In Lightroom you can whiten teeth and brighten eyes in a portrait by brushing a mask over each area and making small changes to exposure, saturation, and contrast. The key is restraint: subtle edits look natural, while strong ones draw attention to themselves.
Before You Begin
Finish your global edits first, including exposure, white balance, and skin tones. Zoom to 100 percent so you can see the details you are changing. Always work with a mask so only the target area is affected, and keep each change small. The values below are general first values that depend on the photo.
Whitening Teeth
- Open Masking and choose Brush. Set Feather to a medium value and Flow to about 50 to 70 percent.
- Brush over the teeth only. Zoom in and use Erase mode or a smaller brush to clean up the gums and lips.
- Lower Saturation, roughly by 10 to 30 points, to reduce yellow tones.
- Raise Exposure slightly, about 0.1 to 0.3 stops, to brighten them.
- If a yellow tint remains, shift Temperature a little toward blue or lower the yellow in the Color mixer inside that mask.
- Check the result against the face. Teeth should stay a little off-white, with visible shape and shadow between them.
Brightening Eyes
- Create a new brush mask and brush across the iris and pupil, keeping off the eyelashes and skin.
- Raise Exposure by a small amount, roughly 0.2 to 0.4 stops, and add a little Contrast.
- Add Clarity or Texture, about 10 to 20 points, to bring out fine detail in the iris.
- Make a second mask for the whites of the eyes. Reduce redness slightly with a small drop in Saturation, and lift Exposure only a touch.
- Check both eyes for balance, since a mismatch is easy to spot.
Keep It Looking Natural
- Pure white teeth or glowing eyes look artificial. Aim for a gentle improvement.
- Turn the mask overlay on and off to confirm the edges are tidy.
- Compare the before and after by pressing the backslash key.
- Work on a color-managed screen when you can, since brightness differences can fool you.
- Consider the person: some clients like a light touch, so ask what they prefer.
| Area | Typical adjustment | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Teeth | Lower saturation, small exposure lift | Pure white, flat look |
| Iris | Slight exposure, contrast, texture | Glowing, plastic eyes |
| Eye whites | Reduce redness, small lift | Gray or chalky white |
FAQ
Can I use one mask for both teeth and eyes?
It is better to use separate masks, because each area needs different settings and you can fine-tune or delete one without affecting the other.
Why do the teeth look gray after editing?
Too much saturation was removed, or exposure was not raised enough. Lower the saturation change and add a little brightness.
The Short Version
Use separate brush masks for the teeth, the iris, and the eye whites. Lower saturation and add a small lift on teeth, add gentle contrast and texture to the iris, and check at normal size so it all looks natural.
