How to straighten images with distortion?

[rogersmj]

Take a look:



I'd like to know if there's anything I can do about minimizing the way the buildings are curving in. I thought I'd heard there's a way to have Photoshop remove (or at least mitigate) lens distortion. How would I go about that?

 

[rogersmj]

Never mind, of course as soon as I post I finally find it... Filter > Distort > Lens Correction. Very interesting tool. Here's my first attempt with it:

 

[termina3]

I think you could be more dramatic; they still seem to have a "lean".

 

[oblomow]

Besides using perspective corrections tools in photoshop you can also invest (big money) in a Tilt and shift lens to correct these errors.

 

[JFreak]

Yep. Sometimes you need to get into very dramatic corrections, if the photo has been taken on a much different plane than the target. You also need lots of space around the target, because the pic needs to be cropped after the correction. check this out, this is what I did in a minute...

 

[rogersmj]

I think you could be more dramatic; they still seem to have a "lean".

If I go any further I think it starts to look unnatural. I don't need them to be vertical in the monitor/viewing plane; I want their sides to be straight.

Besides using perspective corrections tools in photoshop you can also invest (big money) in a Tilt and shift lens to correct these errors.

No thanks, I think I'll stick with PS 😀

Yep. Sometimes you need to get into very dramatic corrections, if the photo has been taken on a much different plane than the target. You also need lots of space around the target, because the pic needs to be cropped after the correction. check this out, this is what I did in a minute...

IMO that looks unnatural. I just wanted to stop the buildings from appearing curved -- a natural perspective is still acceptable. I don't need them strictly vertical in the view plane. I actually think it makes them look larger/a little more dramatic if there still is some of that perspective.

 

[ChrisA]

I'd like to know if there's anything I can do about minimizing the way the buildings are curving in. I thought I'd heard there's a way to have Photoshop remove (or at least mitigate) lens distortion. How would I go about that?

Looks like you've gotten the answer but I wanted to point out that what you see is not "lens distortion". It is simply "perspective". You eye sees the same thing except that when you are there in real life the brain "fixes" it because it knows that the building don't lean. The reason for this is simple. Closer objects look bigger. You are closer to the bottom of the building than to the top of the building. You are closer to the ground than to the sky.

As you saw it can be fixed in Photoshop but then it looks "un-natural". That's because we are used to seeing this perspective every day and we notice when it is gone. The very wide lens was a little more of this effect then our eyes because it takes in a bit wider angle then we are used to looking at

 

[cube]

DxO, for the right body and lens combination.

 

[zdobson]

+1 for Indianapolis. That's where I am.

Personally, I don't think you can straighten that photo to where the lines are completely parallel b/c it looks too unnatural.