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Rotate photo online

Turn a photo in 90-degree steps or straighten a tilted horizon by a few degrees, then save it.

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Turn a sideways photo or fix a tilted horizon

There are two kinds of rotation. A photo that shows up on its side needs a quarter turn of 90°. A photo with a sloping horizon or a leaning building needs a small turn of a few degrees, often called straightening. This tool does both, so the sea is level and the picture stands the right way up.

Phones store the camera position inside the photo file, and most apps read it. When the photo still appears sideways, that note is missing or was ignored by another app. The editor reads it when it opens your file, so a photo that looks right in your gallery should also look right here; if it does not, a 90° turn fixes it.

How to rotate a picture

  1. Open the image

    Drop it on the box or choose it from your device.

  2. Quarter turns

    Use the rotate left and rotate right buttons. Each press turns the picture by 90°.

  3. Straighten

    Drag the Straighten slider between −45° and 45°, in half-degree steps. Line up a horizon, a table edge or a door frame with the grid lines.

  4. Save

    Export the turned photo as a new file.

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Getting the angle right

  • Use a long straight line. A horizon or the edge of a building is more reliable than a short object.
  • Vertical lines matter in architecture. In a photo of a building, make the walls upright rather than the street level, because the eye notices leaning walls first.
  • Expect a small crop. Any turn that is not a multiple of 90° leaves empty triangles in the corners unless the picture is cropped a little. The bigger the angle, the more of the edges you lose.
  • Small angles are enough. Most tilted handheld photos need only 1–3°. If you need more than 10°, check that the photo is not meant to be playful.

If you want to change the shape of the picture at the same time, continue in the crop tool. To make a mirror image rather than a turned one, use flip.

Rotation and Instagram uploads

A landscape photo turned into portrait changes the post shape. Instagram shows portrait posts up to 3:4, so a turned 4:3 camera photo fits exactly, while a turned 16:9 phone photo is too tall and will be cropped by Instagram unless you crop or fit it first. The blurred frame tool lets you post the whole picture without losing the top and bottom.

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Rotation questions

Does rotating by 90° lose quality?

The pixels themselves are only rearranged, so nothing is blurred. The exported file is still a new image, so choose PNG or a high JPG quality if you want the best result.

Why does my photo turn sideways again in another app?

Some apps ignore the orientation note in the file. The editor saves the picture already turned and without that note, so it looks the same everywhere.

Can I rotate several photos at once?

The editor works on one photo at a time. Rotating takes only a tap, so repeating it for a few photos is quick.

Can I rotate by an exact number of degrees?

Yes, in steps of 0.5°. Move the Straighten slider until it shows the angle you want, or combine it with quarter turns for larger angles.

More quick fixes

Rotating is one of many quick fixes collected under photo editor tools.

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