Digital Scrapbooking Tips

When I’m taking a photo in a hurry, I often forget to line it up perfectly straight. Too bad my camera doesn’t have a built-in level! But luckily, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have tools that allow me to straighten up my crooked photos. Once you learn how fast and easy it is to straighten your photos, you’ll find that many of them are just a little off level and can benefit from a little straightening.

Begin by opening a photo that was taken with the horizon line off level.

Follow the instructions for your software below:

How to Straighten a Photo in Photoshop Elements (versions 4.0 and later)

Get the Straighten Tool by pressing the letter P on the keyboard or clicking on the Straighten tool icon in the Tool Palette. Adobe introduced this tool in Photoshop 4.0.

In the Options Bar, select Trim Background.

Find something in the photo that should be a straight horizontal line. A horizon, a piece of furniture, someone’s belt, or anything else that can tell Photoshop Elements what “level” should be (but isn’t!)

Position your cursor on the left side of the unlevel line you selected in the last step. Click and hold as you drag out a thin line from left to right, following the unlevel line. The line you are drawing should not be level.

When you reach the end, let go of the mouse and watch as Photoshop Elements automagically uses that line to level your photo. Behind the scenes, Photoshop Elements calculates the angle of rotation that will make your image level and use that angle to straighten the photo!

How to Straighten a Photo in Photoshop:

Get the Ruler Tool which is hiding under the Eyedropper Tool in the Tool Palette. Click and hold the mouse on the Eyedropper Tool until the fly-out menu appears, showing the tools hiding under the Eyedropper. Click on the Ruler Tool to select it.

(Note: in earlier versions of Photoshop, select the Tape Measure Tool or Measure Tool which hides under the Eyedropper Tool in the Tool Palette.)

Find something in the photo that should be a straight horizontal or vertical line. A horizon, a piece of furniture, someone’s belt, or anything else that can tell Photoshop what “level” should be (but isn’t!)

Position your cursor on one end of the unlevel line you selected in the last step. Click and hold as you drag out a thin line from end to end, following the unlevel line. The line you are drawing should not be level. When you reach the end, let go of the mouse.

Choose Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary.

Photoshop will automatically calculate the angle of rotation that will make your image level. Click OK in the Rotate Canvas Dialog box and watch as Photoshop automagically uses your line to level the photo.

Finally, select the Crop Tool and crop away the canvas surrounding the straightened photo.