What I see a lot nowadays is that most selfies you take with your phone show a mirrored version of your image. That happens when you have a flip or mirror image setting on your phone, which you can change any time you want. But the photo that came out flipped often needs to be changed to make it look better.
Sometimes, you may need to flip an image or a layer, or maybe a portion of an image to enhance the image or to make it look more professional. Either way, it is important to know how to flip images in Photoshop shortcuts.
In this article, I have discussed various ways to flip images or flip a layer in Photoshop. You will also learn how these can benefit you along with some additional editing methods. So let’s not waste any more time and get started.
how to flip an image in Photoshop
Unlike other photo editing tools, flipping an image does not have many hassles. It is more like creating a mirror version of the existing image and making it look more eye-catching.
Now, there are two different ways to flip images. You can either do it from the Properties panel or you can use the Transformation menu to find the flip option.
Method 1: Using Transformation Menu
Step 1: Open The Image
First, open the image on Photoshop software. For that, go to the File panel from the top menu bar and select it.
Then select Open from the drop-down menu to go to your device storage and select the photo of your choice. Click Open to let Photoshop upload the image on its workspace.
Step 2: Select The Flip Option
Once the image opens, go to the top menu bar and select the Edit panel. And as the drop-down menu opens, select the Transformation menu. And it will open an extended menu.
Step 3: Select The Flip Option
There you will find a variety of options including rotating. But you will need to go to the bottom where you will see Flip Horizontal and Flip Vertical options. Selecting either of them will flip the image accordingly.
If you want to learn how to flip images in the Photoshop shortcut, you can just press CTRL+T (COMMAND+T on MAC) to open the Transformation option directly and follow the next steps. Remember that this process will flip the entire image along with all the details.
Method 2: Using The Properties Panel
Step 1: Open The Image
If you choose the second method, you can still open the image the same way I mentioned in the previous method. Just go to File and Open to select your image. You can use the shortcut command CTRL+O (COMMAND+O on MAC) to open the menu.
Step 2: Select Transformation Menu
Once the photo is uploaded, go to the top menu bar once more and select the Window panel. And then select Properties from the drop-down menu. It will open the image’s Properties panel from where you can make various adjustments.
Step 3: Select The Flip Option
At the Properties panel, you will find the Transformation option with various settings, such as rotation and flipping. You will find icons for Horizontal Flip and Vertical Flip. Choose the one that you need for the image.
Note: Different versions of Photoshop may have some changes, but you need to find the “Transformation” option. Currently, I am using the 2019 version of Photoshop. It’s worth noting that some versions of Photoshop may have a properties panel for transformation located in the Windows menu.
How To Flip Canvas In Photoshop
Flipping a canvas in Photoshop is pretty much the same as flipping an image, the method you learned above. However, the only difference here is that to flip a canvas, you need to use a different editing menu.
So, let’s see how to flip canvas in Photoshop and learn Photoshop flip canvas shortcut as well.
Step 1: Select Your Image
To select the image, you need to select the File panel. Then select Open from the drop-down menu to go to the device storage and select your preferred image from there.
Step 2: Open The Image Panel
When you flip an image, you do it from the Edit panel and Transformation menu. But here, you need to go to the Image panel from the top menu bar and select it.
Step 3: Flip Canvas
Selecting the Image panel will open a drop-down menu. Scroll around the middle and you will see the Image Rotation menu. Place your pointer on it or click it to open the extended menu.
You can find two options there: Flip Canvas Horizontal and Flip Canvas Vertical. Select whichever you need to flip the canvas.
How To Flip Part Of An Image In Photoshop
It is fine to learn how to flip canvas in Photoshop in various ways. But you might not always need to flip the entire canvas or image. Sometimes, you might need to flip only a part or a few parts of the image to manipulate the image. If that is the case, here is how you can do it.
