How To Mirror An Image In Photoshop Elements

To mirror images refers to flipping them then that everything is reversed – just like in existent life when you lot reflect something in a mirror.

This tin can be useful in any number of situations. For case, if the photo was taken in front of a mirror and you lot want to reverse information technology back; or if yous need to identify a logo or some text onto an image and the negative infinite is on the incorrect side.

You can also use this technique for artistic purposes. You lot can use it when you lot're doing composites and you lot need to add a reflection to i of the elements.

You can fifty-fifty mirror an paradigm to give a surreal effect to your photograph.

Another possibility is to go abstruse and use a mirrored picture to create beautiful patterns. Any the reason, it's always useful to know how to flip images in Photoshop, regardless of whether you're a professional person or an apprentice.

In this article, I'll show y'all how to mirror an image in Photoshop, how to flip simply a part of it or a specific layer, and how to rotate a photo.

How to Flip, Mirror and Rotate Images in Photoshop
- one. How to Flip the Whole Image
- 2. How to Flip a Single Layer
- 3. How to Rotate an Image in Photoshop
- four. How to Rotate the Canvas in Photoshop
- five. How to Combine Flip and Rotate in Photoshop
- Mirroring an Image in Photoshop FAQs
How to Mirror an Image in Photoshop | Final Words

How to Flip, Mirror and Rotate Images in Photoshop

As I mentioned above, flipping and rotating an image in Photoshop can have different applications. Each one will need a different technique depending on your needs.

Hither I'll show you lot a few ways of doing it; after that, it'southward up to your imagination what you can create.

1. How to Flip the Whole Image

Tutorial on how to mirror an image in Photoshop.

Credit: Curology

Let's start unproblematic. Let's say that y'all simply desire to flip the entire image in Photoshop.

I'll utilize this instance where the product was photographed in front of a mirror. Every bit a consequence, the make is hard to read and you have to flip the image.

This is a uncomplicated, everyday example of why you might mirror an image in Photoshop, and information technology'due south really piece of cake to exercise.

Step ane: Rotate / Flip Canvas

Select Image Rotation and then choose to flip horizontal or vertical.

If you lot're flipping an entire canvas without any layers (or you accept a background layer only), all you need to do is open the menu Prototype, Epitome Rotation, Flip Canvas Horizontally.

Note that depending on your needs yous might want to flip your image from the other centrality and and so yous should use Flip Canvas Vertically from the same menu.

Step 2: Salve

How to flip image in Photoshop to create a mirror image.

That's it, your image is now mirrored. If you lot don't need to keep the original version then yous can employ the Save command.

If, instead, y'all desire to continue both of them, go to Save As and name this version differently.

two. How to Flip a Single Layer

How to flip an image in Photoshop: first duplicate the background layer.

Credit: Jonny Caspari

If you're working on a multi-layered document and you desire to flip only one of the layers, then you tin can't use the Flip Canvass technique.

If you do it, then the entire document gets flipped, regardless of the layer that was selected. And so, let's meet how you can flip an epitome without affecting all the other layers.

I'1000 going to use this photo every bit an instance of how to duplicate the subject on a different layer and flip it to create a mirror image that serves as a reflection.

(If you're interested in how add water reflections to landscape photography with just one-click, cheque out our Luminar AI review.)

Stride 1: Add a Layer

You can use whatsoever layer that you're working on in Photoshop. Information technology can be an imported image, a logo, or anything you desire.

In my case, I'yard going to re-create-paste the subject area in a separate layer. To exercise this I'm merely going to select it and and then use the Layer via Copy command.

Step 2: Transform / Flip

In Photoshop, select Free Transform and then Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical.

Make sure y'all're on the correct layer that you want to flip. You can double-cheque this in the Layers panel.

Then go to the menu Edit, Transform, Flip Vertical (or Flip Horizontal according to what y'all're looking for).

Alternatively, you can use the Photoshop keyboard shortcut by pressing Cmd + T. This will actuate the Free Transform command.

You'll run into that the layer gets a rectangle around it with handles. You can click and elevate those handles if y'all desire to do the flip manually.

Otherwise, you tin right-click inside the rectangle and choose Flip Vertical (or Flip Horizontal). You'll now have a mirror prototype that can be used every bit a reflection.

Step 3: Go on Editing

You now have a mirror image in Photoshop which can be used as a reflection.

