by painting the entire pupil black, making my parents look like something from a Ted deGrazia painting...

The pupil, as with most people is supposed to be black. In photoshop I add a click circle over the pupil, then erase where the highlight is because that typically doesn't turn black. Then I add a little transparency to the layer I made.

 

Works well for me.

I wanted to avoid having a problem with Cataracts, so I bought a Rincoln!

As a person who just has some photos of family I was thrilled to have the red eyes removed from three photos .... I had tried to remove the red-eye using my Kodak photo-share but couldn't... it left dark blotches on the faces. So, for my family album the results were great. Thank you. June

There is competition :). You can also try out this free online service: http://www.sharp-consult.com/RedEyeRepair.php?L=E&P=1400

 

I hope you will enjoy it.

That's strange, it's so easy to understand that to reduce red eyes you must have black in place of red, and not grey, that I don't undestand how HP can miss it.

I usually select the area, desaturate and darken 40-50%, increasing contrast by 10-15%. It usually works better than automatic red-eye reduction. It seems not too difficult to automate that.