What is chromatic aberration and
how do you fix it?

Learn about color fringing, how to prevent the aberration while shooting, and how to edit it out in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

Simple graphic that explains how the eye translates color

What is chromatic aberration?



The failure of a camera lens to focus each of white light’s different wavelengths onto the same focal point may lead to blue-yellow, red-green, or magenta-purple fringing. This is due to the refractive index of glass; various wavelengths of light travel through the lens at different speeds, making it difficult for some lenses to focus each hue on the same focal plane.

Correcting chromatic aberration in an image of a carousel

Chromatic aberration correction.



Avoid color fringing before it happens.

Prevent chromatic aberration while shooting by using a high-quality lens, avoiding wide-angle lenses, and shooting at a narrower aperture when you can. “The best way to go about fixing it is to shoot it correctly in camera the first time,” says fashion photographer Adam Rindy.

Three Indian eggplants on a wooden table

Shoot at a narrower aperture.

Photographer and educator Adam Long recommends shooting at a higher f-stop — which narrows your aperture — to avoid color distortion, especially when using a cheaper lens. “If you shoot a low-grade lens wide open, at a 1.8 aperture for example, your chances of seeing chromatic aberration go way up. But if you use a smaller aperture, like 5.6, you’re less likely to see it,” he explains. Try upping your ISO, using a flash, or slowing your shutter speed when shooting at a narrower aperture to make up for the loss of light.

Young person in field with the wind blowing through their hair

Optimize the focal plane.

Wide-angle lenses with shorter focal lengths are more prone to color fringing. “If you’re shooting at 18 millimeters, you’re way more likely to encounter chromatic aberration because you’re using the extremities of the glass,” says Long. Shooting at a medium focal length, around 30 millimeters when using an 18- to 55-millimeter lens for example, should help.

Fix color distortions in Adobe Lightroom.

Remove simple chromatic aberrations in Adobe Lightroom by checking the box that says Remove Chromatic Aberration under the Color section of the Lens Corrections panel. Then use the Defringe controls and sliders to locate and remove any color distortion that Remove Chromatic Aberration left behind along high-contrast edges. Click the Defringe icon under the Optics panel and use the Fringe Selector to sample the green or purple distortion, and use the slider to remove the fringe. Alternatively, you can remove purple or green hues with the Defringe slider in the local adjustment Brush, Linear Gradient, or Radial Gradient panels.

Highlighting chromatic aberration in a nature photograph of a waterfall
Checking the "Remove Chromatic Aberration" check box in Adobe Lightroom

Lateral, or transverse, chromatic aberration.

Lateral chromatic aberration, also called transverse chromatic aberration, is the blue-yellow or red-green fringing that can usually be automatically removed using the Remove Chromatic Aberration checkbox in Lightroom Classic.


Axial, or longitudinal, chromatic aberration.



Add chromatic aberration for a unique look.

Experiment with applying chromatic aberration on purpose to videos or photos in Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, or After Effects. You can take an image or film clip from average to artistic by playing with a bit of color fringing or separating the Red, Green, and Blue channels (RGB splitting). “Chromatic aberration could add a certain type of unsteadiness or psychological space within an image,” says Long.

Green, pink, and yellow chromatic aberration creates a cool color fringing effect

Color fringing as a photo effect.

Try adding a bit of color fringing to an image in Photoshop for a 3D or retro feel similar to this architecture poster by Fabio Rahmani or these RGB split portraits by Patryk Pawlak.

Rainbow color fringing used on an image of bubbles

Artwork by Rus Khasanov


Color fringing as a video effect.




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