Most of us didn’t know that there is an advanced editing mode in iPhoto 06. I just learned it today and it’s rather useful. This is how it works.

Open iPhoto, pick an image and double-click on it to open it in the editor view. Now press Control-CapsLock-9 to switch the advanced edit mode. No, I’m not on drugs, it is Caps Lock key we use here.

Nothing has happened, now what? Select either Retouch tool and press the tab on your keyboard a few times. You will see the tool pointer (or cursor if you like to call it that way) will change between normal mode, enhanced mode (see below) and lighten mode.

When in enhanced mode, you can change the size of the pointer by pressing [ key or ] key (left or right square brackets). To change intensity, that is the number below the pointer, simply press { to decrease or } to increase it.

retouch.jpg

Similarly with Red Eye tool, if you press tab, the pointer will toggle between standard and enhanced mode. In the enhanced mode you can change its size by using square bracket keys again.

Once you close the iPhoto, the enhanced mode is off, so you’ll need to switch it on next time you need it.

One thing I don’t like about this is that Caps Lock stays on once you finished editing. If you are like me, you can type half the page without looking at the screen and then … argh!