Step 1: Select An Object Selection Tool
Photoshop offers various image selection tools that you can use to select the object to remove or modify it. For this one, you can use any selection tool, such as the Pen Tools, Magnetic Lasso Tool, Marquee Tools, or Magic Wand Tool.
This time I’m using Lasso Tool.
Step 2: Select The Transformation Tool
Once you select the preferred portion, go to the Edit panel from the top menu bar. Then select Transformation from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Flip The Image Portion
After that, select Flip Horizontal and Flip Vertical options to flip the image part. This process is similar to flipping the image, except you have to select the image portion first.
These tools are often used for removing backgrounds from images.
Read more: How To Remove Background In Photoshop Basic Guides
How To Flip Layer In Photoshop
Instead of flipping an entire image, you can flip a layer to ensure the texts and logos in the image do not get flipped. And to flip layers in Photoshop, you don’t have to do a lot of things. If you read the previous methods, you can do the following steps easily.
Step 1: Select The Image
As always, to learn how to flip a layer in Photoshop, start by selecting the image first. You can either follow the steps I mentioned before or choose the shortcut by pressing CTRL+O (COMMAND+O on MAC).
Then choose your image and click Open to upload it on Photoshop Workspace.
Step 2: Select And Unlock The Layer
To flip layer Photoshop, you must select the layer you want to flip. And make sure the layer is unlocked.
You can ensure it by checking if there is a locked icon visible on the layer panel.
Step 3: Flip The Layer
After that, you can follow the flipping instruction I mentioned previously. You can either flip the layer from the layer panel on the right. Or, you can just do it from the menu bar’s panels.
To learn how to flip layers in Photoshop, you need to understand how Photoshop layer features work. So make sure to read Photoshop Layers Tutorials.
How To Rotate Image In Photoshop
Rotating an image is not the same as flipping. However, you can certainly use this option to flip the image vertically. However, it will not give you a mirror effect like the flip option.
Nevertheless, here is how you can rotate images or layers if necessary.
Step 1: Select The Image/Layer
If you are rotating an image, you need to select it first. But if you are rotating a layer only, you need to select the layer and unlock it.
Step 2: Select The Transformation/Image Rotation Option
Go to the Image panel from the top menu bar and select Image Rotation from the drop-down menu. It will open an extended menu on the right
You can also do it by going to the Edit panel and selecting Transformation from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Rotate The Image/Layer
Either of these processes will give you three different rotating options in the extended menu.
- Rotate 180°, which will rotate the image halfway to its original position.
- Rotate 90° CW or clockwise
- Rotate 90° CCW or counter-clockwise
You can select from these options as needed to rotate the image or layer.
Why Should You Flip Image And Layers In Photoshop?
So why bother with all these hectic techniques to flip an image or a part of it? Well, as I mentioned at the very beginning, a flipped image does not always mean you are correcting a mistake. It can be done for various other purposes as well. So let’s look at the reasons why you might wanna try to flip image in Photoshop.
To Get An Accurate View
Sometimes when you take a photo, it might end up being a mirrored image. And a mirror image is not suitable for use everywhere, especially if you are uploading it on social media platforms or e-commerce websites for business purposes. So when you flip a layer in Photoshop or an image, your audience gets an accurate view and the photos appear more professional.
To Enhance The Image
When you flip images or layers, it does not just correct the view. With a flip-layer Photoshop image, you can make various other changes. If you are flipping a portion of the image and adding it to the layer, you create something more attractive and enhance the image
To Get The Right Angle
Sometimes, flipping the entire image does not solve an issue, but rotating it can. If the camera did not get a straight angle, or if you think the image would look better if you tilt it a little, you can rotate it easily and solve the issue.
To Manipulate The Image
There are times when you will need to manipulate the image to make it more eye-catching. And that is when flipping parts of the image becomes important. The editor flips the part in various ways without making the photo look odd. But such edits also require proper and precise blending to achieve perfection.
