A Tutorial on How to Create A Fish Eye Lens Effect For Beginners

A fish eye lens is a type of lens that has a wide, curved field of view, producing distorted images with a distinctive, spherical effect. While traditionally achieved with special purpose lenses, the fish eye effect can also be simulated in photo editing software, allowing you to add this unique look to your images. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a fish eye lens effect in your photos using photo editing software:

Step 1:

Open your photo in your photo editing software. In this tutorial, we will be using Adobe Photoshop, but the steps should be similar in other software as well.

Step 2:

Duplicate the background layer by going to Layer > Duplicate Layer, or by pressing Ctrl + J on your keyboard. This will create a copy of the original image that we can work on without altering the original.

Step 3:

Go to Filter > Distort > Spherize. This will bring up the Spherize dialogue box.

Step 4:

In the Spherize dialogue box, adjust the Amount slider to control the strength of the fish eye effect. A value of 100% will produce a strong, exaggerated fish eye effect, while lower values will produce a more subtle, subtle effect.

Step 5:

Choose whether you want the effect to be applied to the entire image or just a part of it. If you want to apply the effect to the entire image, leave the Mode setting at Normal. If you want to apply the effect to just a part of the image, select the Layer Mask option, which will add a layer mask to the Spherize layer.

Step 6:

If you selected the Layer Mask option in the previous step, use the Brush tool to paint over the areas of the image that you want to affect with the fish eye effect. As you paint, the effect will be gradually applied, allowing you to blend it in with the rest of the image.

Step 7:

Adjust the Opacity of the Spherize layer to control the strength of the fish eye effect. A value of 100% will apply the effect fully, while lower values will blend the original image and the fish eye effect together.

Step 8:

If desired, adjust the color balance and saturation of the image to further fine-tune the look of the fish eye effect.

Step 9:

When you are happy with the result, save the image by going to File > Save As, and choose a file format and location to save the image.

Final Thoughts:

And that’s it! With just a few simple steps, you can create a realistic fish eye lens effect in your photos using photo editing software. Remember to experiment with different settings and brush strokes to find the perfect look for your image. Happy editing!