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How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

GoPro photos have that distinctive fisheye look. But that might not be what you want all the time. Here's an effective and quick way to remove the fisheye look using Lightroom.

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

By David Coleman | @havecamerawilltraveldc
Last updated about 4 months ago // Categories: Apps, Photos
Tags: GoPro HERO Session, GoPro HERO4 Black, GoPro HERO4 Session, GoPro HERO4 Silver, GoPro HERO5 Black, GoPro HERO5 Session, GoPro HERO6 Black, GoPro HERO7 Black, GoPro HERO7 Silver, GoPro HERO7 White

Deal: GoPro HERO9 Black Bundle

GoPro is running a deal on the new HERO9 Black, their newest and best camera. It's a bundle that includes the HERO9 Black, a 1-year subscription to GoPro, a Magnetic Swivel Clip, a spare battery, a Floating Hand Grip, and a 32GB SD card. It's all for $399.98.

All GoPros have a super wide-angle lens. Right from the beginning, that has been a calling card of most action cameras. It works really well for the kind of immersive action shots that GoPros were invented to take—it can make you feel like you’re there. And it’s especially good for close to fail-safe shooting. The very wide angle greatly increases the chances that what you want to shoot will be in the frame and not cropped out. But it also has a useful side effect in that it allows for an extremely deep depth of field, which means that it’s almost impossible to get an out-of-focus shot with a GoPro (motion blur is something different).

But that wide-angle perspective isn’t a good fit for everything. Straight lines, like horizons, become bent. And the center of the frame becomes oversized in relation to the rest of the frame, giving it a bulging look. If you’re using your GoPro for travel or everyday shooting, that might not be what you want.

If you’ve had the foresight to enable the Linear FOV mode that newer GoPros have, you’re in good shape. But that only works with JPGs, not RAW image files. And even the Linear FOV isn’t always a good fit. What I’m focusing on here are photos taken with the standard wide fields of view.

GoPro Studio included a “remove fisheye” option that was baked in as part of the process of converting the footage. But that option wasn’t available for still images, and GoPro Studio has been discontinued.

So here’s a quick guide to removing the fisheye look from GoPro photos using Lightroom. You can do one photo at once or thousands in seconds. And because it’s consistently applied across all the photos—some of the other methods aren’t—it also works well when prepping time-lapse photos for compiling to video.

Unfortunately Lightroom isn’t free or even cheap (although there is a free trial), but if you’re already using it as part of your photography workflow, it includes a very effective and quick way to remove the GoPro’s fisheye distortion. One other useful reason to use Lightroom for this is that it is one of the very few apps that can work directly with GoPro RAW image files.

It’s worth emphasizing that this only works for still images, not videos. I have a separate guide for removing the fisheye effect from GoPro videos.

How To Do it

The first thing you need is Lightroom Classic. If you don’t have it already, you can download a free trial version here. There are versions for Windows and Mac.

There’s really not much to it because the functionality is baked into Lightroom’s Develop Module. And Lightroom even ships with Adobe’s own lens profiles for recent GoPro models.

The panel to use is in the Develop module. On the right side, towards the bottom, you’ll see a Lens Corrections panel. Expand that and check the box Enable Profile Corrections.

01 havecamerawilltravel com 1 678x670 - How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

More than likely, so long as you haven’t messed with the image’s metadata, it’ll automatically detect the model of the camera used to take the photo and select the corresponding lens profile. In the event that it doesn’t get it right for some reason, you have a choice of recent models using the Model drop-down menu.

Lightroom GoPro Models in Lens Profiles

By default, in the Profile line, you’ll only have the Adobe profile option, but it is possible to create and share your own lens profiles. That’s really an advanced feature, though, and frankly isn’t something a lot of GoPro users are likely to want or need to do. (But if you’re determined to do it, here are some guides.)

If you decide that the correction goes too far and you still want to leave some fisheye effect, slide the Distortion slider to the left to reduce the power of the correction.

Results

Here are some examples where GoPro’s distinctive fisheye effect has been removed using the profile corrections feature in Lightroom. These were taken with a mix of HERO5 Black, HERO4 Black, and HERO4 Silver, but the principles remain the same for other models.