For Marketing And Business Purposes
Product photos are valuable when it comes to manufacturing, marketing, selling, or increasing a brand’s value. So if you have a photo that is not perfectly taken or edited, it will only make your projects fail. That is why, you must ensure the image is flipped in order to appear more professional or you can apply other flipping techniques to make it more attention-grabbing.
To Grab Attention
Talking about attention-grabbing, this is the main purpose of flipping photos. Everything about flipping images to get an accurate and attractive appearance is to ensure the image grabs people’s attention. Not only is it highly effective for business, but it is also suitable for social media marketing.
If you do not want to edit the images on your own, you can hire the best image editing service providers. But to do that, make sure you know how to get the best clipping path company.
Flip Image In Photoshop: Troubleshooting
If you are a beginner, editing an image or flipping it comes with many challenges. On top of that, it is quite usual to make mistakes and not to know what to do when the flip option is missing or other issues show up. But is there any way to solve these issues?
Fortunately, yes! You can troubleshoot the common issues with flipping images without many hassles. So here are some of the problems you might face when you flip images in Photoshop and how to troubleshoot them.
The Flip Option Missing
One of the common problems many people face is not finding the flip option. It is pretty common if you are using an older version of Photoshop. So if that is the case, you can try the following method to solve the issue.
- Go to the top menu bar and click the Help panel.
- Once the drop-down menu opens, you will see a search bar on top.
- Write your keyword, in this case, “Flip”.
- It will automatically locate the Flip option and you can use it from there.
Image Flipped In The Wrong Way
When you flip an image, you choose to flip in two different axis: one that lets you flip horizontally and the other that lets you flip vertically. Depending on which axis you choose, the final result will always be different.
But don’t worry if you choose the wrong axis, you can easily solve it. Just press CTRL+Z on Windows or COMMAND+Z on MAC to resolve the issue.
Rotating Instead Of Flipping
Beginners often confuse flipping images with rotating them. While it is normal to confuse these two options, they are entirely different. Rotating is more like tilting an image, much like tilting your head. On the other hand, flipping an image is much like looking in the mirror, or a mirrored version.
So what do you do if you still cannot tell the difference? Well, the best thing to do is to check the Photoshop flip canvas shortcut instruction and get a better idea.
Text/ Logo Flip
When you flip an image in Photoshop, you flip everything in it. And if there are texts and logos in the image, they will be flipped too. But will need to flip the image without flipping the logos or texts.
If you want to do that, you will have to flip the image layer instead of the entire canvas. And if you read how to flip layer in Photoshop, you now know how you can do that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to flip an image in Photoshop shortcut without mirroring it?
To flip an image without mirroring it, you need to learn how to flip a layer. To do that, you can follow this simple instruction.
First, select the layer you want to flip.
Then go to the top menu bar and select Edit.
After that, select Transform from the drop-down menu.
From there, you can choose the Flip Horizontally or Flip Vertically option to flip the layer as required.
And if you want to learn how to flip a layer in Photoshop in a shortcut, you can just press CTRL+T. It will directly open the flipping options.
How to rotate images in Photoshop?
If you are rotating the entire image/canvas, move on to the next step. But if you are rotating the image layer, make sure to select the layer first. Then select the Image panel from the top menu bar.
And then select Image Rotation and it will open an extended menu. You can select from 3 different rotating options: 180°, 90° CW (clockwise), and 90° CCW (counter-clockwise).
Selecting Arbitrary allows you to rotate the image more specifically at your preferred degree and axis.
Can I flip a part of the image in Photoshop?
Yes, you can certainly flip a specific part of the image in Photoshop. But to do that, you must select the preferred area with a selection tool, such as Lasso Tool or Marquee Tool first before following the image flipping methods.
Final Words
Now as you can see, learning how to flip images in Photoshop shortcut is quite simple. And there are several simple ways to do that.
And if you know how to flip the image, you can easily catch up with how to clip canvas in Photoshop or how to flip a layer in Photoshop.
