Preparation
Last updated on
Oct 9, 2026
Find tools, controls, and settings for defining and adjusting perspective planes before editing in Vanishing Point.
Use this reference when setting up perspective planes in Vanishing Point before painting, cloning, or making selections. Accurate plane definition ensures edits scale and orient correctly to match your image's perspective.
Preparation options
Consider these optional preparation steps before selecting Filter > Vanishing Point:
|
|
Purpose |
|
Create a new layer |
Preserves original image and enables layer opacity, styles, and blending modes for Vanishing Point results |
|
Increase canvas size |
Accommodates cloned content beyond current image boundaries |
|
Copy content to clipboard |
Allows pasting items into Vanishing Point (rasterize text layers before copying) |
|
Make selection or add mask |
Confines Vanishing Point results to specific image areas |
Plane definition tools
Create Plane tool
Defines new perspective planes by placing four corner nodes or tears off related planes from existing planes.
|
Action |
Method |
|
Define initial plane |
Select four corners of a rectangular object or plane area in the image |
|
Delete last node |
Press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (macOS) |
|
Reposition node while creating |
Drag the node |
|
Zoom during node placement |
Hold X key |
|
Tear off related plane |
Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (macOS) an edge node (not corner node) |
|
Adjust grid size |
Enter value in Grid Size field or use slider |
Edit Plane tool
Adjusts existing perspective planes after initial definition.
|
Action |
Method |
|
Select plane |
Select inside plane boundary |
|
Reshape plane |
Drag corner node |
|
Move plane |
Select inside plane and drag |
|
Scale plane |
Drag edge node on bounding box segment |
|
Cycle through overlapping planes |
Ctrl-select (Windows) or Command-select (macOS) |
|
Adjust grid size |
Enter value in Grid Size field or use slider |
Related planes
After creating an initial plane, tear off additional planes to create continuous surfaces at angles. Related planes share perspective and adjust together when corner nodes are modified.
|
Setting |
Values |
Description |
|
Angle |
0° to 180° |
Controls angle of torn-off plane relative to parent plane |
Angle adjustment methods:
- Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (macOS) the center edge node opposite the rotation axis with Create Plane or Edit Plane tool selected
- Enter value in Angle field
- Move Angle slider
Note
After creating a child plane from a parent plane, you can no longer adjust the parent plane's angle.
Plane status indicators
Bounding box and grid colors indicate plane validity:
|
Color |
Status |
Action Required |
|
Blue |
Valid plane |
Verify alignment with image geometry |
|
Red |
Invalid; aspect ratio cannot be calculated |
Reposition corner nodes until blue |
|
Yellow |
Invalid; vanishing points cannot be resolved |
Reposition corner nodes until blue |
Alert
Although you can edit and tear off planes from invalid red or yellow planes, results will not orient properly.
Grid controls
Visibility
Select Show Edges from the Vanishing Point menu to toggle visibility of grids, active selections, and plane boundaries.
Note
Selections temporarily appear when resized or repositioned even when Show Edges is off.
Grid spacing adjustment
|
Method |
Tool Required |
Description |
|
Manual spacing |
Edit Plane or Create Plane tool |
Enter Grid Size value in tool options |
|
Link to measurements |
Measure tool |
Select Link Measurements To Grid, drag to measure, then enter Length value |
Render grids to Photoshop
By default, Vanishing Point grids remain invisible in the Photoshop document window but reappear when reopening Vanishing Point. To make grids visible in the document window:
- Select Render Grids To Photoshop from the Vanishing Point menu before selecting OK
Tip
Create a new layer for Vanishing Point work if you plan to render grids, keeping them separate from the main image.
The Render Grids To Photoshop command must be selected for each Vanishing Point session. Rendered grids are raster, not vector.
Plane definition workflow
- (Optional) Prepare image using preparation options above
- Select Filter > Vanishing Point
- Define four corner nodes using Create Plane tool on a rectangular object or plane surface
- Adjust plane using Edit Plane tool (reshape, move, or scale)
- (Optional) Tear off related planes using Ctrl-drag or Command-drag on edge nodes
- (Optional) Adjust torn-off plane angles
- Adjust grid size and visibility as needed
- (Optional) Link grid spacing to measurements
- (Optional) Select Render Grids To Photoshop before closing
- Begin editing operations
For information about using Vanishing Point for perspective-correct editing, see the Vanishing Point overview. For instructions on making selections in perspective, see selections in Vanishing Point. For painting and cloning techniques, see paint in Vanishing Point.
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