Select Filter > Lens Correction.
Last updated on
Sep 30, 2026
Apply automatic or manual corrections using lens profiles and custom adjustments to fix optical defects.
The Lens Correction filter addresses optical defects that occur during capture, enabling you to straighten lines, balance exposure, and eliminate color fringing for more accurate images.
Use the Lens Correction filter to fix barrel distortion, pincushion distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration, and perspective issues caused by camera tilt. The filter offers automatic correction through lens profiles matched to your camera and lens combination, plus manual controls for precise adjustments. Works with 8-bit and 16-bit per channel images in RGB or Grayscale mode.
Understanding common lens defects
Barrel distortion causes straight lines to bow outward from the image center, creating a bulging effect common in wide-angle lenses. Pincushion distortion produces the opposite result, with straight lines bending inward toward the center, typically seen in telephoto lenses.
Vignetting darkens the corners and edges of an image due to light falloff around the lens perimeter. Chromatic aberration appears as colored fringes along high-contrast edges, caused by the lens focusing different wavelengths of light at slightly different distances.
Perspective distortion occurs when you tilt the camera up or down, causing vertical lines to converge or horizontal lines to appear skewed.
Apply automatic correction using lens profiles
In the Auto Correction tab, select the checkboxes for Geometric Distortion, Chromatic Aberration, or Vignette based on the issues you want to correct.
Review the automatically applied lens profile in the Lens Profiles section, which Photoshop selects based on your image's EXIF metadata.
If the automatic selection is incorrect or unavailable, use the Search Criteria dropdowns to manually select your camera Make, Model, and Lens Profile.
If corrections extend or contract the image beyond its original boundaries, select Auto Scale Image.
Use the Edge menu to specify how to handle blank areas created by corrections choose Transparency, Edge Extension, Black Color, or White Color.
Select OK to apply the corrections.
Tip
Select Search Online in the Lens Profiles section to download additional profiles created by the Photoshop community. Store downloaded profiles locally by clicking the panel menu and choosing Save Online Profile Locally.
For lens profiles not available in Photoshop or for non-supported camera models, create custom profiles using the Adobe Lens Profile Creator. A complete list of supported lenses is available in the Lens profile support article.
Correct distortion and aberration manually
Select Filter > Lens Correction, then select the Custom tab.
Adjust the Remove Distortion slider—drag right to correct barrel distortion or left to correct pincushion distortion, straightening lines that bend away from or toward the center.
Use the Chromatic Aberration sliders to compensate for color fringing by adjusting Fix Red/Cyan Fringe or Fix Blue/Yellow Fringe.
Set Vignette Amount to lighten or darken edges—positive values lighten darkened corners, negative values create a vignette effect.
Adjust Vignette Midpoint to control the width of the affected area—lower values affect more of the image, higher values restrict the effect to edges.
Note
Zoom in on the image preview when adjusting chromatic aberration to see color fringing more clearly and make precise corrections.
You can also use the Remove Distortion tool directly on the image—drag toward the center to correct barrel distortion or toward the edges to correct pincushion distortion.
Adjust perspective and rotation
In the Custom tab of the Lens Correction dialog, adjust the Vertical Perspective slider to correct convergence caused by tilting the camera up or down, making vertical lines parallel.
Adjust the Horizontal Perspective slider to correct skewing caused by horizontal camera tilt, making horizontal lines parallel.
Use the Angle slider to rotate the image and correct camera tilt, or select the Straighten tool and drag along a line in your image that should be vertical or horizontal.
Adjust the Scale slider to zoom in and crop away blank areas created by perspective or rotation corrections.
Caution
When adjusting perspective or angle, deselect Auto Scale Image on the Auto Correction tab if you want to avoid unintended scaling of your final image.
Customize the preview and grid
Select the Zoom tool in the lower-left corner of the Lens Correction dialog or use the zoom percentage dropdown to change the preview magnification.
Select the Hand tool and drag within the preview to reposition the visible area.
Select Show Grid at the bottom of the dialog to overlay alignment guides on your image.
Adjust the Size control to change grid spacing or use the Color control to change the grid color for better visibility.
Select the Move Grid tool and drag to reposition the grid for alignment with specific elements in your image.
Save and load correction settings
After configuring corrections in the Lens Correction dialog, click the Settings menu and select Save Settings.
Name your settings file and select a location settings saved in the default folder appear in the Settings menu for quick access.
To apply previously saved settings, select Filter > Lens Correction, click the Settings menu, and choose your saved preset.
To create a lens default that automatically applies to images with matching EXIF metadata, configure your corrections and select Set Lens Default.
The Lens Default option in the Settings menu becomes available when you open an image with matching camera, lens, focal length, and f-stop metadata. The Previous Conversion option applies the settings used in your last lens correction session.
For more advanced perspective corrections in architectural photography, explore Neural Filters for AI-powered adjustments. To address image noise and JPEG artifacts that may become visible after lens corrections, see the separate article on reducing image noise.
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