How Do I Straighten a Skewed Image in Photoshop?

September 8, 2023 photoshop

Have you ever taken a photo, only to realize later that the image is slightly skewed or tilted? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Fortunately, Adobe Photoshop provides an easy solution to straighten out those crooked images. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of straightening a skewed image in Photoshop.

Step 1: Open the Image

The first thing you need to do is open the image you want to straighten in Photoshop. You can do this by going to File > Open and selecting the image from your computer.

Step 2: Select the Ruler Tool

Next, select the Ruler Tool from the Photoshop toolbar. It is located beneath the Eyedropper tool. If you can't find it, right-click on the Eyedropper tool and select it from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Draw a Line

With the Ruler Tool selected, click and drag along a line in your image that you want to be perfectly horizontal or vertical. For example, if your image has a horizon that should be straight, draw a line along that horizon.

Step 4: Choose Straighten Layer

After drawing the line, go to Edit > Transform > Straighten Layer. Photoshop will automatically rotate and crop your image based on the line you drew with the Ruler Tool.

Step 5: Fine-tune if Necessary

In some cases, Photoshop's automatic rotation may not perfectly align with your desired result. If needed, use the Rotation tool, which can be found under Edit > Transform > Rotate, to manually adjust the angle until you are satisfied with the straightening of your image.

Step 6: Crop the Image

After straightening your image, you may notice that there are empty areas around the edges. To remove these areas and focus on your subject, use the Crop Tool. You can find it in the Photoshop toolbar or press C as a shortcut. Drag and resize the crop area to include only the desired part of your image, then hit Enter or click the checkmark icon in the options bar to apply the crop.

Step 7: Save Your Straightened Image

Finally, save your straightened image by going to File > Save As. Choose a location on your computer, give it a name, select an appropriate file format (such as JPEG or PNG), and click Save.

Congratulations! You have successfully straightened a skewed image in Photoshop. Remember, this technique can be applied to any image with a noticeable tilt or skew. Now you can confidently fix those crooked photos and enhance their overall appearance.

Tips:

Before using the Ruler Tool, make sure that you have selected the correct layer in Photoshop's Layers panel. If you're unsure which layer is selected, click on each layer to see which one is highlighted.
If necessary, you can also adjust other aspects of your image such as brightness, contrast, or color levels after straightening it. Experiment with different adjustments to achieve your desired result.

We hope this tutorial has been helpful for you. Practice straightening images in Photoshop and soon it will become second nature to you. Happy editing!