Perspective distortion is a common problem that photographers face, especially when using wide-angle lenses. It can affect the quality of the final image, making it look distorted and unprofessional. Fortunately, there is an easy way to fix perspective distortion using GIMP.
In this tutorial, we will show you how to remove perspective from a photo using GIMP 2.10.18. We will use a sample image taken with a 15mm lens to demonstrate how to straighten bent and curved lines caused by lens distortions.
First, go to Filters > Distorts > Lens distortion. Change the value of “main” to reduce or get rid of the barrel effect. Try doing this to the left and right to see which direction works best. In our example, we needed to go to about -15. This will straighten the walls and make them look more natural. Toggle the effect on and off to see the difference.
Next, let’s correct the tilting of the walls. Go to Tools > Transform tools > 3D Transform. Change the X-axis value to turn the upper part of the image toward or away from you. In our case, we needed to go in the negative direction and set it to -9. Apply this transformation to the image.
After making these adjustments, the image will no longer be rectangular. You will need to crop the image to remove the empty space. Go to Image > Crop to selection. And that’s it! Your image is now free of perspective distortion.
It’s important to note that correcting lens aberrations will reduce the information in your image. You will cut out certain parts of the image and permanently throw them away. You will also change the objects in the image when you correct shapes. Therefore, it’s best not to take the correction to the extreme. Sometimes it’s better to make peace with some tilting problems than make the image otherwise weird.
In conclusion, removing perspective from a photo using GIMP is a quick and easy process. It can significantly improve the quality of your images, making them look more professional. Just remember not to overcorrect and to embrace some of the tilting problems when it’s part of the image’s composition.