How to Convert Rectangular to Polar Coordinates in Photoshop?
Have you ever thought that with just one filter, you could instantly turn a regular photo into a dazzling ring or stripe effect? In this tutorial, we'll quickly show you how to use the Polar Coordinates filter to create a unique visual impact.
Ready to explore Photoshop's secret tricks? Then let's get started.
In this article, you will learn:
- What Are Polar Coordinates?
- What's the Use of Polar Coordinates in Design?
- How to Use Polar Coordinates in Photoshop?
- Conclusion
What Are Polar Coordinates?
The idea is very simple:
It turns an image from Cartesian Coordinates into Polar Coordinates, or the other way around.
In practice, the image's center point becomes the origin. Pixels left to right map to the radius. Pixels top to bottom map to the angle.
When you apply the Polar Coordinates distortion, Photoshop warps the image based on the radius and angle you choose.
In Photoshop, the Polar Coordinates filter gives you two effects:
- Rectangular to Polar: It turns a flat, rectangular image into a circular "ring" image.
- Polar to Rectangular: It turns a ring image back into a flat rectangle.
You can think of it as taking the edges of your picture and wrapping them together to make a circle.
If you take a horizontal line image, apply Polar Coordinates, and join its ends, it turns into a ring.
If you take a vertical line image, apply Polar Coordinates, and join its ends, it turns into a radial pattern.
What's the Use of Polar Coordinates in Design?
Polar Coordinates is a little‑known Photoshop trick. Designers typically use it for two effects: swirls and radial patterns.
For example, a swirl like this:
And a radial burst like this:
You can use these swirl and radial patterns as backgrounds in your design work.
How to Use Polar Coordinates in Photoshop?
The Polar Coordinates feature is found under Filter → Distort → Polar Coordinates in the top menu.
In the Polar Coordinates dialog, you'll see two options:
- Rectangular to Polar
- Polar to Rectangular
We almost always choose Rectangular to Polar (the first option). Why?
Because we usually start with a normal image and turn it into a special effect. Rarely do we take an already warped image and convert it back to a regular photo.
For example, let's take the photo below and apply a quick Rectangular to Polar test:
Here's the result:
Of course, this is just the first step. You can build on it, like using this effect as a poster background.
Why do we mostly use Rectangular to Polar instead of Polar to Rectangular? There's only one reason: it simply doesn't look good!
Conclusion
In this article, we've simply shared what Polar Coordinates are and how to use them in Photoshop. While Polar Coordinates is a lesser‑known Photoshop tool, give it a try in your design projects, especially Rectangular to Polar, which often delivers really striking results.
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