Faux Fisheye in Photoshop

From time to time, the need for a fisheye effect on a photo seems like the appropriate thing to do. One of the ways that I satisfy that need is to visit Photoshop CS5 and use the Edit > Transform > Warp function.

 I'll use this Lucky Dog image taken near Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Shades of Ignatius Jacques Reilly, if you have read A Confederacy of Dunces. In the menu bar, go to Edit > Transform > Warp. 

When the Warp function has been selected, click on the drop down box in the Options bar; it will be displaying Custom.

From the drop down selections, choose Fisheye. A default setting will be applied to establish the fisheye look.

The default setting is 50 (highlighted in yellow in the image above). This can be increased to a higher number if needed. The default setting usually works for me.

Once the transform is accepted, the fisheye image is complete.

If you are looking for a reverse fisheye (I'm not sure it exists in photography), it is possible to make a concave warp instead of a convex warp. Instead of using a positive 50 in the Bend box, try a negative 50. This will give the opposite effect.

I guess this is my first negative fisheye. Enjoy!