Radial distortion

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Radial distortion is an optical aberration that causes a deviation from rectilinear projection where straight lines in a scene remain straight in an image. Radial distortions can be classified as either:

  • Barrel distortion: lines that do not go through the centre of the image are bulging outwards the centre of the image, like a barrel.
  • Pincushion distortion: lines that do not go through the centre of the image are bowed inwards, towards the centre of the image, like a pincushion.
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