Lightroom 3 Adjustment Brush - The "Eyes" Have It

About a month ago we reviewed the Adjustment Brush in Adobe's Lightroom 3.  In the post "Lightroom 3 Adjustment Brush Effects", we sort of skimmed over the various options so today I thought I'd provide a practical example.
Whether you're shooting portraits, weddings or wildlife, making sure the eyes are in focus is a key element to getting a good photo.  Sometimes, however, giving the eyes a little extra boost in post processing can improve your image even more.

Last week I posted a photo I took of a Broad-winged hawk sitting on a power line.  This image was a good candidate for some "iris enhancement" from Lightroom.  It was an overcast, drizzling day, without much light being reflected from the subject's eyes.

Time for a little Lightroom magic.  While in the Develop Module, I selected the Adjustment Brush tool and set the "Effect" to "Iris Enhance".

After selecting the iris, the various sliders were automatically set for a typical iris enhancement.  I fine-tuned the adjustment a little more (which is why the "Effect" shows "Custom" in the above screen shot). 

With just a few simple mouse clicks, the eye of this beautiful raptor was magically transformed (before on the left, after on the right) and really helped to overall feel of the image.

Until next time, keep click'n.

-Ken