In this super-quick guide, you’ll learn how to rotate and flip your photos in Adobe Lightroom!
There are several ways to rotate or change the orientation of a photo in Adobe Lightroom. The easiest and most convenient way to do this is from within the Library module (keyboard shortcut G). However, there are other options available if you’re already working on your photo in the Develop module.
Rotate from the Library Module
To make sure you’re in the right starting place, either click ‘Library’ in the top of the Lightroom application window or hit the ‘G’ key.
Once in the Library module, select a photo and tap the spacebar to open it for viewing. You’ll now be able to see the rotate controls in the bottom toolbar:
Click on these left or right arrows to rotate the image clockwise or counterclockwise.
You can also rotate an image from the Library module by right-clicking it’s thumbnail:
Another way to rotate your photo is by using the keyboard shortcuts: CTRL+[ to rotate counterclockwise and CTRL+] to rotate clockwise (on a Mac Command+[ and Command+] respectively).
Finally, from the Main Menu, click Photo>Rotate Left (CCW) and Photo>Rotate Right (CW). The controls to flip the image are also located here.
If you want to rotate or flip multiple images in the Library Module; simply select the images you want to rotate and follow one of the methods above.
Rotate Images in the Develop Module
When entering the Develop module (keyboard shortcut ‘D’), the first thing you will notice is that the rotation controls in the bottom toolbar are no longer available.
You are also still able to rotate your image via the main menu (Photo>Rotate…) or by using the keyboard shortcuts CTRL+[ , CTRL+] (Mac Command+[ , Command+]).
You can also rotate and flip the image by right clicking anywhere on your image in the develop module. The rotation and flip controls are however now listed under ‘Transform’.
