Mirror Image Online: Reverse a Photo Left to Right

How do I mirror an image online?

Choose a picture and the Flip tool opens. Press Flip horizontal to reverse the picture left to right, like a reflection in a mirror. The preview changes at once, and each press is one undo step. Press Save picture when it looks right. The saved copy is mirrored and your original file 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. Press it again to undo the mirror.
3. Open Export to pick JPG, PNG or WebP, then press Save picture.

To turn the picture upside down instead, the page for Flip Image covers the vertical flip. For a quarter turn, use Rotate Image.

What is the difference between a mirror image and a flipped image?

A mirror image reverses left and right, as a reflection does. Flip is the editing word for the same move, and it comes in two forms: horizontal, which gives the mirror image, and vertical, which swaps top and bottom. So a mirror image is a horizontal flip, while a vertical flip turns the picture upside down.

The first and last columns trade places, and so do the two columns next to the middle line. Nothing is resampled, so no pixel changes color. The Wikipedia article on the mirror image explains why no rotation can turn a mirrored copy back into the original.

Why does my selfie look mirrored, and how do I fix it?

The front camera preview shows you as a mirror would. Depending on a camera setting, the saved photo either matches that preview or shows you reversed, the way other people see you. Mirror the saved photo with Flip horizontal to match the preview, or change the setting so new selfies match it.

On an iPhone, Apple's guide Take a selfie with your iPhone camera says that turning on Mirror Front Camera in Settings, then Camera, captures the shot as you see it in the front camera frame, rather than reversing it. Camera apps on other phones have their own option for this, so check the settings of the camera app you use.

A selfie that is already saved cannot change on its own, which is where Flip horizontal helps. Mirror a copy and keep the original, since any text on a shirt or a sign reads backward after the flip.

How do I mirror an image for an iron-on transfer or T-shirt?

Press Flip horizontal, check that any words now read backward, and print that file on the transfer paper. An iron-on sheet carries the image in reverse, and pressing it onto the fabric turns it the right way round. Print the mirrored file at full size and keep the original for later.

The Wikipedia article on iron-on transfers describes the sheet as paper on one side and the image on the other, transferred in reverse. That is why artwork with letters or a logo needs the mirror step before printing, while artwork without any text often looks fine either way.

Add the words first with Add Text to Image, then mirror the finished picture so the lettering and the artwork flip together. Follow the instructions that come with your transfer paper too, since they say whether the printer or you should do the mirroring.

How do I make a half mirror or symmetry effect?

In the Flip panel, press Left onto right. The left half stays, and its reflection replaces the right half, so the picture becomes symmetric about the middle line. Right onto left, Top onto bottom and Bottom onto top work the same way from the other sides. Each press is one undo step.

With an even width, the picture splits into two equal halves. With an odd width such as 1,081 pixels, the middle column stays and the 540 columns on the far side are replaced, so the kept half never changes. The effect works best on a face or a building shot straight on, with the middle line where you want the symmetry. To place that line, use Crop Image first and center the picture on the subject.

Does mirroring an image lose quality?

No. A mirror flip moves pixels without changing them, so it adds no blur. The only loss comes when you save a JPG or WebP, which compresses the picture again at the quality you set in Export. Choose PNG to keep every pixel exactly the same.

The saved file is a new image, and camera details such as GPS location are not copied into it. The picture keeps its size: a 4,032 x 3,024 pixel photo is still 4,032 x 3,024 pixels after the flip.