Tutorials

Compensate for Camera Distort

1/28/2003

Cameras, whether digital or analog, will be subject to distortion caused by the lens. Professional cameras can compensate for this, but the average user does not have the funds necessary to afford these expensive devices. On today's show, I'll show you how to compensate in Photoshop.

If you take a panoramic shot of a cityscape, you'll notice the buildings tend to lean inward toward the top center. To correct this, follow the simple steps I outline below.
1. Duplicate the background (image) into a layer.

2. Display the grid (View>Show>Grid). This will make alignment easier.

3. Zoom out of the image and increase the size of the window so you see a good amount of the gray non-workspace.

4. Choose the Distort tool (Edit>Transform>Distort).

5. Pull the tabs at the upper left and right of the image outward into the gray space. Distort it until the buildings line up with the grid.

6. When you have made enough of an adjustment to satisfy your needs, press Enter and the distortion will take place.

7. Flatten the file and you are done.