canonman
18th April 2008, 09:14 AM
So many good images can be ruined by the dreaded "tilted horizon". Always better to make the capture quickly (perhaps sacrificing composition for speed), than lose the opportunity forever.
The most common and widely used method for straightening a horizon, is by using the "crop" tool, then rotating the crop preview to match the horizon, then performing the subsequent crop. In many cases, this method is acceptable, and is very quick and direct. The big downside of this method, is that often large and significant elements of the image are sacrificed. Below I will outline an alternative to "cropping", which will level a horizon without sacrificing any of the image. Please note however, that this method will create a "distortion" of varying degrees dependent on the amount of leveling required. This "distortion" in 99% of cases will go completely un-noticed in the end result, and will be preferable to losing areas of the image.
Always remember to work on a duplicate image, closing the original so that it remains safe in your library (should something nasty happen).
In Photoshop work like this .....
1. Open your duplicate image with the leaning horizon.
2. On the top bar of PS go to...."Layer"......"Duplicate Layer"....leave the default name as "background copy" and click "OK".
3. You will now have two icons displaying identical images, ensure that the "background copy" layer is the active layer (highlighted in blue), if at any stage it isn't, click on the layer title adjacent the icon this will then turn blue telling you that this is the "active" layer.
4. At the top bar go to "View" ...... "rulers". This will give you a screen with a tool for guiding your adjustment. In the top left corner you will see a tiny pair of intersecting dotted lines. Grab these with your cursor and pull down the page. The line can be used to compare against when you do the adjustments, it will spring back out of sight when you leave go.
5. Now go to "edit"....."transform"........"warp". A grid will appear over the image. Along the top edge of the grid you will see "Knots" or "handles" at the line intersection points. By grabbing these and moving them upward one at a time working from left to right, you can tease the horizon straight. Keep pulling down the ruler to ensure that your adjustments are exact.
6. When happy with the result, click onto the top (black solid arrow) tool in the tool palette, this will bring up a window.....click "apply" and the image is transformed.
7. Now go to "Layer" .... "flatten image" and save it with an appropriate name to the destination of your choice.
This is a little less direct than with the "cropping" method, but can be invaluable in retaining all of the image elements.
Enjoy !!
The most common and widely used method for straightening a horizon, is by using the "crop" tool, then rotating the crop preview to match the horizon, then performing the subsequent crop. In many cases, this method is acceptable, and is very quick and direct. The big downside of this method, is that often large and significant elements of the image are sacrificed. Below I will outline an alternative to "cropping", which will level a horizon without sacrificing any of the image. Please note however, that this method will create a "distortion" of varying degrees dependent on the amount of leveling required. This "distortion" in 99% of cases will go completely un-noticed in the end result, and will be preferable to losing areas of the image.
Always remember to work on a duplicate image, closing the original so that it remains safe in your library (should something nasty happen).
In Photoshop work like this .....
1. Open your duplicate image with the leaning horizon.
2. On the top bar of PS go to...."Layer"......"Duplicate Layer"....leave the default name as "background copy" and click "OK".
3. You will now have two icons displaying identical images, ensure that the "background copy" layer is the active layer (highlighted in blue), if at any stage it isn't, click on the layer title adjacent the icon this will then turn blue telling you that this is the "active" layer.
4. At the top bar go to "View" ...... "rulers". This will give you a screen with a tool for guiding your adjustment. In the top left corner you will see a tiny pair of intersecting dotted lines. Grab these with your cursor and pull down the page. The line can be used to compare against when you do the adjustments, it will spring back out of sight when you leave go.
5. Now go to "edit"....."transform"........"warp". A grid will appear over the image. Along the top edge of the grid you will see "Knots" or "handles" at the line intersection points. By grabbing these and moving them upward one at a time working from left to right, you can tease the horizon straight. Keep pulling down the ruler to ensure that your adjustments are exact.
6. When happy with the result, click onto the top (black solid arrow) tool in the tool palette, this will bring up a window.....click "apply" and the image is transformed.
7. Now go to "Layer" .... "flatten image" and save it with an appropriate name to the destination of your choice.
This is a little less direct than with the "cropping" method, but can be invaluable in retaining all of the image elements.
Enjoy !!