Fixing Horizons in Photoshop Elements

[TwentySixDays]

Hi All,

Just thought I would share this as a method of straightening Horizons.

I find using the Crop Tool far easier than rotating the image as you can see exactly what you are getting.

One tip: you should do this first before any other cropping.

The example is from PSE7, but I am sure that I used the same method with PSE3 and 4.

The method can be used to straighten to any line - a tree, the side of a building, a person, ect. you can also get creative an pick on a line a 45 degrees.

Hope this is helpful.

Thanks to Amy B for the use of her image.


If anyone else has any comments and/or other methods please feel free to share them...

 

[glitch]

Don't take this the wrong way, as I admire the effort you've put in, but surely using either this method or the 'free rotate' are unnecessarily complicated?

Why not use the Straighten Tool (P)? That's been in PSE since v4.

Then it's just a case of choosing whether to 'Rotate All Layers', 'Grow Canvas To Fit', 'Crop To Remove Background' or 'Crop To Original Size'.

 

[TwentySixDays]

Don't take this the wrong way, as I admire the effort you've put in, but surely using either this method or the 'free rotate' are unnecessarily complicated?

Why not use the Straighten Tool (P)? That's been in PSE since v4.

Then it's just a case of choosing whether to 'Rotate All Layers', 'Grow Canvas To Fit', 'Crop To Remove Background' or 'Crop To Original Size'.

Hi glitch,
thanks for the comments.
I am sure other people will have their preferred method and to share them is great for anyone new to the tools or, as a reminder, of the various methods.

I use the Crop Tool because it seems the most reliable.

Image > Rotate > Straighten Tool...
This is an automatic process which looks for dominate features and uses them to calculate the amount of rotation.
With this image the tool used the vertical pole as the datum.
Consequent the horizon was NOT levelled.

Other methods...
Image > Rotate > Free Rotate Layer...
In which you use the rotate handles and judge by eye when the horizon looks level, which some people are really good at.
This also give you the opportunity NOT to actually level the horizon, tree, building, etc. but rotate it until it “looks” right.

Image > Transform > Free Transform...
You enter the amount you need/want to rotate the image.
(In the above example about 2 degrees)
Free Transform is very good if you know the amount of rotation.
For example you want to change the shot to a 45 degree format.

If anyone else has thoughts or other methods it would be great to hear/see them.