What's the secret or trick for eyes?

[kklabunde]

I have seen lots of professional photos where the eyes seem to REALLY stand out - extremely bright and intense color plus incredible detail. How is this done? Is it part of the photo capture, or something done later. I would really like to take people shots like this.

K20D
DA*16-50

[timk]

Theres a good walk through here I bookmarked.
Talk Photography

[adamkean]

reflectors can make a huge difference - nothing fancy but a must have for outdoor shots to capture detail in the eyes

[Ash]

Don't forget the use PS has in sharpening the eyes...

[Wheatfield]

Generally, you'll do one layer dedicated just to making the eyes look good and put it under the skin texture layer. After that, it becomes a matter of selectively erasing the top layer to show the eyes from the layer below.
This is very easy to overdo and make the eyes look kinda glassy/zombie.

[EricT]

I personally think this is often done in a way too over-the-top way, making people look like porcelain dolls. However, it goes something like this:
First you need to make sure the eyes are perfectly in-focus, and sharp. There's also often an off-camera flash involved, to produce a highlight in the pupils. Then, you use the dodge&burn tool, set to dodge, midtones, about 10-20 exposure, to brighten the eyes. Finally, do some selective sharpening to the eyes.

[kibipod]

Most photos that you see are a combination of sharp focus on eyes while taking the photos and PS adjustments in post processing.

[mysticcowboy]

Almost every pro glamor photo gets a lot of post processing (google photoshop eye touch up) but it also gets very careful lighting. For a gentle introduction try the Strobist blog.

[Barnster]

Originally Posted by EricT

I personally think this is often done in a way too over-the-top way, making people look like porcelain dolls. However, it goes something like this:
First you need to make sure the eyes are perfectly in-focus, and sharp. There's also often an off-camera flash involved, to produce a highlight in the pupils. Then, you use the dodge&burn tool, set to dodge, midtones, about 10-20 exposure, to brighten the eyes. Finally, do some selective sharpening to the eyes.

It is overdone.Just have a look on the front cover of a popular magazine.Everything is perfect.

[dave9t5]

Originally Posted by kklabunde

I have seen lots of professional photos where the eyes seem to REALLY stand out - extremely bright and intense color plus incredible detail. How is this done? Is it part of the photo capture, or something done later. I would really like to take people shots like this.

K20D
DA*16-50

As mysticcowboy said, lighting is important. Adding fill-flash helps in most situations. Ring-flashes really make eyes pop, no directional shadows at all.

[cbaytan]

Originally Posted by timk

Theres a good walk through here I bookmarked.
Talk Photography

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