Flip Image Online: Mirror a Photo Left to Right or Upside Down

How do I flip an image?

Choose a picture, then press Flip horizontal to mirror it left to right or Flip vertical to mirror it top to bottom. The preview changes at once and each press is one undo step. When it looks right, press Save picture. The saved file has the flip applied and your original stays untouched.

1. Press Choose a picture, drop a file, paste with Ctrl+V, or press Take a photo on a phone.
2. Press Flip horizontal for a mirror image or Flip vertical for an upside-down one.
3. Open Export for the format, then press Save picture and download the file.

To turn the picture a quarter turn instead, use Rotate Image. Both tools sit in the same editor, so you can combine them before you save.

What is the difference between flip and rotate?

A flip makes a mirror image: the picture is reversed along one axis, so a right hand looks like a left hand. A rotation only turns the picture and never reverses it. The one overlap is a flip in both directions, which equals a 180 degree rotation.

The last two rows land in the same corner because flipping both ways and turning half way round are the same move. Only the single flips reverse the picture. The Wikipedia article on the mirror image explains why a mirrored copy cannot be turned into the original by rotation alone.

How do I mirror an image?

Press Flip horizontal. A mirror image is the picture reversed from left to right, as if you held it up to a mirror, and that is exactly what this button does. The reflection is exact, since every pixel moves to the opposite side of its row and none is changed.

People mirror a selfie that a phone saved reversed, a design before printing it onto fabric or a transfer sheet, or a photo that faces the wrong way in a layout. Keep a copy of the original when the picture contains text or a logo, since those read backward after a flip.

How do I flip a picture upside down?

Press Flip vertical. The top row of pixels becomes the bottom row, and the picture is not turned, so left stays on the left. This differs from rotating 180 degrees, which also swaps left and right. Use Rotate twice when you want a photo that was shot upside down turned upright.

A vertical flip reverses the picture, a rotation does not. If you only need the photo turned the right way up, Rotate Image is the better choice.

Does flipping an image lose quality?

The flip itself moves pixels without changing them, so it adds no softening. The only loss comes when you save: JPG and WebP files are compressed again at the quality you choose in Export. Pick PNG to keep every pixel exactly, then shrink the file later with Compress Image if you need to.

The saved file is a new image, and camera details such as GPS location are not copied into it. Very large photos are held to 8,192 pixels on the longest side and 16 megapixels.