Thoughts on perspective control

[rpcrowe]

I have always done perspective control (ie; fixing an image that looks like it is falling backwards) in Adobe Camera RAW. However, the new NIK-3 Collection has a Perspective control module.

I wonder if anyone has compared the two ways of doing perspective control...

[Donald]

I haven't (compared the two ways) and I don't use any perspective control very much (because of the nature of my photography), but, having said that, the new tool in the NIK collection seems very straightforward and intuitive to use. In my experiement with it, it did the job very well.

[davidedric]

I just had a quick look. It's essentially a repackaging of DxO's Viewpoint, so there are two ways to get the same thing. I think I read that it's the one Nik module which does not incorporate the non-destructive workflow that they have just introduced.

[Manfred M]

I just had a quick look. It's essentially a repackaging of DxO's Viewpoint, so there are two ways to get the same thing. I think I read that it's the one Nik module which does not incorporate the non-destructive workflow that they have just introduced.

I've played around with it and it really is just Viewpoint.

The one feature I've always liked about Viewpoint is that it magnifies the area you are looking to place the control points, so it provides a lot more precision than the other methods. The main downside, in my view, is that I would like more control of the crop.

I find that when I straighten perspective, there are often areas that are fairly easy to clone or content aware fill so I like doing my crop with those fixes in mind. It's possible that Viewpoint has that option as well and I just haven't figured out how to use it. On the other hand, I'm quite fast now at using the perspective, skew and size functions that it would take just as long to use Viewpoint /Nik.

[Antonio Correia]

I tried today the perspective correction in LR and I think it works just fine.
I have an old version on Nik which I rarely use...

[Manfred M]

Of course, my preferred solution for perspective control is this....

[Antonio Correia]

There are options for different prices...
Fotodiox or Cambo for example but they are rather expensive solutions with specific uses.

[Manfred M]

I own the Fotodiox product, but have not had a chance to test it yet.

One has to own a larger format lens to get the larger image circle they provide. In my case I have a medium format Hasselblad 80mm lens that I plan to use with with the adapter.

It might be applicable if one has a crop frame sensor and one has full-frame lenses too; something else I have not tested yet.

The adapter is relatively inexpensive (about $USD 200), but the lenses are not. The device does not have the fine adjustment screws that true shft / tilt lenses have, so it is a bit more challenging to use.

[rpcrowe]

I have a 60mm f/2.8 2:1 ratio Macro lens with a small tilt capability. I do not use the tilt to correct distortion but it will sometimes come in handy to increase the DOF which at a 2:1 magnification is absolutely razor thin....





This is an APSC lens but, will not vignette on a full frame camera when used in a macro situation...

[Manfred M]

I have a 60mm f/2.8 2:1 ratio Macro lens with a small tilt capability. I do not use the tilt to correct distortion but it will sometimes come in handy to increase the DOF which at a 2:1 magnification is absolutely razor thin....





This is an APSC lens but, will not vignette on a full frame camera when used in a macro situation...

Tilt does not affect perspective; it affects where the focus plane falls and allows the photographer to shift it around. If one wants to correct perspective distortion, the lens has to have shift functionality.