*** From the Archives ***
This article is from September 24, 2006, and is no longer current.
How to Flip or Mirror an Object in InDesign
Wade wrote:
One thing that has always frustrated me is that InDesign cannot transform an object by reflection (as Illustrator can). You can move, scale, rotate, and shear, but reflect does not exist. I have found a way to do it, by grabbing a middle side handle of the frame and dragging it across the object to the other side, but this is a manual process and requires the use of a guide to ensure that the new frame size is identical to what it was originally. Any other, easier ways?
Wade, here’s a much easier solution — one which almost no one ever thinks of, but is obvious after you do it once:
- Select the object with the Selection tool
- Deselect the link icon next to the Scaling fields in the Control palette.
- Place the cursor in front of the “100%” in either the horizontal or vertical scale field
- Type a hyphen (-) and then Enter.
By scaling the object -100%, you effectively reflect it. I hope that helps!
(You can do this in other ways, too. For example, you can double-click on the Scale tool and scale the object -100% in the Scale dialog box.)
[Note: This article was written in the old days. There’s an easier way now! Just click the Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical buttons in the Control panel, or choose Object > Transform > Flip. Note here’s a tip on how to flip a frame without flipping the contents.]
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Thank you. I had actually thought of the negative value trick, but didn’t think to deselect the link so it didn’t work.
I’m not sure whether I understand the problem.
Why not simply use the Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical, or Flip Both commands?
If you Option/Alt click with the Scale Tool selected you will be able to set a custom point of origin and a dialog box prompt appears so you can enter the -100 either horizontal/vertical to reflect (as per David’s method).
I’m with Joao. Why not just choose one of the Flipping commands?
Note that with any of these three methods (drag the side handle, do the -100% scale, or use a Flip command), if you hold down Option/Alt during the action, you can reflect a copy of the selection.
BONUS TIP: (This only works with the -100% scale or Flip command methods) … The reflection will use the selected reference point (at the far left of the Control palette) for the point of origin. So if you wanted a “lake reflection” effect, you could select the object, select the bottom middle reference point, then hold down Option/Alt while Flipping vertically or entering -100% in the Vertical scale field and pressing Option-Return/Alt-Enter.
UBER TIP: Not sure when you’d use this but I thought it was neat. If you want a custom reference point (somewhere other than those 9 points in the Control palette proxy) for your reflection, you can do this:
1. Select the object.
2. Select any of the three basic transform tools (rotate, scale, or shear) so the selection shows its custom reference point icon. It looks like a hollow compass point and is positioned on the object at the same place as the reference point.
3. Put your cursor over that custom reference point icon, then drag it wherever you want … it can even be outside the object boundaries.
4. Now do the -100% scaling or choose a Flip command as above. The action will use the custom reference point as the point of origin. Heh …
Cari, you beat me to it (you posted that while I was writing my comment.) Your method is more elegant. Thanks Cari!
Ah-hah! Flip in the pallet menu! I can’t believe I never saw that there before. That is definately the simplest way. I still find it very strange that reflect isn’t in the Object > Transform sub-menu.
Well, I guess I must admit to something embarassing: I don’t use Flip Horizontal or Flip Vertical because I simply can never remember what each of them is going to do. It’s like the Maximize and Minimize filters in Photoshop: One goes one way and the other goes the other way, but I have no idea which does which until after I try one… and the one I try is virtually always the wrong one, so I have to Undo then use the other.
Will Flip Horizontal flip the object across the horizontal coordinate system line (therefore, the top will become bottom, and vice versa)? Or will it flip it so that the horizon is flipped (the left side will become right)? My brain races each time I think about it. So I’ve given up and now I use the negative percentage because the result is obvious to me.
David Blatner wrote:
>Will Flip Horizontal flip the object across the horizontal coordinate system line (therefore, the top will become bottom, and vice versa)? Or will it flip it so that the horizon is flipped (the left side will become right)? My brain races each time I think about it.
I don’t have this problem with the Flip commands, but this kind of confusion is exactly what I feel when I need to use the Vertical/Horizontal Align commands (not to mention that each software has its own method of choosing which object will stay locked and which will move). That’s why I prefer to align objects using numeric values and the Transform tool proxies.
David, yes, there’s a valid 4-way rationale regarding the flip commands, but InDesign’s, like Photoshop’s are named for the “implied motion.” With Flip Horizontal, the left and right sides swap places, (vertical axis stationary)…Flip Vertical, the top and bottom swap, (horizontal axis stationary).
i can’t believe this discussion has gone on this long? flip horizontal, vertical… duh! it’s been in the palette as long as i’ve been a user! all this -100% stuff sounds SO Quark!
