Rotate an Image in Photoshop

In Adobe Photoshop, you can rotate or flip an image by clicking the “Image” menu and selecting an option from the “Image Rotation” submenu. It’s also possible to rotate individual layers (instead of an entire image) using the software’s Transform tool. Rotating/flipping images and layers is fast and easy once you get to know the tools. We’ll show you how.

Steps

Rotating or Flipping an Entire Image

  1. Open your image in Photoshop. If you’d like to rotate or flip an entire image, click “File,” then “Open.” Select the image you wish to rotate and click “Open” once more.
  2. Select a rotation option.[1] Navigate to Image >> Image Rotation to view several options for rotation.
    • “180 degrees”: Rotates the image ½ of the way around a complete circle.
    • “90 degrees CW”: Rotates the image to the right (clockwise) ¼ of a complete circle.
    • “90 degrees CCW”: Rotates the image to the left (counter-clockwise) ¼ of the way around a circle.
    • “Arbitrary”: Allows you to specify the angle you’d like to rotate the image. You’ll be able to type the angle (in degrees) as well as the direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise).
    • “Flip Canvas Horizontal”: Flips the entire image as if shown in a mirror (horizontally).
    • “Flip Canvas Vertical”: Flips the entire image upside-down.
  3. Undo your changes. If you’re not happy with the flip or rotate option you’ve selected, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or ⌘ Command+Z (Mac) to undo the action.
  4. Save the image. Open the File menu and click “Save As.” Choose a location to which you’ll save your newly rotated image.

Rotating or Flipping Layers

  1. Make the Layers panel visible.[2] If you’ll be working with layers, you’ll want the Layers panel to appear on the screen. Open the Window menu, then select “Layers.”
  2. Select a layer to rotate or flip. The Layers panel shows a list of all layers in the image, as well as thumbnails that show exactly what each layer contains. To select an individual layer to flip or rotate, simply click it once.
    • You can select multiple layers by holding down Ctrl (Win) or ⌘ Command (Mac) as you click each layer.
    • To hide other layers while working with the one(s) you’ve selected, click the icon that looks like an eye (visibility icon) next to the layer thumbnail. You can make it visible again later.
    • If a layer you want to rotate/flip has a padlock icon to the right of its name, the layer is locked and cannot be modified. Click the padlock icon to unlock the layer before attempting to move forward.
  3. Select an option for rotating and flipping.[3] Open the Edit menu and select “Transform” to view your options.
    • “Rotate”: This option allows you to enter an angle (in degrees) by which you’d like to rotate the layer.
    • “Rotate 180 degrees”: Rotates the layers halfway around a circle.
    • “Rotate 90 degrees CW”: Rotates the layers to the right, ¼ of the way around a circle.
    • “Rotate 90 degrees CCW”: Rotates the layers to the left, ¼ of the way around a circle.
    • “Flip horizontal”: Flips layer horizontally as though looking at it in a mirror.
    • “Flip vertical”: Flips layer upside-down.
  4. Try the Free Transform tool. It may be helpful for you to have more visual control over the rotation process, especially if you have a hard time visualizing angles and/or direction.
    • Press Ctrl+T (Win) or ⌘ Command+T (Mac) to draw a bounding box around the layer to be rotated.
    • Hover the mouse cursor outside of the top right corner of the bounding box until a “rotating arrow” (curved arrow with heads on each end) appears.
    • When the cursor becomes a rotating arrow, click and drag up or down to rotate the image. Don’t drag the cursor unless you see that rotating arrow or you may accidentally change the size of or warp the layer.
  5. Undo changes you don’t want to keep. Press Ctrl+Z (Win) or ⌘ Command+Z (Mac) to undo mistakes.
  6. Show invisible layers. If you made another layer invisible while making transformations, click the empty box to the left of the hidden layer’s thumbnail until the eye icon appears.
  7. Save your changes. To save the changes you’ve made to your image, click “File,” then “Save As” and choose a save location.


Tips

  • If you want to experiment with transforming text or shapes within an image or layer, check out How to Rotate Objects in Photoshop.
  • To hide other layers while working with the one(s) you’ve selected, click the icon that looks like an eye (visibility icon) next to the layer thumbnail. You can make it visible again later.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/adjusting-crop-rotation-canvas.html#rotate_or_flip_an_entire_image
  2. ↑ http://www.adobepress.com/articles/article.asp?p=2240988&seqNum=3
  3. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/transforming-objects.html
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