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Red eye is the reflection of light directly from the blood rich retina (the normally black back of the eye with the light sensitive cells) from the flash being so bright and too close to the lens.
There are a number of ways this can be dealt with.
The most useful advice for the compact camera use is to check the camera manual to see if it sends out a bright 'pre-flash' to cause the pupils of the eyes to close in reflex. This reduces the amount of retina exposed to the 'real flash', but the small pupil size may not look natural.
Another alternative, but does require you to know how to set your camera up, is to increase the sensitivity of the cameras sensor, what is called the ISO. With an increased sensitivity you may not need to use the flash. If you can also increase the amount of natural light by opening curtains, or increase the amount of artificial light, this will all help the camera. Normally cameras are set up for an ISO of 200, but increasing this to 400, or 800, or greater may mean you don't use the flash. It is of course now a trade off between no red eye and what is called 'noise' in the image - bright pixels, and a kind haziness, which begins to affect the very dark and light areas of the image when the sensitivity is too high. The quality of the image will depend on the quality of the sensor.
If possible move the flash away from the axis of the lens. Impossible of course on a compact camera with a fixed flash and that is why camera companies have spent a lot of research and development money and time in reducing the effect in other ways. Worth pointing out that professionals rarely use the built in flashes and enjoy the power of a larger 'off camera' flashgun. Mind you, they do not come cheap, there is always a cost benefit trade-off when we are budgeting for a camera. I also almost always angle the head of my flashgun or 'bounce' the light of the ceiling or walls, again this requires a powerful flash as a lot of the light is lost with the extra distance it has to travel. It also helps to reduce the sharp flash shadow around the people in the picture.
If you have images with red eye all is not lost. Most software, including that which is free on the web, will have a facility to de-saturate the red in the eyes. Before I used Photoshop I used a program called 'GIMP' which my son put me onto. It is a free and very powerful downloadable photo editing program worth looking at if you are serious about making your images 'pop' from the screen at no extra cost except for time.
There are a number of ways this can be dealt with.
The most useful advice for the compact camera use is to check the camera manual to see if it sends out a bright 'pre-flash' to cause the pupils of the eyes to close in reflex. This reduces the amount of retina exposed to the 'real flash', but the small pupil size may not look natural.
If possible move the flash away from the axis of the lens. Impossible of course on a compact camera with a fixed flash and that is why camera companies have spent a lot of research and development money and time in reducing the effect in other ways. Worth pointing out that professionals rarely use the built in flashes and enjoy the power of a larger 'off camera' flashgun. Mind you, they do not come cheap, there is always a cost benefit trade-off when we are budgeting for a camera. I also almost always angle the head of my flashgun or 'bounce' the light of the ceiling or walls, again this requires a powerful flash as a lot of the light is lost with the extra distance it has to travel. It also helps to reduce the sharp flash shadow around the people in the picture.
If you have images with red eye all is not lost. Most software, including that which is free on the web, will have a facility to de-saturate the red in the eyes. Before I used Photoshop I used a program called 'GIMP' which my son put me onto. It is a free and very powerful downloadable photo editing program worth looking at if you are serious about making your images 'pop' from the screen at no extra cost except for time.
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