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Dr_Atomic
Dr_Atomic
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How do I align a photo taken by a digital camera *perfectly* horizontal?

Aug 7, 2012 11:01 AM

I've taken a photo of a display frame, and I need to align it perfectly horizontal in order to not crop off parts of the frame when editing out the background. I know how to move images back and forth with the crop tool, but it's not very precise, and I definitely don't want the frame in the image partly chopped off because I can't get it angled just right.

 

Thanks.

739 Views   13 Replies   Latest reply: Dr_Atomic, Aug 11, 2012 4:55 PM
 
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  • Noel Carboni
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    1. Noel Carboni,
    Aug 7, 2012 11:10 AM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    Assuming you've got a good rectilinear image (i.e., the frame edges are straight), but that it's off a bit because the camera wasn't level, centered in front of the artwork, and/or the focal plane of the camera wasn't perfectly parallel with the plane of the artwork, mabye you want to try using the Perspective Crop tool.

     

    I'll go dig up an example and post an image in a little while.

     

    -Noel

     
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  • Noel Carboni
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    2. Noel Carboni,
    Aug 7, 2012 11:47 AM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    Here's an animation showing what the Perspective Crop Tool can do for you.  Click this image to see the animation.

     

     

     

     

    It may not get the proportions exactly right, but you can take care of that with the Image - Image Size function after the crop.

     

    -Noel

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    3. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 8, 2012 6:44 AM   in reply to Noel Carboni
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    Thanks! I'll try it out.

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    4. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 11, 2012 11:59 AM   in reply to Noel Carboni
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    What a useful tool to have. However, I don't seem to have a perspective crop tool in my menu - just the crop tool itself. I have DW MX, btw.

     

    Right now, I'm having to move the image back and forth, back and forth, and it's not aligning *just so* like I want it to. It's not helping that the crop tool border wants to "snap to" the edge of the image when I need much more granular control.

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    5. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 11, 2012 12:27 PM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    Okay, I found a tutorial on how to straighten an image to a very fine degree. And it's merely using the measurement tool, which is found under the eyedropper tool (for those of you who may be new to PS).

     

    http://www.pixiq.com/article/straightening-an-image-in-photoshop

     

    However, every time I perfectly straighten the image, then use the crop tool the get rid of the excess for that side of the image, as soon as I do the same to the next side of the image, the previous straightening I did isn't saved! I still have the background outside of the image that I need to eliminate.

     

    This is getting really aggravating. I had no idea that straightening an image would be so difficult.

     
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  • Noel Carboni
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    6. Noel Carboni,
    Aug 11, 2012 12:24 PM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    The Perspective Crop Tool is "under" the Crop Tool, in much the same way you have described for the "measurement tool" (properly called the Ruler Tool) is "under" the Eyedropper Tool.

     

    You can control whether and how things snap to edges using the View - Snap configuration.  Or you can hold down the Control key to get it to not snap temporarily.

     

    You can, of course, rotate your canvas based on the Ruler Tool measurement, as you have found, but it seems to me just rotating the image within the Crop Tool would be easier and more interactive.  A fine grid appears while rotating the image that should allow you to align things visually.

     

    -Noel

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    7. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 11, 2012 12:46 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
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    There are no options under the crop tool for perspective tool in my menu. Remember - my DW is MX, so it's older so may not have it. I surely don't see it there when I click and hold on it. It also doesn't have that little arrow by the icon indicating other functions available.

     

    I did fix the snap-to function of the crop tool - thanks! That was really bugging me.

     

    The problem with the measurment/crop tools I'm having now is that after I fix one side of my image, then go to the next one, PS tilts the image and a white background appears behind the image after it's been moved. See attached image. You would think that once I aligned one side the others would also be aligned, especially since it's a picture frame, but they're not. If I have to align all four sides in order to eliminate the outside excess, I'm still unable to do it.

     

    I'm hoping that there's something simple that I need to do to fix this. Ugh.

     

    Cropped-sides-issue.jpg

     
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  • Noel Carboni
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    8. Noel Carboni,
    Aug 11, 2012 12:58 PM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    Dr_Atomic wrote:

     


    Remember - my DW is MX, so it's older so may not have it.

     

    The acronyms "DW" and "MX" don't mean anything to me in the context of Photoshop.  What are you talking about here?  What version of Photoshop are you using?

     

    Older versions of Photoshop have had the Perspective Crop capability for a long time, but prior to Photoshop CS6 it was available via a checkbox in the options area while the Crop Tool was active.

     

    PerspectiveCropInCS5AndEarlier.png

     

    -Noel

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    9. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 11, 2012 2:27 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
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    Sorry - I've been in Dreamweaver mode - duh. I have PS 7.0.

     

    I don't see a checkbox in the options area - only width, height, resolution, and pixels/inch. This is with the crop tool highlighted. I don't see perspectives anywhere.

     

    PS-menu.jpg

     
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  • R_Kelly
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    10. R_Kelly,
    Aug 11, 2012 2:43 PM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    In photoshop 7 you have to draw out the crop tool first, then you will see the perspective check box in the tool options bar.

    Check the perspective box and then follow Noel's instructions.

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    11. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 11, 2012 3:05 PM   in reply to R_Kelly
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    @R_Kelly, okay, that worked! Only when I selected the entire image with the crop tool did the perspective check box appear. They didn't make it easy did they? Anyway, once you know how to do it, it's easy. Getting there is the hard part. Thanks for that video tutorial, Noel. That was sweet.

     
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  • Noel Carboni
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    12. Noel Carboni,
    Aug 11, 2012 3:12 PM   in reply to Dr_Atomic
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    You have enough money that you can put two one hundred thousand dollar bills in a frame? 

     

    -Noel

     
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  • Dr_Atomic
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    13. Dr_Atomic,
    Aug 11, 2012 4:55 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
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    No problem. Just pocket change.

     
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