Fix a tight-lipped smile in a photo

Pressed your lips together when someone said "smile"? Turn a tight, closed smile into your natural one in the photo you already have. Everything else stays the same.

Retouch in your browser Coming soon on theApp Store

Or retouch in your browser

Before: A pressed-lips smile on a rooftop at night, then a relaxed smile with the Smile dial. The eyes, the freckles and the earrings stay the same. The person is AI-generated. — A pressed-lips smile on a rooftop at night, then a relaxed smile with the Smile dial. The eyes, the freckles and the earrings stay the same. The person is AI-generated.

After: A pressed-lips smile on a rooftop at night, then a relaxed smile with the Smile dial. The eyes, the freckles and the earrings stay the same. The person is AI-generated. — A pressed-lips smile on a rooftop at night, then a relaxed smile with the Smile dial. The eyes, the freckles and the earrings stay the same. The person is AI-generated.

To fix a tight-lipped smile in a photo, check a Live Photo or burst for a frame where your smile relaxed. If there isn't one, open the smile a little with a retouching tool such as Glowly, which redraws your mouth and cheeks and leaves your eyes, hair and background as they were.

A tight-lipped smile happens when you're asked to smile on the spot. You press your lips together, the corners go up, and your cheeks don't follow, so the photo looks polite instead of happy. Most people do it when they're unsure how their teeth look, or when the photographer takes too long.

Free options first

Live Photo. On iPhone, tap Edit, then the Live Photo button, and look for the moment just after the shot, when people usually relax and smile for real. Set it as the key photo.
The burst. The last frames of a burst often catch a better smile, after someone laughs at how long it took.
Next time: breathe out, think of something funny, and let your lips part slightly. Our guide on smiling naturally in photos has more.

How to fix it with Glowly

Open the web editor in any phone or computer browser, or Glowly on iPhone, and choose the photo.
Tap Smile and turn the dial a little toward Smile. Your lips part and your cheeks lift the way they do in your own smile.
Press and hold the photo to compare with the original, then save.

Glowly draws the smile with your own mouth and teeth, so it looks like you on a good day. Your eyes follow the smile slightly, as they do in real life. Your face shape, skin and the background are left as they were.

Getting it to look right

Small steps. The difference between a tight smile and a relaxed one is small. A little turn of the dial is often enough.
Match the moment. A soft smile fits a portrait or a profile photo; a big grin can look out of place in a quiet scene.
Zoom in on the teeth. Check the smile at full size before you save.

If you weren't smiling at all, read how to add a smile to a photo. If your smile looked fake rather than tight, see fix a forced smile.

Why does my smile look tight in photos?

Smiling on cue makes most people press their lips together, and the cheeks don't lift the way they do in a real smile. It's common and has nothing to do with how your smile actually looks.

Will it give me someone else's teeth?

No. Glowly uses your own mouth and teeth. If your lips were closed, it shows only as much as your own smile would.

Can I fix it for free?

Sometimes. A Live Photo or burst may already have a better frame. If not, Glowly is free to preview. In the web editor there's nothing to install and no account needed to try; 3 full-size saves cost $1.99. On iPhone your first 2 saves are free.

What happens to my photo?

Your original is never changed. Originals and unsaved edits are deleted from our servers after 7 days. See the privacy policy.

How to smile naturally in photos (and fix a forced smile)Why camera smiles look forced, how to get a real one while the photo is being taken, and how to fix a stiff smile in a photo you already have.
How to look natural in photos when you feel awkward on cameraWhy you look stiff in photos even when you feel fine, and practical ways to look relaxed and like yourself, from posture and hands to where to look.
Why do I look different in photos than in the mirror?The mirror flips you, phone cameras stretch faces up close, and light and timing do the rest. What's really going on, and what to do about it.

Fix something else

Fix closed eyes in a photoBlinked in the one good photo? Open your eyes in the photo you already have. Only your eyes change; the light, the room and your expression stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a group photoBlinked in the group photo where everyone else looks great? Open your own eyes in that photo. Everyone else, and everything around you, stays exactly as it was.
Fix closed eyes in a photo on iPhoneThe iPhone Photos app can't open closed eyes, but there are three ways to fix a blink on iPhone, two of them free. Here's which to try first.
Fix a forced smile in a photoA stiff, held-too-long smile can make a good photo look awkward. Soften it into a natural one in the photo you already have, and keep everything else.
Fix half-closed eyes in a photoEyes caught halfway through a blink, or squinting in the sun? Open them a little in the photo you already have. Only your eyes change; the light, the place and your smile stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a graduation photoBlinked in your graduation photo? Open your eyes in the photo you already have, from the ceremony, the campus or the family shot. Only your eyes change.
Fix closed eyes when you laughed in a photoLaughed so hard your eyes shut in the best photo of the night? Open your eyes and keep the laugh. Your smile, the light and the background stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a night photoBlinked in the one good photo from a night out? Open your eyes in the photo you already have. Your smile, the city lights and the background stay as they were.
Fix closed eyes in a wedding photoBlinked in a wedding photo? Ask the photographer for the next frame, or open your own eyes in the photo you have. Everyone else and the moment stay exactly as they were.
Fix your head tilted down in a photoChin down and looking up at the camera, so you look tired or moody? Lift your chin a little in the photo you already have. Your face, hair and background stay the same.
Fix looking angry in a photoLook annoyed in a photo when you felt fine? Relax lowered brows in the photo you already have. Your face, the light and the background stay as they were.
Add a smile to a photoLooked serious in a photo you otherwise love? Add a natural, closed or open smile to your own face, and leave the rest of the photo untouched.
Fix squinting in a photoSquinted in the sun in a photo you otherwise like? Open your eyes a little in the photo you already have. The sunlight, the place and your smile stay as they were.
Fix looking tired in a photoLook tired in a photo taken late or in dim light? Open heavy eyes a little and lift the light on your face, in the photo you already have.
Make your dating profile photo betterYour best dating photo is often one you already have, minus a blink or a stiff smile. Fix the moment, keep the person, and put your best real photo first.