First, what you shouldn't do: just brighten teeth using editing tools like the histogram adjustment, levels, or brightness control. I've seen novice photographers use the lasso to select a mouthful of teeth and then apply a powerful whitening agent. The results can be frighteningly unrealistic. Instead, I'm going to show you a more subtle approach: a two-step process in which you start by scrubbing off the yellow, and then gently whiten the teeth. You'll mimic the effect of adding $10,000 worth of veneers at the dentist's office--for free, since it's only digital.

Let's start by opening a photo of someone with some teeth to whiten. I'll use , but the two tools we're going to use are readily available in many photo editors.

In the photo I've chosen, none of the teeth are especially bad, but both smiles can be improved. Zoom in on the teeth so they mostly fill the screen--that way you can get a much better look at what you're trying to do. Then choose the Sponge tool. In Photoshop Elements, it shares the same cubby as the Dodge and Burn tools. Collectively, these three tools are second from the bottom of the toolbar on the left side of the screen.