That's it, you lot can continue editing your composite. If you're doing a reflection like mine, you tin use a Layer Mask to utilise a Gradient. This will create a more realistic effect.

Step 4: Save

If you want to save your composite with the divide layers in a way that it remains editable, I propose y'all save information technology as a PSD file.

If you desire to salve some storage infinite and yous're satisfied with the final upshot, you tin can get to the menu Layer, Flatten Epitome. And so you can salvage it every bit a JPEG.

3. How to Rotate an Image in Photoshop

When you flip an paradigm horizontally or vertically in Photoshop, information technology ends upwards completely reversed – the same every bit it would await if you held it upwards to a mirror.

Instead, if you rotate, the elements of the image remain as they are. You lot would merely be adjusting the angle around a specific centrality.

Imagine that you fix your prototype with a pin in the center and and so you start turning it clockwise or counterclockwise past ane of the corners. That is to rotate an epitome.

This can exist very useful to straighten the horizon of a photo. Very often this happens if y'all are shooting handheld. Allow me show y'all how to set up it in Photoshop.

Pace 1: Add a guide

Step 1- Open your photo in Photoshop and then create a guide.

Credit: Aleksandar Popovski

If you want to rotate an image to straighten information technology, then you're going to need a guide. If you're doing it arbitrarily, then yous can skip this step and move straight to the next.

To describe a guide y'all need to have the rulers activated in Photoshop. If you don't have them already, you can do information technology in the menu View, Rulers.

Then, click on the ruler and drag onto your epitome – this volition pull a guide out. When you reach the betoken you need, just let go of the mouse.

Step 2: Convert to Layer

Your epitome by default is open up in Photoshop equally a locked background layer. Every bit a event, you won't be able to transform it.

To unlock it yous need to click on the lock icon side by side to it in the Layers panel. This transforms it into a new layer.

By default, information technology will exist chosen 'Layer 0', just you can rename it if you want (only double click on the layer name in the Layers panel and you'll be able to edit the text).

Step three: Transform / Rotate

At present you tin can get to the bill of fare Edit, Transform, Rotate. This will actuate a rectangle with holders around the image.

Your cursor volition accept inverse into a double-pointed curved arrow. While this is active you can just click and drag in any direction to rotate your paradigm.

Y'all can also do this by activating the Free Transform tool with the Photoshop keyboard shortcut Cmd + T, then putting your cursor about a corner until you lot see it change into the curved double-pointed pointer.

You can at present click and drag to rotate. If yous desire to be very precise with your rotation, you can apply the height bar to write the degrees yous desire to rotate instead of dragging manually.

Step 4: Fix the edges

After straightening your image horizontally, you can use the Photoshop Content Aware tool to fill any gaps.

As y'all can run into, this reveals empty areas on the canvas. At the aforementioned time, the corners volition be out of the frame.

There are dissimilar ways to fix this. The easiest way is to crop the image. Yous tin can practise information technology with the Crop tool. Only grab the handles from the edges and drag them in until y'all've cutting out all the empty space.

It'south also possible to rotate while you lot're using the crop tool and, as you lot rotate, information technology will automatically drag the borders in. When you accept, it will rotate and crop in i.

If you don't like the thought of cropping because y'all need the image to remain in the same size, y'all tin can use the Transform command over again but this time choose Scale.

With this, you lot can pull out the corners of the image to make it bigger until the empty spaces are out of the frame.

This will keep the sheet size untouched, still, your paradigm can lose some quality. This is non recommended if the adjustment you need to make is very big.

Finally, a third choice is to use Content-Enlightened. With this, Photoshop fills the empty spaces by 'making up' new pixels with information from the surrounding areas.

This tin give very good results in some cases. Use the Ingather tool to Rotate, but make sure the Content-Aware option is activated on the meridian bar.

This mode when you accept, it will rotate and fill up the edges instead of cutting them. If the consequence isn't very satisfying yous can always make full the spaces manually with clone and healing brushes.

four. How to Rotate the Canvas in Photoshop

Now, let'southward say yous need to rotate the entire canvas, for example, if you lot want to change the orientation from mural to portrait.

This is as well elementary in Photoshop.

Option 1: Rotate

You can also flip an image in Photoshop from vertical to horizontal, or portrait to landscape.

Credit: Anastasia Zhenina

If you demand to rotate your image from landscape to portrait or vice versa, y'all need to rotate 90 degrees.