David,
I do the same thing! I never never get what I expect with the Flip Verticle or Horizontal. And, everytime I go to use it I stop and think it through. The results doesn’t seem logical to my design brain.
For me most frustrating thing in these flip issues is total absense of visual indication in InDesign UI, was object or its content flipped or not. Sometimes it’s important to know, but simple look at the image may be not enough :(
So I wrote AppleScript, which displays info about flip state of object/contents.
Below is direct link (my site in Russian only, so most of you may not able to read it):
https://macdesign.spymac.com/downloads/Flip_indication.zip
Is there a way to flip a character in a line of text with out converting it to outlines? Such as a backward K for stylized propriatary words. Back when I was a Quark user (clean 5 years now) I remember a control pallet button that would let you do just that… or am I hallucinating?
Just grab any middle handle and drag it over its opposite side.
No. 13 Frank Chlarson:
The number 13 is unlucky for some but not for you Frank: I know your question goes back to November, but I’m only reading it now. Here’s the answer and I hope someone can pass on this tip to you via email in case you have decided not to come back here, but why wouldn’t you.
Ok enough. Select your character, cut it out. Paste it into the document, it will be in an individual text box. Fit the box to the text, flip the box horizontally, then cut out your text box. Put your cursor in the text where the letter is to go, paste it down. Under Anchor options, select it to be inline. And now it’s part of the text and still fully editable. You can also apply drop shadows, feathers or anything you want to this box without affecting the rest of your text. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the answer, Eugene. Sorry I didn’t see Frank’s posting earlier. Frank, I don’t think QX ever had a feature that just let you flip a single character. (There was one that flipped the whole text box, though.)
In illustrator CS3
1. select the object
2. Right button click > transform > reflect..
3. set the settings as you want..
see.. how simple is it… ;)
Ilove it, It totally works
which is the pallette menu?
The palette menu is the little menu in the upper-right corner of most palettes. In CS and CS2 it was a little triangle. In CS3 they changed its icon to a… well, I guess it’s supposed to look like a little menu or something.
Hey thanks for this, i was thinking there had to be a way to do this and my brain wasnt processing at the time. It was helpful :)
Thanks! :-)
Alexander (or anybody :-) ) there is a script for InDesign Windows to show you when an object is flipped ??
It will be really useful – I don’t understand why Adobe didn’t insert that in InDesign… flip, indication of a flipped object…
Hello. Anyone know how to flip an object that has some text in it without flipping the text? E.g. I’ve got some text as the content for a rectangle that’s slightly tapered at one end. I’d like to flip horizontal but keep my text the right way round.
Andy: Great question! Here’s the trick: Use Flip Horizontal, but Option-click on the frame with the Direct Selection tool first. That selects all the points on the path. When you click Flip Horizontal, the points flip, but not the content.
Thanks David – you’re a genius!
Ah its a good method.. but i never knew there was a Flip in Indesign!
OMG! why cant they make an icon for it !
“Vertical/Horizontal Align commands (not to mention that each software has its own method of choosing which object will stay locked and which will move)”
What is the rule that indesign applies when aligning 2 or more objects? Wich object will move ? Because I can’t seem to see it… It can’t just be random… there must be a rule.
In coreldraw it is “align all abject relative to the last one selected” (intuitive and useful).
@liviu: We discussed the align feature a bit in Episode 24, but here’s the quick version: If you’re aligning 2 or more objects on their left sides, the left-most object stays where it is and the others move. If you’re aligning along their bottom edges, the bottom-most object stays… and so on.
The easiest way to mirror/flip an image is this:
Select the object
Go to the “Transform” palette, click the menu button in the upper right corner
Then select to flip the object horizontally, vertically, etc.
Much Easier.
I am looking for scripting code for a mirrored drop shadow. in InDesign. Does any know a place to find codes?
@Julie: No, sorry, I don’t know of a script to do this automatically. But you may be able to create it once and then make an object style out of it.
Thank you – worked first try!!!!
Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone could please give me a logical explanation to the following situation I have about flipping images within InDesign.
I have an old-school boss who was weaned on Quark, and every time I flip an image within InDesign (rather then doing it directly in Photoshop), he tells me off, telling me there will be printing issues. No-one, other then him, has ever told me this. Is this just some old relic technical issue that used to be an problem but got resolved years ago?
