Before I get into how to correct lens distortion in Adobe Camera Raw, I think we should define what lens distortion is. Believe it or not, many people don’t recognize the effects of distortion when looking at photos. It’s not until they’re presented with a side-by-side view that they become alarmed at how prevalent this type of defect is. Now, I say “defect” because lens distortion can be overwhelming and unintended in many cases. Of course, if your goal is to distort your photograph with this type of alteration, please disregard my previous statement. It’s just that oftentimes photographers would rather have minimal distortion and as accurate a photograph as possible.
OBJECTIVE: Recognize Lens Distortion in Your Photos. Lens distortion is an issue that pops up commonly in photography. Like many shooting issues, if you can harness it, you can use it as a fun and creative element in your photos. It can also create unpleasant photos if you aren’t aware of it. There are two major types of categories in. Lens Correction. Fixes various types of lens distortion by straightening and aligning lines in an image. Types of problems which can be fixed include: Barrel or pincushion distortion. Incorrect horizontal and/or vertical perspective. Angled horizons.
I’m going to primarily discuss how to correct lens distortion in this post. While photographers also often face issues with perspective distortion, which Camera Raw can correct as well, lens distortion is generally more unintended and caused by the lens used. As a general rule, using less expensive and lower quality lenses can result in photographs with more apparent distortion of this type.
I did a bit of poking around on the internet and found a post that gives a very thorough description of both types of distortion. If you go ahead and read the post, I think you’ll meet the requirement for obtaining the background you’ll need to progress through the rest of my post.
Opening My Image
The first task I need to complete in order to do any type of editing is to open an image into Camera Raw. I use Adobe Bridge to browse my photos and after I select which one I’d like to edit, I open it from there. In this case, I chose one that I know I used a wide angle lens to capture. As indicated by Bridge, I shot this image with my wide angle 10-20mm lens. For this photo, I was zoomed all the way out at 10mm. It should offer some distortion. Not a whole lot, because I was shooting at a distance, but some. If I were more up-close, the distortion would be more apparent.
NOTE: If you’d like a larger view of any example image in this post, simply right click on it and choose “Open Image In New Tab.”
Lens Corrections Panel
Next, I need to visit the “Lens Corrections” panel. To get here, I simply click the appropriate button that’s located alongside the other panel buttons.
Now, if you’ll notice in the screenshot I just posted above, I’m in the “Profile” tab. This tab offers the most simple method of going about editing and correcting lens distortion. If I click the “Enable Lens Profile Corrections” check box, Camera Raw is supposed to search my photo’s metadata and apply any corrections based on the make and model of my camera, along with which lens I was using. For some reason though, the application isn’t picking up this data, so the drop-down boxes are still displaying their default values, which are nothing.
I’m also getting a message at the bottom of the panel that says “Unable to locate a matching lens profile automatically.” If Camera Raw could locate the data it needed, the fields above would be filled in and the corrections would be applied.
Since this isn’t working in my example, I found a workaround. In the “Make” drop-down box, I chose the make of my camera, which is a Canon. It appears that once I did that, the other fields were filled in almost accurately. The only difference is that Camera Raw decided that my lens manufacturer is Canon, as opposed to Sigma, which it is. The corrections look good though, so I’m not particularly worried around that.
Reviewing the Corrections
Let’s take a look at how Camera Raw corrected the lens distortion in my image.
If you don’t notice much of a change, it’s not your imagination. This photograph didn’t have a lot of distortion. It had a bit and clicking back and forth between the original and the edited version, I’m able to see it, but with the naked eye, without clicking, I can’t. I welcome you to work these photos in Photoshop and play around a bit to see the edits.
So, what did change? Well, for one, a bit of distortion was removed. Second, any vignetting in the original photo was removed as well. If I move the sliders toward the bottom of the panel side-to-side, I can adjust the intensity of the corrections. I can also undo them completely.
Manually Correcting Lens Distortion
Let’s say you don’t have any metadata for Camera Raw to pick up on and no matter what you do, Camera Raw can’t seem to apply any sort of profile to your image. If Camera Raw can’t find any data, it can’t correct the image distortion created by your lens. If this is the case, you can always head over to the “Manual” tab and edit your photograph by hand. You may even want to do this to add some artistic effects to your image.
Just as an example, I’m going to wildly adjust the vignetting and distortion sliders in the Manual tab. I’m doing this just to show you haw dramatic these changes can be.
Now, you should be able to clearly see the edits. In your own photos, I encourage you to take advantage of both the “Profile” and “Manual” tabs to edit your images. You really won’t know what looks best until you see the actual changes.
