Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Elements can help with this problem, too. It includes a nifty Straighten tool that makes ad-
justing the horizon as easy as drawing a line. It can even automatically create material to fill
in any empty spaces left along the edges after you straighten, something like the way Ele-
ments can fill empty edges in panoramas (
Creating Panoramas
)
. This section explains the de-
tails.
TIP
Most of the time, the Straighten tool does the trick. But if you find this tool too fiddly or
you encounter one of the few cases where it can't get things looking perfect, use the old-
school method: the Free Rotate Layer command, described on
Free Rotate Layer
.
The Straighten Tool
If you can never seem to hold a camera perfectly level, you'll love this tool. Here's how to
straighten a crooked photo:
1.
Open a photo, and then activate the Straighten tool
.
You'll find it at the lower right of the Modify section of the Tools panel; its icon is a
carpenter's level. Or just press the P key.
2.
Make any necessary changes to the Tool Options settings
.
Your choices are described after this list.
3.
Tell Elements where the image's horizon is
.
Drag to draw a line in the photo to show Elements where horizontal
should
be.
Fig-
ure 3-4
shows how—by drawing a line that traces the boundary between the ocean
and the sky. The line appears at an angle when you draw it. That's fine, because Ele-
ments is going to level out the photo, making your line the horizontal plane.
