If all four screen corners align but the replacement's internal lines do not follow the photographed surface, investigate lens distortion before adding more tracking points. Four-corner placement describes a perspective transform of a plane. Curved distortion across that plane is a separate geometry problem.
Confirm that the mismatch is inside the plane
Replace the final artwork temporarily with a simple diagnostic grid. Follow its corners and middle edges through a short camera movement. If the corners drift, repair the track first. If they stay attached while the grid's straight lines diverge from curved photographed lines, distortion is a plausible cause.
Also consider whether the receiving surface is actually flat. A flexible screen, bent poster or object with depth may not be explained by lens distortion alone. A successful corner fit does not prove that the whole surface follows one planar model.
Keep the distortion workflow consistent
Adobe's Optics Compensation documentation describes matching lens distortion and warns that composited linear elements can fail to follow a distorted scene. It also states that there is no universal field-of-view value for every lens. Do not copy a number from an unrelated tutorial as a camera calibration.
Depending on the external workflow, either match distortion on the inserted element or work with a corrected base and restore the intended distortion to the assembled result. Keep layer dimensions, crop and coordinate changes documented. A correction that resizes the base can invalidate an earlier track if the replacement remains in the old coordinates.
A hypothetical wide-angle phone shot
Suppose a phone filmed near the edge of a wide-angle frame has slightly curved display boundaries. A flat grid fits its four corners but pulls away midway along the long edges. The editor retains the original and tests a restrained distortion match on a short interval.
Compare center and edge alignment at the opening, largest tilt and ending. Check that text remains legible rather than stretching unnaturally to disguise the mismatch. The example describes a proposed diagnostic test; it is not a measured lens profile or a proven repair.
Stop when the model is wrong
If different parts still move independently, reconsider the surface, rolling-shutter effects or changing camera optics. One static correction may not fit a shot with zoom. Use a more suitable source, restrict the replacement region or obtain a calibrated workflow when precision matters.
Accept the composite when both corners and internal features follow the surface throughout the usable interval. Reject a result that looks aligned only in one frame or relies on excessive blur to conceal geometry errors. Review the final export and preserve the diagnostic grid version. These are external compositing checks; they do not establish an Imagild lens-calibration feature or guarantee recovery of an unknown camera.
Sources
Prepared by Imagild Editorial with AI assistance and reviewed against the linked sources on October 13, 2026. Examples are hypothetical; external procedures do not establish Imagild features or guarantee results.