Real Estate Photo Retouching
One problem with photographing the outside of buildings is getting a good angle, especially with a larger structure. We tend to stand on the ground when framing the image. If the building is tall is can appear to be leaning backwards, especially if we have to tilt the camera back to get the whole building in; think of the trouble we have photographing a skyscraper! Unless we climb a tree or stand on a ladder we tend to get a reduced version of this issue with any real estate image. We can use some Photoshop tricks to make results look more natural.
Of course the illusion of a building leaning away from us is caused by the photo’s image of the building being narrower at the top than at the base. If we stretch the top of the building image by just the right amount the problem is removed. The trick is finding the right amount.
Photoshop (and some rival packages) have a grid function. This superimposes a square grid over the photo image that gives a very good indication of how asymmetrical or skewed it is.
We should check to see if the building skew is one dimensional or two. Occasionally a photo will have an image that bulges at the centre, or that flares up at the sides. This requires some more complex correction that will be dealt with in a following post.
Our brain knows the building in the photo is really square and symmetrical, and expects the photo to show this. If the overlayed grid does not line up with the image we know there is something wrong.
Open the lens correction option in Photoshop, and adjust the vertical perspective slider. Most of the time you just need to align the sides of the building with the grid, but occasionally a very slight tilt looks more natural. Start by aligning building sides with the grid, and then look at the image without the grid. If it looks natural, then you have the final image. If you think a very slight tilt is preferable, then add it back, but very sparingly.
As always we should save copies of the original, untouched photo lest we need it latter.
Real Estate Photo Editing Services
Real Estate Photo Retouching Services aim to produce an image that is an accurate representation of the building under ideal conditions. When actually present at a site our mind compensates for many factors. Photo editing makes up this compensation, with a little compensation of its own.
References
- Real estate Photo Editing
- Real Estate Photo Editing Services
- Real Estate Photo Retouching
- Real Estate Photo Retouching Services