Note: Kirk is "the Affordable Full time Professional Wedding Photographer Winsdor, Ontario". Here is the Link to KW Masters Photography.
Introduction:
At first glance, one would think that whitening teeth should be simple. It is but the first route that comes to mind is not the best method and should not be used.
Paint them White:
If the teeth are not white, you might think that by using the select tool and the paint brush with a white color would solve the problem. This solution works somewhat but should be ignored at all costs.
Teeth are more than white pieces of enamel in one's mouth. They have structure, features that give identity to each and everyone of us. There are shadows and highlights, shape and contours which give character to each tooth and it is imperative that we keep them that way.
I am about to give you one of my secrets. I never read anywhere to do it this way, but it makes the best sense and the best method that I know of. Yes, you could buy the PS plugin for whitening teeth, but that seems a bit expensive and may not save a lot of time in this case.
I am going to pull a trick that my mother used to do to whiten the whites in the laundry. This is the first of two methods that I use. My mother used to add bluing agent to the wash. The reason is simple. Most teeth have yellow coloring and by adding just the right amount of blue, yellow turns to white.
Select the teeth of a single person or group if all seem to be the same amount of yellow. Now select the curves, click with the eye dropper and also select the Blue channel. You should see a rather weak histogram with a peak. Now increase the blue channel until the yellow goes away. It is very critical that you don't turn the teeth blue. I get it close and manually type in the adjustment. It is amazing how 1 or 2 points can make a big change.
Masters-Tip: Use the blue channel of the curves tool to add blue to yellow to make white.
Now I have a second method, which I also happen to like. It is again something that I discovered in PS. Again, select your teeth being as careful as possible. This time go to the Image, Adjustment, Hue/Saturation tool. Reduce the saturation of the image until the yellow disappears.
Masters-Tip:http://kwmastersphoto.com/London-Wedding-Photographer.html Reduce the yellowing of teeth by using the saturation tool and reducing the color saturation until the yellow disappears.
Summary:
Most people like to have their teeth whitened in PS. Check first with your client when doing any touch-ups to get their approval or you may end-up re-doing your work. Each PS touch-ups should be small in nature, normally not more than 15% difference. By using one of these two techniques, you significantly enhance your images, especially on head shots. Avoid just painting away the yellow and features of the teeth. Enjoy.
Kirk is a Professional Wedding Photographer in Windsor Ontario Canada. In appreciation if you would be so kind as to give a G+ and a Facebook Like KW Masters Photography on his Facebook page.
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