PHOTOSHOP FEATURES
How to rotate a layer in Adobe Photoshop.
Learn about the many ways to rotate a single layer in your Photoshop project.
What does it mean to rotate a layer?
Layers are key to almost everything you do in Photoshop. Every edit you make to an image can be overlaid on top of the image as a new layer. By adding and editing individual layers, you can edit nondestructively — preserving the original image so you can go back to square one at any time.
Rotating a layer is simply taking one of the many layers in your project and turning it clockwise or anticlockwise around a fixed point, all without rotating any other part of the image.
Why rotate a layer?
There are several ways you can give your image just the tweak it needs by rotating a layer.
Adjust a logo.
If you’ve added a logo as a layer to your work, you can rotate it to make sure the design looks like you want.
Fine-tune a mirrored image.
Creating a mirror effect? Rotate the layer with the duplicate image to line it up with the original.
Alter a graphic.
Rotate a single layer of a graphic design to subtly change its appearance.
Create a composite.
While photo manipulating a composite, you can alter the angle of an element you’ve added to blend it in with the picture.
How do I rotate a single layer in Photoshop?
There are a few different ways to rotate a layer.
- Use the Move Tool
- Use the Free Transform Tool
Use the Move tool
The quickest and easiest method uses the Move tool to get the job done in just three steps.
- Select it:
From the Layers panel, select the layer you want to rotate. - Box it:
From the toolbar on the right, choose the Move Selection tool. A point identification box will appear around the layer. - Rotate it:
Click and drag the corners to rotate the layer. Hold the Shift key to rotate in 15-degree increments.
Use the Free Transform Tool
You can also use the Free Transform tool to rotate your layer. Although it’s a more manual workflow, this method offers more options for turning your layer by a specific number of degrees.
- Select it:
Choose the layer you want to rotate from the Layers panel. - Box it:
From the top menu bar, select Edit › Transform. The point identification box will appear around the layer. - Rotate it:
Choose between different rotation options — you can rotate 90 degrees or 180 degrees in either direction. Alternatively, click and drag to rotate the box or enter the number of degrees you want to rotate the layer in the top toolbar.
What are some shortcuts to rotate a layer?
Speed up your workflow and spend less time navigating menus with these tips and best practices.
Transform shortcuts.
Press Ctrl+T or Command+T on Mac to open the Free Transform menu or right click the layer and select Free Transform from the drop-down menu.
Batch rotate layers.
Hold down the Ctrl key and click each layer you want to modify in the Layers panel. When you use the Move or Free Transform tool, they’ll all rotate together.
Change your pivot point.
When Show Transform Controls is enabled, you can see the pivot point your layer will rotate on. Click and drag the pivot point to set it anywhere on your canvas.
Create a Smart Object.
Convert a layer into a Smart Object to protect its pixels when you rotate or resize it. This will preserve image quality through multiple edits.
Learn more Photoshop functions.
Explore tutorials to discover what else you can do with Photoshop.
Apply filters.
Filters are a quick way to make major changes to the colour and tone of an image.
Change the image size.
Learn how to crop, straighten or otherwise alter the size of an image in Photoshop.