Orientations of LaNiO3 (LNO) and Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)TiO3 (PZT) films deposited by laser ablation were evaluated using X-ray diffraction. (001)-oriented PZT and LNO films were achieved under optimized deposition conditions. Pole-figure measurements of both LNO and PZT films showed that (001) out-of-plan orientation was affected by plume direction. It was found that the (001) axes of both LNO and PZT films at locations away from the plume center were significantly tilted. The incline angle of tilt increases with the distance away from the center of the plume. The films grown in columnar structures and the column axis coincided with the crystalline orientation. Polarization of the PZT film was slightly affected by the difference in orientation tilt angles of the film investigated. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.