How to Get Rid of White Eye in Photos

You snap the perfect photo, capturing a one-of-a-kind moment. Later, though, as you prepare to post the image on social media, you notice something you didn't see when you glanced at your phone screen. One or more of the people in your photo has a glaring white dot in the center of the eye. Fortunately, you can fix flash eyes, sometimes using the editing tools built into your phone. If not, you can download software with white eye remover as one of the editing features.

If you see white eye in iPhone pictures or Android photos, you probably used a flash when you took the photo. The white dot you're seeing is a result of something called "white reflex," which happens when light reflects off the optic nerve. It has to do with the camera angle.

There is no white eye remover included with standard smart phone photo-editing tools. You can try the red eye removal tool, but you'll probably find that it doesn't do much. Instead, you'll need to either download an app or pull the photo to your computer, where you can use a tool like Photoshop, Paint or Apple Photos to fix the white spot.

The first thing you'll probably notice when you try to edit your photos, no matter the app you use, is that red eye removal tools simply don't work. To fix the issue, you'll need to drop color into the white area, trying to match it using the color palette provided.

To fix white eye in iPhone pictures, you'll need to download an app or import the photo in question to your computer. If you have a Mac, you can fix it using the Photos app, but you'll need to use the Markup add-on, represented by three dots in the ribbon at the top of the screen. There you can use the brush tool to drop color onto the spot. If you have a Windows machine, import the photo and use Microsoft Paint or Adobe Photoshop to drop the appropriate color onto the spot.

You don't have to use a computer to fix flash eyes. There are plenty of apps you can put on your phone, many of which are free. Photoshop Express and VSCO are two of many powerful, yet free, apps for editing photos on your phone.

Of course, one of the best things you can do is to avoid white eye in the first place. You'll probably never need white eye remover if you don't use the flash on your camera. Instead use filters or adjust the brightness after you've taken the photo. You can also shift the direction you're facing to capture more light or move the subjects to a better-lit area. Just a few extra steps could take you valuable time in editing.