Have you ever taken a photo where straight lines curved and curved around the edge of the frame? Then you need to learn how to fix barrel distortion in photography, which is a common problem when using wide-angle lenses.
While this effect can be attractive in some situations (such as artistic photos), many times you'll want to avoid it and have nice straight lines. This is especially true when documenting buildings: you want the lines of the building to be as straight as they would be in real life.
The good news is that barrel lens distortion can be corrected. But first, it's important to understand why this happens.
Barrel lens distortion is an effect associated with wide-angle lenses, especially zoom wide-angle lenses.
This effect causes image spherification, which means the edges of the photo appear curved to the human eye. The photo image almost looks like it's wrapped around a curved surface.
Barrel lens distortion is most noticeable in images containing straight lines, because these lines appear to be bowed and curved.
Barrel lens distortion occurs because the further an object is from the optical axis of the lens, the smaller the magnification of the image.
Wide-angle lenses contain more curved pieces of glass, so parts of the image at the edges of the frame may be tilted and reflect this curvature.
Some lenses, such as fisheye lenses, attempt to take advantage of barrel distortion by creating purposefully curved photos. When used for the right purpose and on the right type of subject, it can produce stunning results.
Some fisheye lenses are so extreme that photos end up in a circular shape instead of the more common traditional rectangular shape.
Barrel distortion can be corrected very easily in modern image editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop which includes lens distortion correction filters. Many free photo editing programs also include a solution to this problem.
Since distortion is caused by perspective effects on the lens, the only way to correct in-camera barrel lens distortion is to use a special "tilt and shift" lens designed specifically for architectural purposes. However, these lenses are expensive and only really make sense if you specialize in this area.
If you don't have access to special lenses to prevent barrel lens distortion, or would rather avoid editing afterward, you can try to minimize the effects of barrel lens distortion when taking photos.
- Notice the very straight line : Try to avoid photographing buildings or other objects with clean straight lines, otherwise barrel distortion will be noticeable. At least try to avoid shooting them with an ultra-wide angle lens. If you need to incorporate more subject into the image, back up.
- Focus on centering : Keep any straight lines in the image as close to the center of the lens as possible. There is less distortion in the middle than at the edges.
- Take multiple photos of the same subject : When you take a photo of an object, Use zoom lenses with multiple magnification levels. Distortion may be less noticeable at one zoom level compared to another.
- Choose RAW format : When shooting in RAW format, you can use automatic correction in programs like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
Fixing barrel distortion isn't as tricky as it sounds as long as you follow a few steps here. Sometimes you might not want to fix it, so embrace the twist!
When you can't avoid it, go with it and maximize its effects. You can enhance the curvature of your lines to create a dynamic look in your photos.
FAQUsing lens correction filters in Adobe Photoshop, you can fix image distortion automatically or manually. Automatic correction uses the default camera profile, while manual correction requires you to enter specific camera settings. Similar lens correction tools are available in Adobe Lightroom.
Pincushion distortion is the opposite of barrel lens distortion. Instead of a circular line appearing in the center of the image towards the edge of the image, a shrinking effect appears. To modify pincushion distortion, use the Lens Correction filter in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom. Pincushion distortion occurs most often on telephoto lenses.
