Understand Pincushion Distortion in Digital Photography GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Smart & Connected Life > Travel Tech

What Is Pincushion Distortion?

Learn how to correct this common telephoto lens distortion

By Jo Plumridge Jo Plumridge Writer University of Plymouth Former Lifewire writer Jo Plumridge is a photography professional and writer for photography and travel venues such as BBC, Digital Camera Magazine, and Saga Magazine. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 2, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Travel Tech Digital Cameras & Photography Tips for Mobile Photography Pincushion distortion is a lens effect that causes images to become pinched in the center. Think of it as the effect on a pincushion as a pin is pushed into it: the fabric surrounding the pin moves down and toward the pin as pressure is applied. Pincushion distortion is most often associated with telephoto lenses, and in particular, zoom telephotos. The distortion will usually occur at the telephoto end of the lens. The pincushion distortion effect increases with the distance the object is from the optical axis of the lens. Pincushion is the opposite effect of barrel lens distortion and, like its counterpart, pincushion distortion is most visible in images with straight lines (especially when the lines are close to the edge of the image).

Fixing Pincushion Distortion

Pincushion distortion can be corrected easily in modern image-editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop, which contains a lens-distortion correction filter. Free photo-editing programs also offer slightly less sophisticated corrections. Like barrel distortion, pincushion distortion is amplified by the effects of perspective on images. This means that some of this distortion can be corrected in the camera. While shooting, take a few steps to eliminate or decrease pincushion distortion: Because pincushion distortion most commonly affects objects with straight lines, minimize the effect of pincushion distortion by shooting objects that do not have straight lines.Avoid shooting at the maximum magnification of the telephoto zoom lens. Move closer to the subject and zoom out if possible or shoot the image a little wider than you may like and crop on the computer.Move to a different location to see if a different perspective of the object reduces the pincushion effect. You may also want to change perspective completely and avoid photographing the object straight on so that the distortion becomes a good aspect to the image's aesthetics.If you have straight lines in your object, try to keep them as close to the center of the frame as possible. Lines next to the frame's edge will also appear to be more distorted because the frame is a perfectly straight line. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Why Pro Photographers Say You Should Be Excited About the New Pixel 7 Pro DSLR Camera Basics: Understanding Focal Length How to Fix Barrel Distortion in Photography Camera Terminology for DSLR Camera Lenses How to Use Perspective in Photography How to Create the Out of Bounds Effect in Photoshop What Is a Fisheye Lens? Understand Camera Zoom Lenses What Is Burst Mode and How to Use It Guide to Camcorder Lenses How to Use the iPhone Camera What Is a Digital Camera Viewfinder? Tips for DSLR Close-Up Photography Tips for Shooting Water Reflection Photos The 7 Best Online Photography Classes of 2022 The 8 Best Lenses for DSLR Cameras of 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies