Straightening a Crooked Photo

Let’s face it. We’re not all expert photographers. Occasionally, a photo comes out a little more crooked than we’d like. You probably already know how useful Photoshop’s crop tool can be for trimming undesired elements from your photos, but did you know you can use it to straighten a crooked image, as well? Here’s how:

Select the Crop tool from the tools palette.

Click and drag the cursor across the portion of the image you wish to use.

Move your mouse outside the selected area. The cursor will turn into a double-sided arrow, connected by a curved line.

Press and hold down the mouse button (left mouse button on the PC) and move your mouse. The selected area of the photo will rotate in whatever direction you move.

Once you’ve rotated the selection enough to make up for the photo’s crookedness, release the mouse.

Press Enter, or double-click inside the selected area. The image will be cropped accordingly and rotated to bring it straight.

How to Do Everything With Photoshop CS

by Colin Smith

Get to know Photoshop, and go beyond the basics with this friendly, step-by-step guide. How to Do Everything With Photoshop CS teaches you how to run this sophisticated image editing application like a pro. Learn how to use all the tools, work with color palettes, create textures, import images, apply filters, use layers, and do so much more. This beautiful, four-color book also features an art gallery displaying professional work to help illuminate the lessons and inspire you.