Flipping a photo, also known as mirroring or horizontally flipping an image, can be a useful editing technique for various reasons. Whether you need to correct the orientation of a selfie, create a mirrored effect, or simply experiment with perspectives, macOS offers straightforward methods to flip your photos and even videos. This guide will show you how to easily flip your images using built-in Mac applications.
For users working with PhotoBooth, you might notice that there isn’t a direct flip option within the application itself. However, Apple provides an efficient workaround using the Photos app. After capturing your photo or video in PhotoBooth, the first step is to save it to your Photos library. You can do this by using the Share icon in PhotoBooth and selecting “Add to Photos”.
Once your image or video is in the Photos app, open it and click on the “Edit” button located in the upper right corner of the window. In the editing interface, navigate to the “Crop” tab at the top. On the right-hand sidebar, you will find a “Flip” option. Clicking this “Flip” button will instantly mirror your photo or video horizontally.
Photos app editing interface on Mac, Crop tab selected with Flip option in sidebar
Another feature to be aware of, especially for PhotoBooth users, is the “Auto Flip New Items” option. This setting, found within PhotoBooth’s Edit menu, is designed to automatically flip newly captured photos. It’s important to note that this “Auto Flip” function does not apply to videos. This means if you are recording videos in PhotoBooth and need them flipped, you will still need to use the Photos app editing method described above.
PhotoBooth Edit menu showing Auto Flip New Items option on Mac
If you encounter any issues with these steps, a helpful troubleshooting tip is to boot your Mac in Safe Mode. Safe Mode can help diagnose if any third-party software is interfering with the normal operation of your system. To start in Safe Mode, restart your Mac and immediately press and hold the Shift key until the login window appears. After testing in Safe Mode, reboot normally and try the photo flipping process again. This can sometimes resolve unexpected software glitches.
In summary, while PhotoBooth lacks a direct flip feature, the Photos app on macOS provides a simple and effective way to flip both photos and videos. By utilizing the “Edit” and “Crop” tools in the Photos app, you can easily achieve the desired mirrored effect for your images, ensuring they are oriented exactly as you need them.
