How to Correct Perspective in Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo stands as one of the most dynamic image editing software on the market. With loads of exotic features however, some of the simpler ones can become tricky to find when you need them. The perspective tool in particular is one that many beginners discover is difficult to find and know how to use. So how do you correct perspective in Affinity Photo?

You can correct perspective in Affinity Photo by using the Perspective Tool. The Perspective Tool can easily be found by going to the tools panel on the left side of the screen and scrolling down to the second to last icon. The Perspective Tool icon is one of a small grid. 

If you’re trying to correct the perspective of an image in Affinity Photo, but you’re still not too sure where to start, you have come to the right place. In our guide below, we will breakdown where to find Affinity’s perspective tool, as well as how you can change and even fix perspective with it. So, without further ado, come along and let’s jump right into it!

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Does Affinity Photo Have a Perspective Tool?

To change perspective it only makes sense that you would need to have some sort of perspective tool. The question that arises is whether or not that tool is already installed in Affinity Photo or is something that has to be added. In short, does Affinity Photo have a prebuilt-in perspective tool? 

Affinity Photo does, in fact, have a perspective tool built right into the program. As we alluded to in the introduction, you can find this tool by going to the tools panel on the left side of the screen and scrolling down to the second to last icon–one of a small grid. You should notice the tools panel by looking for a bunch of little icons stacked vertically on top of each other. 

While this tool can technically be used on any photo, it is best used on those that have clear three dimensional shapes within them so that you can really tell how the perspective shifts and so you don’t just end up with a warped flat looking image. 

How Do You Change Perspective in Affinity Photo?

The basic steps behind changing perspective in Affinity Photo are quite simple and intuitive. Granted, changing perspective well may not be quite as easy, however, we will cover that in the next section. For now, in basic terms, how do you change or skew perspective in Affinity Photo? 

Follow the steps below to change or skew perspective in Affinity Photo in the most fundamental and easy way: 

  1. Open Affinity Photo and pull up your image: First things first, you need to open up the program and either load a file with your 3D image already imported into it, or go ahead and import a new image of your choice to a new document. Either way you should, at the very least, have one 3D image to skew perspective on. 
  2. Select the Perspective Tool from the tools panel: Right-click on the second to last icon on the tools panel–a small grid. Two options should pop up in a tiny dropdown menu from the icon. One option is labeled Mesh Warp Tool while the other is our very own Perspective Tool. Obviously, we’ll be selecting the Perspective Tool. 
  3. Change the plane to “dual plane” in the perspective window: Once you select the Perspective Tool a small window will pop up in the bottom right corner of the screen as a grid suddenly appears over your image. For now, ignore the grid and change the plane setting in the perspective window to “dual plane” by using the dropdown menu.
  4. Shift the perspective by grabbing the nodes on the perspective grid: The grid over your image should suddenly become 3D. There will be little nodes on the end where the two sides meet in the middle. You can drag these as you please and it will automatically shift the perspective of the image whichever way you go.   

These steps are merely the beginning. They just bring you to the point where you can change perspective in Affinity Photo however you would like to. In the next section, we will dive into how you fix that perspective or, in simpler terms, how you change the perspective of your image without it looking heavily distorted. 

How Do You Fix Perspective in Affinity Photo?

So now that we know how to change perspective in the most fundamental of ways, let’s get more specific. What if you want to fix an image so that the perspective changes without leaving it looking all distorted? In short, how exactly do you fix perspective in Affinity Photo? 

The following steps will guide you to fix the perspective of a 3D image in Affinity Photo without it becoming overly distorted: 

  1. Use the Perspective Tool to put a dual plane over your image: Essentially, you’re just going to want to start by following the steps in the previous section so you can have the dual plane grid over your image. Remember, select the Perspective Tool from the grid icon in the tools panel then change to dual plane in the perspective window. 
  2. Move the points of the dual plane into alignment with the image: First you need to switch the mode in the perspective window to “source” by using the dropdown menu. Once source is set to the mode, you can now grab the nodes on the middle line of the plane and drag and drop them along the straight vertical line in your 3D image center. 
  3. Line up the other side of nodes with the side of the image: The other two sides of the dual plane need to be lined up with the vertical edges of the photo on both sides. This will help ensure there is no weird distortion when you go to shift perspectives. 
  4. Switch modes back to “destination” and change perspective: Now that everything in your plane is lined up properly, you can change the mode back from “source” to “destination” then grab any of the center nodes and begin shifting perspective without heavily warping the image. 

To be fair, this can be tricky to master. Fortunately there are many video tutorials available online that will not only explain the steps involved in changing perspective well, but that will also provide you with real examples. If you still feel that you need a little more guidance, we highly recommend checking them out. 

So Really, How Do You Correct Perspective in Affinity Photo?

The bottom line is to correct perspective in Affinity Photo you will need to become acquainted with the Perspective Tool. Remember, the Perspective Tool can be found in the tiny dropdown menu from the grid icon on the tools panel. The tools panel itself, of course, is located on the left side of the screen. 

The Perspective Tool can be tricky to use if you’re unfamiliar with it. Therefore we recommend that you stay loose and have a little fun experimenting with it before you try to use it on your main draft or project. So, how will you be using the Perspective Tool in Affinity Photo?