Photoshop tip - arbitrary rotation with measure tool

[bloodjelly]

This is a feature of Photoshop that I wish I knew when I started, as it's really helpful and pretty neat. Here's the problem: You have a photograph or graphic loaded up, maybe one you took with a digital camera or scanned in, and the whole thing is tilted a little bit so that the outer lines of the image aren't parallel with the screen. You could try doing a free rotate, but sometimes it's hard to eyeball what's straight from what's not. Here's the trick:

Make sure your image is loaded. Then, on the tool menu, go down to the eyedropper tool. Hold this with your mouse to pull out the submenus. Select the last one that looks like a ruler. It's the measure tool. You can also hold shift and press I to jog through this menu.

After you've got the measure tool active, go to the lower left corner of your image. Click here, then drag the cursor parallel to the image, until you get to the lower right corner of your image.

Finally, go to Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary. Photoshop will take the angle you made and tell you which way you need to rotate to make a square image! Pretty neat, huh?

[wendylynn]

It took me forever to figure this out in photoshop too. I would create a whole new image, rotate it, then paste it back into my original image. Geez what a waste of time. I guess I should read the help files more closely. That, or visit forums like this one.

[dorianz]

Yes Photoshop is hard one in first time. But you should do it more and more and it will be very easy!.
astigmatism

[Shaun Kennedy]

great advice, thank you

[alanminshull]

Thanks Trevor,
Your expertise with PS really is MOST welcome. Im just starting out using version 7, and already am lost.
I try to follow the online tutorials on youtube but many are sped up or foreign.

[Forrie]

The color scheme is not really good. Slope game is a ball rolling game on endless slopes.