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It’s Not What You See, It’s How You See It: Understanding the Different Types of Camera Lenses
When shopping for a new camera lens, you may find it difficult to choose from the multitude of options available. This article will help you narrow your vision by breaking down several types of camera lenses.
You may want to also check out our tips on how to choose a camera lens, which has a video that explains the types of lenses.
Prime vs. Zoom
The first thing you need to understand is the difference between prime and zoom lenses. Prime lenses are also called “fixed lenses,” because the focal length of a prime lens is fixed--meaning, you cannot zoom in or zoom out. You can only shoot from a single angle of view. If you want to add or remove certain elements from your picture, you will have to literally move yourself closer or farther away from your subject. A zoom lens, on the other hand, refers to any lens that has a variable focal length--meaning you can zoom in and out at will. With a zoom lens, you can remain in the same position but zoom in or out to change the content of your photo. There are pros and cons to both prime and zoom lenses.
Prime Lens
Prime Lenses: Pros
- Prime lenses tend to produce sharper images.
- They tend to perform better in low light conditions.
- They make you take your time when composing your images.
- They are lighter and more compact than zoom lenses.
- They tend to be less expensive than zoom lenses.
Prime Lenses: Cons
- You are not able to zoom in or out.
- You have to physically move in order to change the composition of your photo.
- You may end up carrying more than one lens with you.
Zoom Lens
Zoom Lenses: Pros
- You can zoom in and out as needed.
- They can replace two or more prime lenses.
- You do not need to physically change your position in order to recompose your image.
Zoom Lenses: Cons
- Zoom lenses are bulkier and heavier than prime lenses.
- Images may not be as crisp as with a prime lens.
- They may not perform as well as prime lenses in darker situations.
- They tend to be more expensive.
Now that we’ve clarified the difference between prime and zoom camera lenses, let’s take a look at different types of lenses.
Wide-Angle Camera Lens
“Wide-angle” usually refers to lenses with focal lengths between 17mm and 40mm. Wide-angle lenses provide you with a broad view of the scene before you. This makes them ideal for photographing landscapes, small interior spaces that you want to look larger, events like concerts where you are very close to your subjects, street photography, and environmental portraits--portraits that also include your subject’s surroundings. The biggest downside of wide-angle lenses is that they can create distortion--they tend to stretch things out and make them look larger, especially elements that are close to your lens. This makes them a less than ideal choice for portraiture, since they can be unflattering to your subject (no one wants their nose to look too big!).
Normal or Standard Camera Lens
Lenses with a focal length of about 40mm to 60mm are considered “normal” lenses because they tend to replicate most accurately what the naked human eye sees. They do not have as much distortion as wide-angle lenses, but they are still wide enough to replicate the peripheral vision of the human eye. Because of these qualities, normal lenses are great for photographing portraits, creating precise compositions, street photography, and documentary photography projects. This is a very useful and flexible lens. When asked which single lens they would choose if they could only have one, many professional photographers answer “my normal lens.”
Telephoto Camera Lens
Any lens with a focal length of about 70mm and longer is considered a telephoto lens. These lenses produce the least distortion--making them another excellent choice for flattering portraits. They are also extremely useful in situations where you cannot get too close to your subject--photographing a sports event, or while on safari, for example. The downsides to these lenses is their size and weight--they tend to be quite heavy--and the fact that you cannot photograph subjects that are too close to you.
Specialty Camera Lenses: Macro and Fisheye Lenses
Macro lenses are used to create extreme close-up images, typically of very small objects, such as flowers and insects. A macro lens can produce a life-size or even larger-than-life size scale image of tiny subjects. They also allow you to get much closer to your subject than a typical lens while still retaining sharp focus. If you’re interested in photographing nature, or perhaps cataloguing your coin or stamp collection, a macro lens will prove extremely useful. There are some downsides to macro lenses, however. Because you are so close to your subject, you need to keep your camera extra steady, so you may need to use a tripod. Macro lenses also tend to produce images with a very blurry background, so you must be very careful and precise when you focus the lens.
A fisheye lens is an ultra wide-angle lens--any lens with a focal length less than 15mm. These types of lenses tend to have about a 180-degree field of vision. The effect you achieve with this lens makes it seem like you are seeing the world from inside a fishbowl--hence they name, “fisheye.” Everything along the edges of your photo becomes extremely distorted, and your subject will seem much larger than normal. Some common uses of fisheye lenses are for photographing action sports, landscapes, and to capture unusual perspectives. These lenses are great for getting creative--but be warned, their novelty tends to wear off pretty quickly!
Hopefully, this article has cleared things up for you and you can now see yourself purchasing the camera lens that’s right for you!