Secret iPhoto editing mode
The application iPhoto is used to manage digital photographs and quicktime videos taken on your digital camera.
I use iPhoto for offloading digital pictures and video clips from my camera and modifying the pictures and cataloging the videos on it. The Quicktime videos can be moved to iTunes for cataloging and playback. You can also use iMovie for digital movie clips and stills.
The secret editing mode gives you much better control over the Red Eye and Retouching tools. You can adjust the size of the Redeye and Retouch tools and the intensity of the Retouch tools. The Redeye tool now shows up as a round center in a oval cross hair. The Retouch tool now allows you to control the size and of the tool and the intensity.
I found this information on the OS X Hints website.
To activate this mode, double-click an image you’d like to edit. This switches you into edit mode.
With either the Red-Eye or Retouch tool active, press ctrl+caps-lock+9 key. Now press the tab key to see the cursor change to advanced mode.
Use the bracket keys ( [ ] ) to increase or decrease the area of coverage. Use the curly brace keys ( { } ) to increase or decrease the intensity.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:37 am
David, many thanks, great tip !! It finally enabled me to reduce a couple of nasty red-eye’s that were not removed correctly by the automatic tool !!
Small request: could you also file this tip under “iPhoto” - makes it easier to find it back.
December 11th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
[...] Allow me to completely rip this one off from MacWork.com, a blog I discovered today. There’s a way to enable a secret editing mode in iPhoto, allowing you to manipulate the size and intensity of the Red-Eye and Retouch tools: [...]
December 11th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
I tried it, and nothing happened.
control-capslock-9
right?
Nothing on multiple attempts
December 11th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
It doesn’t work for me, either, but I’m using iPhoto *5*. The tip is probably for iPhoto 6.
As a general rule, ALWAYS indicate the version of an application and/or OS you’re using when you post a tip. It will save a lot of confusion and headaches.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
It does indeed work. If you finish the reading instructions, you will see that you have to press TAB to see the cursor change. Once you do, Voila! Great tip.
December 11th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
Thanks to Jean-Pierre Bollen for recognizing it was miscategorized, we hopefully made this tip easier to find!
December 15th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
Hi, great tip! But I don’t have to start with ctrl+caps-lock+9 key thing: while editing a photo, I just have to hit the TAB key to change the cursor.I didn’t found the way to increase or change intensity with the bracket keys ( [ ] ) neither with the curly brace keys ( { } ). The only thing working is each time I hit the TAB key the cursor change to two or three diffent icon.
December 15th, 2006 at 10:35 pm
Okay, I didn’t thought about this but I have a French keyboard and to enable the “increase size” and the “change intensity” functions, I understand that I must set my keyboard layout to U.S. in the International System Preferences.
Now it work very well.
See : http://www.macosxhints.com/comment.php?mode=view&cid=74480
December 19th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
[...] Macwork has a great tip for iPhoto users. [...]
December 22nd, 2006 at 3:20 pm
You don’t have to do the ctrl+caps-lock+9 key thing to access the advanced mode in iPhoto 6. Just use the TAB key while editing with the retouch or Red-eye tool to change the mode. To change intensity, hold the SHIFT key when using the brackets.
February 1st, 2007 at 2:37 am
[...] Sekrit iPhoto Uber-Editing Mode (tags: cool useful apple reference) [...]
February 13th, 2007 at 9:31 am
i cant figure it out! i pressed the ctrl+caps-lock+9key and nothing happened?? even after i pressed the tab button?
April 17th, 2007 at 10:51 am
it doesn’t work on the macbooks…probably not the macbook pro’s either…but it does work on the desktops
November 1st, 2007 at 3:05 pm
i have a mac book pro w/iphoto 6 and sometimes i get the special red-eye reducer using “caps lock + ctrl + 9″ then “tab”. and sometimes i doesn’t work. very frustrating. anyone else having this problem?
December 14th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Well I have a MacBook and nothing happens for me either. I was trying to use it with the Red-eye tool which as it is, s****. Why is it that the ctrl-caps lock-9 thing does not work on the laptops? I tell you, I have had this mac for 4 months now and overall, I wish I had bought a PC.