Do you straighten your photos?

[BackdoorArts]

At first I thought that it was just my D5100. I have to straighten at least 75% of my photos. Since I moved up to a D7100, I'm finding the same thing. I don't use live view, so forget about the level in there. I line up to the grid in the viewfinder, and I still get pics skewed to the left (left if lower than the right) at least 2-3 degrees. No difference what lens I use. 18-140 or 35. Maybe I'm just to picky about it. Not sure. Anyone else have this happen?

I straighten everything whether it needs it or not. Seriously. Strong, straight lines are the difference between a snapshot and a photograph. Any crooked line that doesn't serve a purpose is a potential distraction. Diverging lines that don't lead to/from something might just need to be made parallel. If you've got a grid, lines should be perpendicular and parallel unless there's a reason, because someone will notice and kick you for it (most likely it will be me).

As for your problem, it's more than likely shutter technique. As you depress the shutter button I suspect you're imparting just enough body movement at that moment to take your perfectly framed shot and rotate it just a touch. Could be shoulder movement, could be wrist, but regardless I suspect it's happening. I suffer(ed) from it, particularly when I'm not concentrating. It's a problem, but not so much that I find the need to worry about it when I should be concentrating on what's in front of me.

 

[Fortkentdad]

Dang Straight I do.

 

[skater]

I think with straightening the photo, you lose a bit of the quality, so I try to get it level when I take it. I have the virtual horizon programmed to come on with the button by my fingers next to the lens, so I use it almost all the time. Unless I was going for a skewed shot, I'll generally straighten it, because if it's just slightly off level, it looks sloppy.

When I take pictures at hockey games, I try to keep it level as best I can, but usually at least some come out crooked. If I were to check and level the camera before each shot, I wouldn't get any shots at all. Some of these will get straightened, some won't. It depends on the situation and how distracting the angle is.

I used to be a lot worse at keeping pictures level, especially in the hockey situation, but after some practice with keeping it level, I've gotten better. Not perfect, but better.

 

[carguy]

I straighten in post less than I did previously. The more I think about it while shooting, the less I need to in post

 

[Vixen]

Have to admit that I miss the grid lines in the D80 viewfinder, made straight shots too easy. The guides in the D7100 viewfinder leave a lot to be desired for me, so......yes.....too often for my liking

 

[ryanwphoto]

I always straighten in post! It drives me absolutely crazy if a photo isn't straight!
I am constantly using the grid lines or level indicators in the view finder/Live view. I also have the level indicator(s) on both my bodies on one of the function buttons.

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

The latest ACR in Photoshop CC has a great tool for straightening photos and correcting perspective. You could alway do it but you had to figure it all out for yourself. The latest has a one click option that works.

Here is the before

And here is the after using the Full option of the lens correction. All I did was to crop it just a little after the one click correction.

 

[RocketCowboy]

It really depends on the image and the content within, but I do find myself making minor corrections more and more lately.

 

[Scott Murray]

Yes I straighten...

 

[Daniel Aegerter]

I do try to get the picture straight in camrea using grid lines but seem to forget most of the time.
So I do straighten in PP.

 

[Michael J.]

Yep, I do it almost every time

 

[SteveH]

If it needs straightening, I straighten it. If it doesn't, then I don't! I try to get it right in camera using the virtual horizon, but I do always check in post at the very start of my PP.

 

[BackdoorArts]

Whether you do or don't this is worth a careful read. Straightening is often far more complicated than nailing a horizon or wall line, so even when you get it "straight" you may not be done.

https://photographylife.com/straightening-the-horizon-and-aligning-lines

 

[hark]

Whether you do or don't this is worth a careful read. Straightening is often far more complicated than nailing a horizon or wall line, so even when you get it "straight" you may not be done.

https://photographylife.com/straightening-the-horizon-and-aligning-lines

And I bet you could do a much better job of straightening his second photo. Actually it looks like the top molding (perhaps it's called crown molding) isn't even straight on the wall, but the perspective still seems off. Is it me or is it the photo?

 

[SteveL54]

Thanks for all the great answers. Looks like I'm not alone here, as most of you straighten in PP.
Lines even thismuchoff make me absolutely nuts. Certainly there are some instances that will add to a photo that is skewed.
Last year I had a photo loose winning a small competition because it was an outdoor shot, and the landscape in the background was sloped from high right to low left.
I explained to a "judge" that was the natural lay of the land - it's like that when seen by the naked eye. No matter - it looked sloppy to him.
Anyways, thanks for all the input. I'll continue to straighten whether I need to or not......

 

[BackdoorArts]

And I bet you could do a much better job of straightening his second photo. Actually it looks like the top molding (perhaps it's called crown molding) isn't even straight on the wall, but the perspective still seems off. Is it me or is it the photo?

View attachment 156315

Yes, the crown molding still about 1/2 degree skewed (in reality 0.3 degrees) as you can see from this screen shot...

The original was a difficult fix because you had both crooked and converging lines. The good news is that the rug line is about the same degree of skew...

...so using Free Transform it's a pretty easy fix using the Skew option...

I'm guessing he got it right for the bride.

I should make sure I note that this is a skew issue and not a rotational issue. Were I to simply have rotated the image so the top would be straight then all the verticals would be off. You definitely need perspective correction on this one.

 

[hark]

You are amazing, @BackdoorHippie !

 

[BackdoorArts]

You are amazing, @BackdoorHippie !

It's only "magic" until you know the trick.

BTW, if you have any straight lines in your shot, not hitting alt-' before exiting Photoshop is doing yourself a disservice. Take a look at it against a grid before you declare it finished, even if you checked it before you started.

 

[WeeHector]

Always wondered what that song was about.

It's a reference to the police search on Saddleworth Moor to find the victims of Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley who killed 4 children and buried them there.