Polar Coordinates

The Polar Coordinates effect distorts a layer by transposing each pixel in the layer's x,y coordinate system to the corresponding position in the polar coordinate system, or the reverse. This effect produces unusual and surprising distortions that can vary greatly depending on the image and the controls you select. The standard coordinate system specifies points by measuring the horizontal distance (x axis) and the vertical distance (y axis) from the origin. Each point is specified as (x,y). The polar coordinate system specifies points by measuring the length of a radius from the origin (r) and its angle from the x axis (q). Each point is specified as (r, q).


Original (left) and with variations of Polar Coordinates applied (center and right)

Adjust the following controls for the Polar Coordinates effect:

Interpolation

Specifies the amount of distortion. At 0% there is no distortion.

Type of Conversion

Specifies the conversion process to use. Choose one of the following options:

• Rect to Polar moves pixels by using x,y coordinates from each pixel as r, q coordinates. For example, an x,y coordinate of 2,3 becomes a polar coordinate with a radius of 2 and a degree of 3. Horizontal lines distort into circles, and vertical lines into radial lines.
• Polar to Rect moves pixels by using the r, q coordinates from each pixel as the x,y coordinates. For example, a polar coordinate of radius 10 and 45 degrees becomes an x,y coordinate of 10,45.