How to rotate an image in Photoshop

Rotating images in Photoshop is very simple! We will look at two ways of doing this here.

Method 1: Using transform on an image.

The transform method allows you to rotate an image very simply. To do it:

a) Load your image into Photoshop
b) The image you have loaded is usually going to be a background image. You can see whether it is easily is the name background in the layers box?

If it does, you need to change this into a normal layer. Normal layers can be rotated.
To change your background layer into a normal layer, right click the layer in the layers box, and select layer from background.

Layer from background

Now you have a normal layer, you can rotate it. The first method is to use the top menu image option, and then image rotation.

Image rotation selected in Photoshop CS4

The image rotation allows you to do several things. Simply flip the canvas horizontally or vertically; or have much more control and click arbitrary.

Arbitrary rotation lets you enter an angle. This angle determines how far off the horizontal your image is rotated. Its ideal if you know the exact angle you want to rotate something by.

Rotating image method 2 using Edit > Free Transform.

One other way to rotate images (which is very useful in web design) is to use free transform.
Free transform lets you stretch your image or skew it; it also allows you to rotate it.
This is not done by entering an angle into a text box. The amount an image is rotated depends on how much you drag a corner of the image.

Its very useful if you are using the image in graphic design or webdesign you may want to rotate the image so that it fits or lines up with something else on the screen.
To free transform an image, select edit from the top menu, and then free transform

Edit, then use free transform

When you have selected free transform, you will see small boxes appear at the corners of the image.

Take your mouse pointer just off the image, close to one of the corners of the image. Youll notice how the mouse pointers change from left and right arrows, vertical arrows, and the pointer we want see below.

Free transform selected

That mouse pointer shows that Photoshop knows we want to rotate our image. Just click, and drag the mouse. Youll see how the image rotates exactly to the angle you choose.

Image rotated using free transform

When the image is rotated correctly, just press the enter key.

You will notice that free transforming like this may make some parts of your image disappear off screen. If this isnt good, youll need to increase the canvas size, so the entire image shows.

This is done by using the top menu option image and then entering a new, larger image size.