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Correcting Lens Distortion

You can use the Lens Distortion Correction tool to correct barrel, pincushion, and fisheye distortion in digital photographs. In barrel distortion the photo appears to bulge outwards from the center. In pincushion distortion the photo appears to shrink inwards toward the center. In fisheye distortion, the photo appears to bulge outwards from the center, as if the photo were wrapped around a sphere.

Barrel, pincushion, and fisheye distortion are common in photos that were taken with wide angle or zoom lenses.

You can save your settings as a preset for future use.

To Correct Lens Distortion:

In Edit mode, in the Geometry group, click Lens Distortion Correction.
In the Type of Distortion section, select Barrel, Pincushion, or Fisheye.
Set the options as described below.
Do one of the following:
- Click Done to apply your changes and close the tool.
- Click Cancel to discard all changes and close the tool.

Click Reset to clear your changes and reset to default settings. If you saved your changes, you cannot reset your settings. If you want to discard only the Edit settings, select File | Restore to Developed.

Lens Distortion Correction Options

Horizontal center	Drag the slider to the left or right to identify the center of the image on the horizontal axis.
Vertical center	Drag the slider to the left or right to identify the center of the image on the vertical axis.
Correction strength	Drag the slider to the right until the objects in the photo appear to be straight.
Scale	Drag the slider to the left or right to change the scale of the photo.
Background color	When you correct distortion in a photo, the edges of the photo may bulge outwards or shrink inwards. Use the Background color options to fill gaps in the corners or sides of a corrected photo: Image: Select this option if you want to fill gaps in the corners or sides of a corrected photo by placing the uncorrected photo in the background. This is useful if the gaps are small.
Show Grid	Select this option if you want to display a grid over the photo while you correct distortion. This is useful if you want to assess whether objects in the photo are straight.

You can right-click a slider to reset to the default value.