Lens Distortion Correction

Correct barrel and pincushion lens distortion in wide-angle photos.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Lens Distortion Correction does and how it behaves

Wide-angle photographs with bowed architecture, horizons, or other straight features can be corrected by applying an opposing radial bend. Select the distortion type and adjust the correction amount while watching lines near the image edges. The common surprise is that correcting geometry also changes the usable frame: strong settings can stretch edge detail, remove outer content, or leave corners that require cropping. This addresses barrel and pincushion distortion, not perspective convergence from tilting the camera. The photograph is processed entirely in the browser and is not uploaded.

How the result is produced

Radial counter-warp

Barrel distortion makes straight features bow away from the image center, while pincushion distortion bows them toward it. Correction remaps image positions with an opposing radial curve around the optical center. Pixels near the center move comparatively little, and displacement increases toward the perimeter. The appropriate amount is judged against scene features that should actually be straight.

Frame and resampling effects

A corrected radial map must still fit inside a rectangular image. Depending on the correction direction and strength, transformed areas may extend beyond the available photograph or contract away from its boundaries. The result can lose edge coverage, expose unusable corners, or require cropping. Since correction resamples pixel positions, applying it repeatedly can also alter fine detail.

Good uses

Correct door frames, walls, shelves, or window edges that bow outward in a wide-angle interior photograph.
Reduce curved horizons, poles, railings, or building edges near the perimeter of an action-camera or wide-angle image.
Straighten grid lines in a photographed artwork, test chart, tiled surface, or product setup when the curvature comes from the lens.

Limits and checks

Use only features known to be straight as guides. Curved roads, flexible objects, uneven masonry, and natural horizons can make a correct setting appear wrong.
Lens correction does not remove perspective convergence. Vertical building edges that meet toward the top usually indicate camera tilt and require perspective correction instead.
A simple barrel or pincushion adjustment may not fully correct wavy, mustache-shaped, asymmetric, or off-center distortion. Inspect all four edges rather than judging one line.

Common questions

Will this make buildings photographed from below look upright?

Usually no. It can correct curved building edges when the lens caused radial bowing, but it does not by itself make converging verticals parallel. Convergence comes from camera orientation relative to the subject. A photograph can contain both problems, in which case lens distortion and perspective need separate corrections.

How do I choose the correction amount without a lens profile?

Use the smallest adjustment that makes known straight lines appear straight. Examine features near several edges and the center, preferably at high magnification. If one edge becomes straight while another bends in the opposite direction, reduce the setting. There may be no single exact value for compound or asymmetric distortion.

References and verification

The behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.