Distortion USA - Photography Terms & Glossary

Glossary Of Photography Terms [1]

Distortion Distortion in photography refers to the aberrations or alterations that occur in images, causing straight lines to appear curved, bent, or warped. Distortion can be caused by various factors, including lens imperfections, perspective distortion, and digital processing. There are two primary types of distortion: barrel distortion and pincushion distortion.

Barrel distortion causes straight lines to bow outward, creating a bulging or barrel-like effect, while pincushion distortion causes straight lines to bow inward, resembling the shape of a pincushion. Distortion can occur in both wide-angle and telephoto lenses, although it is more noticeable in wide-angle lenses. In photography, distortion can be corrected using lens corrections in post-processing software or by using specialized lenses designed to minimize distortion, such as tilt-shift lenses or aspherical elements.