How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos


How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos


How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos
How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos


How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos
How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

The correction doesn’t come entirely without cost, of course. You do end up losing some of the image from the edges. Here’s a good example where you can see that people at the edges are simply cut out of the new version because of the distortion correction.


How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos
How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

Using Photoshop

There are two ways to end up with similar results using Photoshop. But honestly, using Photoshop to correct the GoPro fisheye effect takes significantly more work and has to be done for each individual image unless you want to go to even more effort and create a custom batch process. And if you have access to Photoshop, there’s a good chance you also have access to Lightroom. Which is why I’ve focused on Lightroom here.

But if you’d prefer to use Photoshop, here are two options:

Lens Correction Method. The easiest and quickest is to use the Lens Correction filter (Filter > Lens Correction). You’ll get a panel that does similar things to the Lightroom method, although by default, it only includes a GoPro Black profile, and I’ve found that with its default settings, it actually overcorrects, bending horizons back the other way.

How to Remove the GoPro Fisheye Effect from Photos

Adaptive Wide Angle Filter Method. You can also get good results using Photoshop’s Adaptive Wide Angle filter. You get far more control that way, but it’s also much more work because you have to identify and mark the lines in the image that you want to use as the basis for the correction calculations.

More GoPro Tips & Tricks:

  • 01 havecamerawilltravel com 3 300x200 - Photos Taken with a GoPro HERO4 Silver
    Photos Taken with a GoPro HERO4 Silver
  • GoPro Video Fisheye Removal 5 300x200 - How to Remove the Fisheye Effect from GoPro Videos
    How to Remove the Fisheye Effect from GoPro Videos
  • 03 havecamerawilltravel com 300x200 - GoPro Linear FOV: Pros, Cons, and Examples
    GoPro Linear FOV: Pros, Cons, and Examples
  • gopro collage 300x200 - GoPro HERO4 Menu Icons Cheat Sheet
    GoPro HERO4 Menu Icons Cheat Sheet
  • GoPro HERO4 Session
    GoPro HERO4 Silver vs HERO4 Session
  • gopro spot meter header image 300x200 - What the GoPro Spot Meter Does
    What the GoPro Spot Meter Does
By David Coleman
Instagram: @havecamerawilltraveldc

Last updated on November 9, 2020

Categories: Apps, Photos
Tags: GoPro HERO Session, GoPro HERO4 Black, GoPro HERO4 Session, GoPro HERO4 Silver, GoPro HERO5 Black, GoPro HERO5 Session, GoPro HERO6 Black, GoPro HERO7 Black, GoPro HERO7 Silver, GoPro HERO7 White

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GoPro News & Deals

New Smart Remote GoPro will be announcing the new Smart Remote for the HERO9 Black on December 17, 2020. The HERO9 Black isn’t compatible with the previous version of the Smart Remote.

HERO8 Black firmware v2.0 now available. Enables webcam mode; enables Display Mod compatibility; expands HyperSmooth 2.0 High and Boost availability to more video settings; general bug fixes. Update through the mobile app or manually.

GoPro Launches New Live Streaming Service for GoPro PLUS. GoPro has launched their own live-streaming platform for PLUS subscribers. It’s a pretty bare-bones offering for now, with livestreams shared with a dedicated URL. This is alongside their efforts to make the HERO8 Black useful as a webcam when connected to a computer (via USB plug-in-play, not requiring the Media Mod accessory with HDMI out). New firmware adds that functionality for Mac users, and the Windows version is in Beta.

New GoPro Zeus Mini Video Light. GoPro has released released a new video LED light designed to complement their GoPro cameras. It’s tiny, waterproof, and has a built-in magnetic swiveling clip. It’s waterproof down to 33 feet (10 meters), has four levels of brightness, and includes a diffuser to cool the color temperature to 5000K. GoPro claims that the built-in battery lasts up to 6 hours (presumably at the lowest brightness setting, although they don’t specify). It’s available now and priced at $69.99.

DJI Osmo Action firmware update adds live streaming. DJI has released a firmware update for the Osmo Action (v. 01.08.00.10) that adds live streaming support, so you can upload directly to platforms like Facebook and YouTube (it goes through the DJI Mimo mobile app). They’ve also improved the in-camera video stabilization. You can find the new firmware here.

