Photo Friday: Crop It Like It’s Hot (Aspect Ratios Made Easy)
Smart aspect ratio fixes and creative crops to save any photo
When I was photographing kayak guides from Ride the Wind Surf & Kayak launching from the beach at Ocracoke Island, I wanted it all in the frame—the neon kayaks lined up, the sandy shoreline, and that impossibly wide Carolina sky.
So, I selected the trusty Ultra-Wide-Angle camera on my Apple iPhone. Perfect, right? Except later, there were distracting posts and the dock framing the bottom. It was messy, not exactly what I had in mind.
Thankfully, Lightroom’s Auto Transform button saved the day (along with creative cropping and other enhancements). One click fixed the aspect ratio, fixed the warping, and turned my “almost” shot into a portfolio favorite.
If you’ve ever had a wide-angle photo go a little… wonky, this one’s for you.
Why Wide-Angle Distorts
Wide-angle lenses (anything 35mm and under, especially 24mm, 18mm, or wider) tend to distort reality. They cram a huge field of view into your image, which makes straight lines bow out. Faces and objects near the frame edges can look unnaturally pulled. Great for drama—not so great for portraits or architecture unless you know how to fix it.
Fix It Fast in Lightroom (Desktop or Mobile)
Here’s how to straighten things out in seconds:
Open your photo in Lightroom.
Scroll to the Transform panel in the Develop module.
Click Auto—Lightroom analyzes the image and instantly fixes warped lines.
If needed, fine-tune with the Vertical, Horizontal, or Rotate sliders.
Save the settings as a preset if you often shoot at a wide angle.
Pro Tip: Also, check Enable Profile Corrections under Lens Corrections to correct lens-specific distortions.
Quick Fix in iPhone or Mac Photos
Don’t use Lightroom? No problem:
Open your photo in the Photos app.
Tap Edit > Crop & Rotate > look for Perspective/Skew tools (iOS 17+).
Adjust the Vertical or Horizontal sliders until your lines look natural.
Save—and your photo is ready to share.
When to Embrace the Warp
Sometimes, distortion adds character. The wraparound look of a forest shot at 16mm? Gorgeous.
A stretched foreground in a cityscape? It can feel cinematic. The trick is knowing when to fix it and when to let your lens’s quirks shine.
Final Frame
Wide-angle lenses give you the power to capture more of the world—but with great power comes… bowed perspectives. Luckily, Lightroom and Photos make fixing distortion effortless.
So next time your shot looks like it went through a funhouse mirror, you’ll know how to rescue it.
Bonus
Did you notice how I placed the point of the kayak in the lower left corner, which draws the viewer’s eye into the image? Effective use of the Rule of Thirds.
Takeaways
Wide-angle magic comes with a twist. These lenses stretch reality—amazing for landscapes, tricky for straight lines, and portraits.
Auto Transform = your secret weapon. In Lightroom, one click straightens horizons and fixes warped edges like a pro.
Don’t forget Lens Corrections. Enable it in Lightroom to automatically clean up subtle lens quirks.
Photos app can pinch-hit. On iPhone or Mac, use Perspective tools under Crop & Rotate to tidy up distortion fast.
Sometimes, let it warp! That sweeping, wraparound look? It might be precisely the vibe your photo needs.
You don’t have to figure out your camera alone.
I’ve helped hundreds of students move from frustration to confidence behind the lens—mastering their cameras, improving composition, and building simple workflows that make photography fun again.
👉 Let’s get started
Read last week’s Photo Friday. It’s about Remove Background Distractions Like a Pro — take a look and compare your take with mine.
If this helped you frame your thoughts or fueled your wanderlust, restack it or share it with your favorite travel buddy. It’s cheaper than airfare and way more inspiring than airline pretzels!