Our brains work in mysterious ways to adjust to what our eyes see. Our brains translate real-world images to us so that we see the world without visual distortion. We rarely notice an effect called converging lines when we see it in 3D with our own two eyes. But when we view the same scene in a flat two-dimensional photograph, any distortions and line angles are difficult for our brains to ignore.
We typically see lines of convergence from ground level. When we look up at a high rise building in a city, the building seems to get narrower as our eyes follow the building upwards. But in our brains, we inherently understand that the building is the same circumference on each floor. We rarely think about how the lines lean together as they slowly converge, way up high.
This effect also takes place when we are looking down on a building. However, our brains attempt to rebel against the downward lines of convergence because this is a perspective we are unfamiliar with. It can leave us feeling uneasy, unbalanced, or vertigo. Note the railroad tracks I used as an example. With lines converging at the bottom of the photo, we viewers are seeing and feeling something unusual.
From the perspective of a drone photographer with a camera up high, we typically see the converging lines opposite to someone standing at ground level. Thus, we may want to make these visual corrections in post-processing before showing our work to a client.
How do we correct this visual phenomenon? One of the best ways is to use Adobe Lightroom.
There is a tool rarely used in post-processing but is a hidden gem for aerial photographers. Once in Adobe Lightroom, you will find it in the Transform Panel. It is called Guided Upright. (By the difficult name of the tool, it is not surprising that it is virtually unknown.) Take a look at the next example and notice how the Guided Upright tool was able to square up the building. Here is a quick video tutorial by Adobe Evangelist Julieanne Kost about how to use this awesome tool
Another example:
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