New Underwater Housing for GoPro HERO8 Black from Isotta. Isotta, an Italian brand specializing in underwater housings, has announced a new high-quality underwater housing for the HERO8 Black. It’s an aluminum housing depth-rated to 650 feet (200 meters), has a one-handed open/close switch, double o-rings, and can be used with filters. There’s also a dual-handled tray to go along with it. And like all their housings, it’s in their distinctive red. Priced at $450, it’s only for those who need a highly specialized piece of underwater kit. It’s available for preorder from underwater specialists Backscatter.

Light Mod Now Shipping The Light Mod, one of the three new GoPro accessories, is now shipping. It’s a standalone light that is waterproof, rechargeable and compatible with all GoPro mounts. It was originally announced along with the HERO8 Black, but it hasn’t been available until now. It’s priced at $49.99, and you can find them at GoPro.com.

GoPro MAX Now Shipping. The new 360° camera, the MAX, is now shipping.

GoPro HERO8 Black and Max Unveiled. The new GoPro cameras and accessories have been unveiled. I have a rundown of the highlights of the HERO8 Black here.

DJI Osmo Action vs GoPro HERO7 Black. I’ve posted my detailed hands-on comparison of the Osmo Action and the HERO7 Black. There’s a lot similar between the models, but once you start digging down into the details there are differences that can help in choosing between them. And each has strengths the other doesn’t have. You can find my review here.

GoPro HyperSmooth vs DJI RockSteady. The new DJI Osmo Action also has built-in electronic stabilization to smooth out video. They’re calling it RockSteady (GoPro has HyperSmooth). I’ve been out testing them side-by-side. You can see the results here.

GoPro Deals page. I’ve put together a dedicated page on GoPro deals. So if you’re looking for cheap GoPro deals, check it out.

DJI Osmo action 4K Camera. Best known for their camera drones, DJI has released a new 4K action cam that’s taking direct aim at the GoPro HERO7 Black. It shoots up to 4K60 video and 12MP stills, includes electronic stabilization, has high-dynamic range video at 4K30, voice commands, a touchscreen on the back and another smaller live view screen on the front, and is waterproof down to 36 feet (11 meters). It’s priced at $349, and they’re now available at B&H Photo.

Comments

  1. gern says

    May 28, 2019 at 9:48 am

    I’ve found Photoshop’s Adaptive Wide Angle tool worked the best. Too many other packages didn’t even recognize or even have profiles for the Hero 7 or 6 Black.

    The AWA tool is manual, but gave the best results.

    Reply
  2. Robin H. says

    December 27, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    What software would you recommend now, since GoPro Studio isn’t available to download from GoPro anymore?

    Reply
    • David says

      December 27, 2017 at 3:27 pm

      I do it in Lightroom. I’ll investigate whether there are any other free apps that might do it.

      Reply
  3. ERIN MCDONALD says

    November 10, 2017 at 9:09 am

    I’m about to travel to Iceland and was considering a GoPro (we are doing some water sports) but wasn’t a fan of the fish eye look. Thanks for the tutorial to correct it!

    Reply
    • David says

      November 10, 2017 at 12:49 pm

      Glad it’s useful. Have a great trip!

      Reply
  4. John Wright says

    March 9, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    How do I do more than one photo at a time in lightroom?

    Reply
    • David says

      March 9, 2017 at 3:59 pm

      It’s the same process as synchronizing any of the other develop settings across multiple images. It can actually be done a few different ways; this is probably the simplest: Make the changes to your initial image in the Develop module and apply the profile corrections under Lens Corrections tab. Using the filmstrip of thumbnails at the bottom, keep the initial image selected and choose the others by click on their thumbnails while holding down the Command/Control key. Then press the Sync button to the right and make sure that the Lens Corrections section is checked.

      Reply

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About Me

I’m a professional travel & location photographer based in Washington DC and traveling all over. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between.

I’ve owned and used every GoPro since the HD HERO and particularly like finding new and different ways to use them to capture photos, video, and time-lapse.

You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com.

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