I'm really struggling with building perspectives
Nov 15, 2014 12:49:55 #
In Virginia I shot a lot of old buildings that were quite large. The streets were narrow, and even when there was yard space into which I could back off from the building, it usually sloped down away from the building. I found that the perspectives on all of the buildings were really off, and apparently I don't know how to correct them. These have been "corrected" by tilting them some (or a lot) forward (vertical correction) and rotating them (because I don't see the world straight) plus a "lens correction." They still look crooked to me. I can't seem to get all the verticals straight up and down nor the horizontal lines straight across all at the same time!
I shoot with a Canon 1D Mk IV, 28-135 lens. I use LR 3.6 for pp.
I shoot with a Canon 1D Mk IV, 28-135 lens. I use LR 3.6 for pp.
Jackson's house, Lexington
(Download)
Elwood House, near Fredericksburg
(Download)
Confederate White House, Richmond
(Download)
Nov 15, 2014 13:06:47 #
Lightroom can be used to straighten the image in two ways: Both are in the Develop module.
The first is to rotate the image until it is more vertical. The second is to do a Lens-Correction. There is a selection there to make the image upright. You will see the selections for Auto, Level, Vertical and Full. Try Auto or Vertical to start. Then, if you don't like either, try Level or Full. Personally, I don't care for Full, so I do not use that option.
So, here are the menu selections to get there... Lightroom, Develop, Lens Correction, Basic, (select option). Try it and see what it does. You can alway go back and try a different option.
The first is to rotate the image until it is more vertical. The second is to do a Lens-Correction. There is a selection there to make the image upright. You will see the selections for Auto, Level, Vertical and Full. Try Auto or Vertical to start. Then, if you don't like either, try Level or Full. Personally, I don't care for Full, so I do not use that option.
So, here are the menu selections to get there... Lightroom, Develop, Lens Correction, Basic, (select option). Try it and see what it does. You can alway go back and try a different option.
Nov 15, 2014 13:09:58 #
The Elwood house bows out slightly on the left side of the picture. You might like at a few ideas: an upgrade to the current LR version. Also, visiting usa.canon.com and downloading the latest version of DPP. This might require a change to your workflow, but lens correction is a feature of the DPP product for Canons. However, a wide angle at an angle to a building is something best corrected in LR as that is a shooting correction rather than a lens profile correction. You might look at a lens wider than 28mm too?
Did you see the VA statehouse while in Richmond?
Did you see the VA statehouse while in Richmond?
Nov 15, 2014 13:15:13 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
The Elwood house bows out slightly on the left sid... (show quote)
Saw the statehouse from the outside - drove around it. Didn't have time to go in.
So is the bowing out caused by overdoing the vertical correction? I tried the distortion correction afterwards, but still couldn't get it straight.
Nov 15, 2014 13:18:48 #
Shooting at 28mm you are going to get some convergence (buildings are narrower at the top) if, the camera is not level, i.e., parallel to the ground. That's the way wide angle lenses work. One possible solution is to shoot in the vertical format, if possible, to cover more distance vertically. The camera still has to be parallel to the ground to avoid convergence. The other option, as explained above is to straighten the verticals with a post processing program. Getting it right in the camera is preferable.
Nov 15, 2014 13:18:49 #
Gitchigumi wrote:
Lightroom can be used to straighten the image in t... (show quote)
My LR doesn't have a "basic" setting under lens correction. It has "profile" and "manual." I used both! I think those are in the newer versions of LR, not 3.6. Can't upgrade, sorry. Have to use what I have.
Nov 15, 2014 15:40:47 #
AzPicLady wrote:
My LR doesn't have a "basic" setting under lens correction. It has "profile" and "manual." I used both! I think those are in the newer versions of LR, not 3.6. Can't upgrade, sorry. Have to use what I have.
Well... I tried! 😃
Nov 15, 2014 17:48:12 #
I don't try to remove convergence completely because to my eye it looks unnatural if the centre of the shot is higher than head height and there isn't any convergence. I might reduce it, but I prefer to leave some. I believe the brain expects to see convergence when it's appropriate.
Trying to determine whether the shot needs rotating can be tricky. Any genuine vertical at or very close to the centre of the frame should give a reliable indication. Even a genuine vertical that's off to the side will have a legitimate lean due to convergence.
Any straight lines near the edges of the frame are good for determining whether there is any need for lens distortion correction, and which type is needed. Whether the lines are vertical, horizontal or angled, a straight line should be a straight line. Any bowing is an indication of lens distortion, and it will show up most noticeably at the edges of the frame (top and bottom as well as both sides).
Trying to determine whether the shot needs rotating can be tricky. Any genuine vertical at or very close to the centre of the frame should give a reliable indication. Even a genuine vertical that's off to the side will have a legitimate lean due to convergence.
Any straight lines near the edges of the frame are good for determining whether there is any need for lens distortion correction, and which type is needed. Whether the lines are vertical, horizontal or angled, a straight line should be a straight line. Any bowing is an indication of lens distortion, and it will show up most noticeably at the edges of the frame (top and bottom as well as both sides).
Nov 15, 2014 18:17:25 #
OK. I think I'll post the original and ask some of you to do it better. Will have to wait until tomorrow. But then you'll have to tell me what you did.
Nov 15, 2014 18:57:00 #
If you have Photoshop do the basics in LR or Camera Raw and in PS go Edit>Transform> and then play with Perspective and Distort. You can pull the verticals straight etc. You need some space at the side of the frame as a crop will be required usually.
Nov 16, 2014 08:05:41 #
If you have as mentioned above...PS (PSE (3D)) preferably..Edit>Transform>Perspective...as mentioned...if you are still having a problem getting both sides correct, Try this, correct right side first...once done with right side,(doesn't matter what side you start with) create another layer and correct left side, then with a black mask in place,(concealing all) and white paint brush, go over left side of mask to reveal corrected left side. You can also work with the Lens correction filter for further corrections. If you have PSE and are familiar with working with meshes, you can correct just about anything. The one you will have a problem with is the 3rd shot with columns...the center ones will probably be the toughest and maybe give you nightmares.
Nov 16, 2014 10:20:41 #
Increase the canvas size significantly and chose the center of the canvas expansion direction. Then adjust the prospective ... extra canvas is needed else you lose a lot of the photo. Clone in a lot of the edges that result from prospective adjustment. Re adjust the prospective, straighten, clone again. Fill some minor white areas with color. The result is your photo viewed from the front of the building.
Since this is in the PP area, I added my result of using the above approach to your beautiful photo ....
Since this is in the PP area, I added my result of using the above approach to your beautiful photo ....
Nov 17, 2014 16:20:01 #
Hey, dpullum, that's what I wanted when I took the shot. How do you get the image to "stretch out" onto the extra canvas? I've got to learn to do this!
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