whiten teeth in photoshop!

Posted on May 18, 2017October 5, 2021 by graphicsgrrrl@gmail.com

whiten teeth in photoshop!

graphics grrrl

No one wants to have yellow teeth. But don’t worry, even if you can’t get to a dentist, you can whiten your smile–at least in pictures–with Photoshop!

In this video, I show you how you can whiten and brighten teeth IN ONE STEP!

And if you want more detail, I also show you how you can do it IN TWO STEPS with an alternate method at the end.

If you are fixing stubborn yellow teeth–especially ones that are discolored unevenly throughout the enamel–you might want to watch until the end to have a one-two punch to brighten ANY smile in Photoshop!

And if you need Photoshop, you can download your FREE 30-day trial of Photoshop here.

Get the exact high-res iStock image used in this tutorial for FREE so you can follow along and practice:

FREE istock photo download!

To whiten teeth in Photoshop in ONE step:

Select the DODGE tool ( ) and “paint” with it on the teeth, checking its OPTIONS at the top:
– MIDTONES or SHADOWS (depending on your photo)
– low exposure (~20% or less), and
– a fuzzy brush set small enough to avoid the gum line

That’s it! Try not to go over the same exact area redundantly or it may brighten it too much and look artificial. You can use the DODGE tool to brighten the whites of the eyes or dark circles under the eye as well!
This method is especially effective to brighten translucent areas of the tooth’s enamel OR to avoid whiter spots on the tooth’s surface caused by too much fluoride.

To whiten teeth in Photoshop in two steps:
(or you may decide to do this solution IN COMBINATION with the dodge tool method above)

Select the teeth carefully, separating them from the gums with the selection tool of your choice: magnetic lasso ( ), magic wand ( ), or quick selection tool ( )
Go to IMAGE / ADJUSTMENTS / HUE-SATURATION (ctrl/cmnd U) and select just the YELLOWS from the MASTERS dropdown menu to:
a) reduce the saturation and
b) increase the lightness

In the dialog box, be sure to check the PREVIEW to see your changes to your photo before you click OK.

For best results, I encourage you to watch the quick tip video above to see the whitening magic in action!

Click to tweet:

whiten teeth–even if they are unevenly discolored– in Photoshop with 1 step!

~graphics grrrl

I use a subscription-based stock art agency, iStock, because it allows me 25 downloads a day vs. paying per image. This is what works best for me since I work on a variety of projects for many clients. You may have different needs and can opt just to download what YOU need! I really like that istock has a streamlined search to find work by the same photographer or find similar images—a great time saver!