You can practice this in Photoshop with a single command. Just go to the carte Epitome, Epitome Rotation, then choose the orientation you want: ninety degrees clockwise or xc degrees counterclockwise. Apply and you're done.

Pick 2: Crop / Ratio

Another way to change orientation of an image in Photoshop is to crop your photo.

Credit: Johannes Beilharz

If the subject doesn't brand sense if you rotate it, but y'all withal demand to change from landscape to portrait, you can alter the ratio and crop information technology.

Using the Ingather tool, get to the ratio bill of fare in the height bar. There you can change the proportion of the crop. In the example image, I'm using 8:x.

5. How to Combine Flip and Rotate in Photoshop

And then far you've seen some applications in real-life photography for both flipping and rotating. In all those examples of how to mirror an image in Photoshop, I was looking for a realistic event.

But what about the artistic side of it? You can use these tools singularly or combined to create surreal images or beautiful patterns.

Here's an idea on how to flip an image in Photoshop for fun and creative results.

Pace 1: Choose an abstract image

In Photoshop you can flip and rotate a photo for creative effect.

Credit: David Clode

Choose an image that will exist the base for your blueprint. Usually, abstruse images work best but feel gratuitous to experiment with all kinds of images.

Step 2: Duplicate layer

Create a copy of your background layer by dragging it into the Create New Layer push button at the bottom of the Layers panel.

Alternatively, you can correct-click on it and cull Duplicate Layer from the bill of fare.

Footstep three: Expand the canvas

The photoshop Canvas Size dialog box lets you define width and height. Click OK.

Go to the menu Image, Canvas Size. This volition open up a dialog box. Here you lot can cull how much you want to add together or crop from your canvas.

For this practise, you want to double the space to combine both layers and form one bigger. The easiest way to do this is to modify the measurement units to percentage.

Now choose where you want this actress space to be. Because I'k starting with a landscape image, I demand the space on the height or the bottom.

If your base image is portrait oriented then choose left or right. This is a personal option depending on the prototype that you're using. When you're washed click OK.

Footstep 4: Flip the layer

Flip the copy of your background layer.

Now flip the new layer (the copy of the background) and drag it into the empty space of the canvas that y'all created.

Step 5: Repeat the procedure

Repeat duplicating and flipping the image to create abstract patterns.

At present you accept a mirror motion-picture show. Join both layers using the Merge Down command that y'all discover in the Layers menu.

Then, create a copy past duplicating this layer. Aggrandize the sail every bit you did earlier, but this time choose the opposite direction. If you lot had increased the tiptop similar me, now increase the width.

Once you've done that, flip the image in the new layer and drag it into the empty canvas. You should have now 4 versions of the original photo but each of them is flipped.

Step five: Duplicate and Rotate

You can also rotate your image 45 degrees for added effect.

Ok, this volition constitute the base pattern. You lot can leave it as it is if you similar the outcome, but if yous want to make it more than complex yous tin can continue with the rotation tool.

Merge the layers and make a copy. Then, using the Rotate command, set it to 45 degrees. Now change the blending mode to the one that you lot like most. I'm using Lighten.

Step 6: Repeat

Finished abstract art using Photoshop flip and rotate tools.

You tin repeat this procedure and add as many layers as your design needs. There's no limit to this, it's all about your creativity.

Mirroring an Epitome in Photoshop FAQs

Is there a mirror tool in Photoshop?

There's no "mirror" tool as such. The best mode to create a mirror reflection of an image is to flip it (you lot can either flip horizontally or vertically – both options are in the Edit > Transform carte du jour). If you want to draw mirror images, you can use the Paint Symmetry tool.

How exercise I mirror an object in Photoshop?

The simplest way is to flip the prototype. Y'all can either flip the whole canvass (go to the menu Image > Image Rotation) or flip the private layer (Edit > Transform).

What is the shortcut to flip an paradigm in Photoshop?

There'due south no direct shortcut built in. The easiest way to flip a layer is to use the shortcut ctrl+T (this puts you in the 'transform' mode), then right-click to see the transform menu. Select either Flip Horizontally or Flip Vertically.

How to Mirror an Image in Photoshop | Concluding Words

As y'all tin see, something as unproblematic equally flipping an prototype or rotating it tin have many uses for amateurs and professionals, for realistic purposes and creative ones.

I promise y'all establish this tutorial on how to mirror an prototype in Photoshop easy to follow – and that it opened up a lot of possibilities for you!

If you have any questions, leave a comment beneath.