@Marko: You are correct. Old issue. I suppose there is a tiny possibility that it might not print correctly; but there’s a tiny possibility that the printing press will be hit by a meteor, too. Flipping in ID is fine.
there is anyone who knows a script that make flip objects in accordance with left or right page?
I tried but without success
Thank you
@Mix: Check out the reflective objects plug-ins at in-tools.com
seems very appropriate thankyou… i still not able to install but i’ll try may best thank you again
… after few trials i was successfull
i found the 31 days free version and is solving my problem, thank you very much
Darn tootin guys..I can’t find the palette menu!! where is it? I understand its the little triangle in the upper right hand corner, but the upper right hand corner of what???
@Joanna: I believe Laura and others were talking about the panel menu in the Transform panel.
However, note that this blog post was from 2006!. In CS4 (CS3?) Adobe added the Flip Vertical and Flip Horizontal buttons to the Control panel. So that is much easier!
Hello,
Is it possible to just mirror 1 character in a text box without effecting the others?
Trying to get a set of quotation marks to look like they are mirroring themselves.
thanks
babs
@babs: You would have to convert the character to outlines (from type menu), then select outlines with Selection tool and flip them.
This is all fine and dandy for flipping objects, but what about flipping individual characters in a paragraph?
I have threaded text that I want to add an ornamental flourish at the beginning and end of each chapter. The flourish needs to be flipped or rotated at the beginning, but I can’t figure it out.
I don’t want to break my threaded story and I am not interested in placing an inline graphic just to handle this. Is there any way to just flip/rotate a single character?
Using the advanced character formats and trying to apply a negative scale doesn’t work…next suggestion?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Best wishes,
Jase
Putting the character in a frame of its own and flipping that is the only option.
@Jason: As Jongware pointed out, and as I noted in the comment immediately above yours: No, you need to either convert to outlines or place inside an inline frame.
Very informative post! Thanks!
Oh my stars! Thank you so much – I’ve never been able to figure this out (I’ve taken two all day classes – InDesign just doesn’t come natural to me. That doesn’t keep me from loving it, though!)
thanks a lot this helpful information
Really awesome info. I saved it. Great work! Thanks ^_^
Great read. Hard to come across such informative information all in one place. Thanks for your effort here.
great tip :)
U saved my life!
wwwwwwwwwwwwww
Yes, good trick.
i like it so much. i was wondring for it from last month. thank you
Hello,
Very good content here. Thanks for sharing.
specifically, when I loft a shape along an arc, the shape always stays on the inside edge of the curve. I need to flip it so that the shap is on the outside edge.
Ive flipped both the image and the path, but it always lofts the shape to one side.
Here is my procudure:
1.) Create the shape using Create>shape>line
2.) create the path using create>shape>arc
3.) with arc selected, create>compund objects>loft>get shape
4.) click on shape.
Thanks, David. So glad I found the solution to this problem here!
Does anyone have the scrip that Alexander Vasilyev mentioned as the download site is down. The script he describes is exactly what I want.
This is the post…
October 22nd, 2006 ? 5:01 pm ? Link
https://macdesign.spymac.com/downloads/Flip_indication.zip
I agree Joao Carlos de Pinho. I don’t understand the problem. You can easily do this by going to IMAGE>Rotation>Flip Horizontal>Flip Vertical.
Easier
Found this in another forum:
In your transform window there is a dropdown arrow at the top right handside, click and hold that down and middle way down there is the “flip Horizontal and Vertical” that will give you your reflect.
Fantastic! After all these years! Who knew? Apparently Adobe kept it a secret. Thank you.
(but why not just create a Flip o Reflect tool in ID????)
AWESOME tip. Don’t know how I’ve lived without it! Great for printing and cutting out letters.
Wow, gr8 tip! Thanx
Nice, elegant solution. I love such.
WHY DON’T U USE FLIP COMMAND THAT IS IN OBJECT MENU > TRANSFORM > FLIP HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL.
Hem: Probably because this article was written in 2006, before that feature was available! :-)
I’ll update the article above.
Thanks ! Very Simple, but I never would have found this on my own.
Haha…awesome man! you saved my life…I was using https://flippicture.com/ to flip the images online. I never knew I could do this :)
I understand the flip, but I am trying to take a picture of a monkey and instead of having him look left, I want him to look right. The flip feature just seems to flip the picture from the right side to the left side. The tutorial I am watching is not helping….