Correcting Barrel and Pincushion Distortion

Correcting Barrel and Pincushion Distortion

To use this tool, follow these steps:
Step1. Choose Filters > Distort > Lens Correction to produce the dialog box.

Step2. If you want to use the tool’s grid to help you align the image, make sure the
Grid box at the bottom of the dialog is marked.

Step3. Press D to activate the Remove Distortion tool, and then drag portions of the
image to correct for the kind of distortion your image requires. Or, use the
Remove Distortion slider (your best choice for ease of use, plus if you want
to apply the same amount of correction to several different images).

Step4. As you correct the image, it will change in the preview window, and the
Remove Distortion slider will show how much correction is being applied.
Movement of the slider to the left indicates adding a barrel effect (to counter
pincushion distortion), whereas moving it to the right counteracts barrel distortion.

Step5. Note that the boundaries of your image will change as you apply correction.
It’s most noticeable when countering barrel distortion, because your fixed
image will bow inwards, leaving blank areas outside its original boundaries.
In the Edge area of the dialog box you can choose whether Photoshop leaves
the area outside the new edges transparent, fills it with the background color,
or extends the current background to fill up the area.
Your best choice is to select a large enough area for correction that you can
crop out the distorted edges and not need to worry about what they look like
at all. If your image has areas at the edges that have few important details (for
example, sky), you can try extending the current background. Otherwise, use
the Transparent or Background Color options and crop.

Step6. If you want to use the same correction on other images, choose Save Settings
from the fly-out menu in the Settings area, and give your corrections a name
(such as 43-86 Zoom At 43mm).

Step7. Click OK when finished.