Straightening photo

[Marathon]

How do you straighten a photo? I've tried the straighten button but the picture over reacts...so I must be doing something wrong. A couple of the pictures I have are not quite level, is there an easy way to fix this?

Thank you

[Byron Gale]

What version of Photoshop Elements are you using?

[hudakore]

Hope I'm not be too bold by finally getting to ANSWER a question (I'm always asking) but here goes: I'm not quite sure what you mean by straighten but if it's because the photo was taken slightly askew, I activate the Grid in View, click the Move tool and, grab a corner that has the bent arrows and slide/tilt the photo until the any straight horizontal or vertical object in it lines up with the grid lines. If it needs straightening because of paralax problems, you can use the Edit>Transform tools. Hope I've read your question right.

[SharLamb]

In the versions of Elements I have used, you click the Straighten Tool. I choose "Crop to Remove Background" in the Canvas Options window 99.9% of the time. Left click on a spot at the left side of your photo where there is a horizon line (any line you want to be horizontal to the edge of your canvas). While still holding the mouse button down, drag the line toward the right, along the horizon line. Let go. Hope that works. It sounds to me like you may have failed to drag the tool.

I'm glad you brought this up, because it is the one SIMPLE editing function that even experienced photographers often fail to do, and it bugs me BIG TIME! Yes, there are times when we want our photos to be askew, but everyone can tell when it's deliberate or by neglect. I have seen so many gorgeous photos that are ruined for my eye because the lake is tilted, or the fence is at an unbelievable angle.Try as I do to make sure I am holding the camera level, very few of my photos can't be helped by a quick straightening.

Thank you all for listening to my Lecture! :D

[Marathon]

What version of Photoshop Elements are you using?
Elements 7.

[staffordian]

In the versions of Elements I have used, you click the Straighten Tool. I choose "Crop to Remove Background" in the Canvas Options window 99.9% of the time. Left click on a spot at the left side of your photo where there is a horizon line (any line you want to be horizontal to the edge of your canvas). While still holding the mouse button down, drag the line toward the right, along the horizon line. Let go. Hope that works. It sounds to me like you may have failed to drag the tool.



Just to add to this, you can also straighten using a vertical line as well as a horizontal one.

Just hold down the Ctrl key whilst dragging the line from top to bottom of the feature which should be vertical

[ChrisAnn]

Just to add to this, you can also straighten using a vertical line as well as a horizontal one.

Just hold down the Ctrl key whilst dragging the line from top to bottom of the feature which should be vertical

Wow! all the years I've been straightening my photos (didn't you know that the sea runs uphill? ;)) and I never knew how to straighten vertically. Thanks Staffordian. :)

[PJSmith]

I was glad to see the instructions for straightening using a vertical reference. My images rarely have a straight horizon, and since I often take pictures of buildings, etc. at an angle, they usually don't have a true horizontal line to use, either. Therefore, I find I almost always use a vertical reference to straighten my photos.

And, has also been mentioned, it also bugs me when I see photos here or on the PET site that aren't straight, especially since it's so easy to do, and you know that everyone posting to these sites has PSE!

Also, I try to pick a vertical reference as close to the middle of my page as possible since, due to keystoning (correct term? and perspective, a lot of the "vertical" lines closer to the edges tend to lean inward, especially when the camera is aimed upward.

[ljameso1]

Tx for the tip on straightening vertical. I had been rotating the photo first. This will save a step.

[riversidema]

I always see things just a bit askew so don't blame the picture!