Vanishing Point in Photoshop CS2

Key Takeaways

• Vanishing Point is a feature in Photoshop CS2 that allows users to impose a 3D framework on a 2D image, making interactions behave as if they were in a 3D environment.
• Activating Vanishing Point launches a workspace with its own set of tools and controls, where users can mark out a ‘reference rectangle’ on their base image, and scale it to fit their image.
• Once the framework is set, users can manipulate items in a faux 3D environment, with any pasted items immediately distorting to match the perspective of the plane the cursor is in contact with.
• The Vanishing Point filter can be used for various functions such as adjusting grid size, applying it to a layer mask, creating a perspective grid, cloning in perspective, correcting perspective distortion, adding text in perspective, and creating a reflection.

Continuing the ‘Adobe Creative Suite 2’ theme from my last post, I thought I’d walk you through one of Photoshop’s newest and grooviest features.

Vanishing Point is a new ‘mini-app’ within Photoshop that allows you impose a 3D framework on top of any 2D image. With this grid in place, all your interactions (cut, paste, draw, paint, clone, select, etc) behave as if they were in a 3D environment. Here’s a quick demo.

1) Activating Vanishing Point from the ‘Filter’ menu (or Alt+Ctrl+V) will launch your image into a Vanishing Point workspace with it’s own set of controls and tools.

By default, the ‘Make Plane Tool’ is selected and waiting to go. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to find and mark out a ‘reference rectangle’ on your base image, that you could resonably expect to have right-angled corners. This might be a window, a building, a wall or a door, but obviously the larger the more margin for error (my example isn’t quite square).

2) Once your rectangle is in place, you’re free to scale it to your image by dragging it’s edges. However, holding down [CRTL] while dragging the same edge will create a new plane running perpendicular to the current one. It’s relatively easy to get the hang of, and after a few minutes you should be effortlessly stepping around corners and up and over buildings.

3) With the framework finished, you’re reading to start working in faux 3D. For instance, pasting any item from the clipboard will immediately distort it to the perspective of the plane you cursor is in contact with. Likewise, your painted lines distort and taper as they slant away from you — even the squared selection tool conforms to the plane it’s on. Nice.

The only feature I missed was the ability paint from plane to plane without having to stop and restart your stroke. Perhaps something for the next version.

In the end, although it’s hard to say how truly useful a feature is until you find yourself using it, I’m expecting to get some value out of this feature in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vanishing Point in Photoshop CS2