My Partner

[gsgary]

My Partner is not keen on having her photo taken because her teeth have darkened over the years because of diabetes is there anything i can do to whiten them
Regards
Garyhttp://gsgary.smugmug.com/photos/19146223-M.jpg

[spockling]

My Partner is not keen on having her photo taken because her teeth have darkened over the years because of diabetes is there anything i can do to whiten them
Regards
Gary

Gary how about this? All I did was use the lasso tool to select the teeth and then do a selective color layer, chose yellow, and played with the sliders.

[digismile]

Gary,

Yes, this is a very easy fix and is a very common Photoshop type edit. I'm at the office right now, so I can't actually do it for you, at least for now.

I don't know what software you use, by here is the basic concept.

1. Select the teeth with some kind of tool. In photoshop, I will often use the magic wand for teeth, as they are often a very different colour from the surrounding skin and select easily. You can also use the lasso tool or a number of other methods. Use what you are most acustomed to. It's important to only select the teeth and not any surrounding skin.

2. We now want to desaturate the colour of the teeth. If you are using Photoshop, I suggest first copying the selected teeth to a new layer. YOu can do this from the keyboard with Ctrl-j.

3. You now want to use whatever command your software uses for Hue/Saturation. In Photoshop, you can do either with an adjustment layer or directly to the photo itself.

In photoshop for HUE/SATURATION adjustment, a dialog box comes up that allows you to change the hue, saturation, and lightness for all colour channels or by the individual colour channels. What I suggest is selecting the Yellow Channel and slide the Saturation slider to the left until you get approx. the colour you want.

Then switch back to Master (all colours) and increase the lightness slider bar to the right, again to taste.

This should give you a pleasing smile!

So again, the basic steps are:
1. Select the teeth
2. Desaturate the colour

I'm sure somebody will through up a sample long before I get home. If not, I'll show you a sample later tonight.

Regards,
Brad

[gsgary]

Thank for the replies, can this be done with Elements 3 if so it is on offer at the shop where i bought my new camera

This is all new to me
Gaz

[digismile]

Thank for the replies, can this be done with Elements 3 if so it is on offer at the shop where i bought my new camera

This is all new to me
Gaz
Yes, Elements 3 will do it fine. I have Elements 3 as well (for my wife to use) and will send you a more detailed step by step instructions later.

Brad

[gsgary]

What do you think to the photo, any tips as i am just learning

Gaz

[digismile]

Hi Gaz,

Here is a quick fix to whiten the teeth. I did this one with Elements 3.0 in about 2-3 minutes. So, a very quick fix.

http://digismile.smugmug.com/photos/19221586-L.jpg

As far as comments on your picture, I think it is a very cute photo of your better half and your dog. What I think could work better for your photo is the lighting. The on camera flash gives some pretty harsh light, particularly on the dog. A very light dog and black clothing also make for some difficult lighting/metering for the camera.

So, my 2 cents would be to keep up the spontaneity of your photos, but try to use more natural light. Using your flash for fill flash is OK.

Regards,
Brad

[gsgary]

Hi Gaz,

Here is a quick fix to whiten the teeth. I did this one with Elements 3.0 in about 2-3 minutes. So, a very quick fix.

http://digismile.smugmug.com/photos/19221586-L.jpg

As far as comments on your picture, I think it is a very cute photo of your better half and your dog. What I think could work better for your photo is the lighting. The on camera flash gives some pretty harsh light, particularly on the dog. A very light dog and black clothing also make for some difficult lighting/metering for the camera.

So, my 2 cents would be to keep up the spontaneity of your photos, but try to use more natural light. Using your flash for fill flash is OK.

Regards,
Brad

Thanks for the comments and advice, the photo was taken in a very small and dark public house (bar) out in the country with my old camera so hopefully with the new camera it should get better
Regards
Gaz