How To Straighten A Photo In Lightroom & Fix Horizons

REFINED EDUCATION

How To Straighten A Photo In Lightroom & Fix Horizons

As photographers, we are always fine tuning our craft and looking for ways to take our photography skills to the next level. Being able to adjust horizons and straighten a photo in post-processing is an essential skill to have. An uneven horizon draws the eye and can expose your level of expertise. Luckily, fixing your horizons and straightening photos is simple enough for us to teach within a 3 minute YouTube video. In this video tutorial, we show you specific steps in Adobe Lightroom that you can use to straighten and fix the horizon line in your photography, giving them a professional polish. We explain all of the functions in accessible language while illustrating each step with visual examples. Anyone can benefit from understanding more about photography techniques, and this in-depth tutorial on how to straighten a photo and fix horizons is a great way to start!

How To Straighten Pictures In Lightroom

Straightening photos in Lightroom is a straightforward process that can significantly improve their overall look. Here’s a step-by-step guide to how to straighten a photo in Lightroom:

Start by importing your photo into Lightroom and selecting the "Develop" module. Once you are in the "Develop" module, look for the "Crop & Straighten" tool, which is usually located on the right-hand side of the screen.
Click on the "Crop & Straighten" tool, and you will see a grid appear over your photo. You can use this grid as a guide to straighten your photo. There are a few different ways you can straighten a photo in Lightroom:
- Automatic straightening: Lightroom has an "Auto" button that will automatically straighten your photo for you. This is a good option if your photo is only slightly tilted.
- Manual straightening: If you want more control over straightening photos, you can use the angle slider located below the photo. Simply drag the slider left or right until your photo is straight.
- Use the straighten tool: Another option is to use the straighten tool, which is located within the crop & straighten tool. Select the straighten tool and then draw a line along the horizon or another straight line in your photo. Lightroom will then automatically straighten the photo based on the line you drew.

Once you are happy with how straight your photo is, press the "Enter" key to apply the changes. It's as simple as that!

How To Auto Straighten Multiple Photos In Lightroom

There are a few tools in a photographer’s arsenal that can improve efficiency - and even the quality of the final image. Along with presets, editing in bulk is an excellent strategy for saving valuable time in post-processing. Straightening multiple photos at once can be a real time-saver, especially when you have a bunch of images from the same shoot that need to be straightened. In Lightroom, auto straightening multiple photos is a straightforward process.

Import and select your photos: Import the photos you want to straighten into Lightroom and go to the Library module. Use the Grid view to see all your images. Hold down the Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) key and click on each photo you want to straighten to select them.
Use the auto straighten function: After selecting all the photos you want to straighten, go to the Develop module. You will see all the selected photos on the bottom filmstrip. Click on the first photo to make it the active image.
Apply auto straighten to one photo: Here’s where it may sound repetitive. Once you're in the Develop module, click on the Crop Overlay tool. Inside the Crop Overlay tool, click on the Level tool (it looks like a ruler). Use the Level tool to draw a line along the horizon or any other straight line in the photo. Lightroom can straighten the horizon automatically.
Synchronize the straightening: After using the Lightroom straighten tool on the first photo, click on the Sync button on the bottom right of the screen. A Synchronize Settings dialog box will appear. Make sure that the "Upright Mode" or "Crop" checkbox is selected, then click on the "Synchronize" button. Lightroom will then apply the same horizon line rule to all the selected photos.
Review and adjust if necessary: Review each photo to make sure the horizon is straight. If you need to fix the horizon in Lightroom any further, select the photo and use the Angle slider to fine-tune the straightening.

Once you’ve adjusted the horizon line and straightened your photo, you can start focusing on other post-processing tweaks - like applying presets - to achieve your signature look.

Before & After Adjusting Horizons

Left image is SOOC
Right image is Adjusted Horizons and Edited with REFINED Co Presets