Expert: LizaL - 9/25/2004

Question
Hi

Is there an exact method for straightening a slanting photo and making the horizon level? I'm using Photoshop 7.
Thanks


Answer
Hi Eric,

There are a couple of good ways to straighten photos -- you'll know ahead of time, of course, how the scene should look, so you'll know how far you need to straighten. But what I generally do is this:

1. If the photo is genuinely tilted when I open it in Photoshop, the easiest way to fix this is just to make sure its layer is selected, use the Transform command (Edit>Free Transform), then put the cursor near a corner so the rotation icon comes up. Then I use the tried and true "eyeballing method!" of straightening the picture.

If this results in some blank space around the edges of the image, go to the Image pulldown menu and use the Trim function to trim it away.


2. If there's enough excess space where it won't hurt if I crop it just a bit, I'll use the Cropping tool.

Select that tool from the Toolbox, then in the Options area, just below the pulldown menus, specify the size you want the photo to be. Drag the Cropping tool over the picture, then double-click on it to apply the Crop. You might still have to use the step described above, with the Transform command, to straighten, but you know by setting options for the Cropping tool that it's going to be the size you've specified.


3. Another way to straighten a picture is to take the rectangular Marquee tool, drag a selection over your picture, then select Inverse from the Select pulldown menu. Then select Cut from the Edit menu. To trim your photo now that it might have some blank areas around the edges, use the Trim command. And use the Free Transform command if you have to straighten it further.


As far as "exact" methods, you can be as exact as possible using the Tool Options for the tools I've described -- that is, specifying the exact size for your photo. But every picture is generally different, and will no doubt need to be treated that way, so you can't really say there's a hard and fast rule that applies to all images, every time.

Hope this helps! Please post back if it doesn't make sense, or you need some more advice.

Lisa