How to Quickly Flip Images and Canvas in Krita

Sometimes, when you’re working in Krita, you might need to flip either part of the canvas or the entire canvas to improve its appearance.

If you flip a section, the area that was facing right will now face left.

I will show you how to flip objects, images, layers, and the canvas in Krita easily.

How to Flip Objects and Images in Krita

In Krita, an object or element, such as a shape, text, or image, can be flipped horizontally or vertically. This action does not affect the entire canvas.

It’s a good idea to occasionally flip elements in Krita to check which one is better.

Often, I find that I am too focused on my perspective when drawing, and flipping a part of my artwork can make it look more appealing.

Follow these steps:

1. Click the object using the Select Shape Tool. For example, I select a text in my canvas.
2. Right-click to access the Transform menu, then choose between the ‘Mirror Horizontally’ and ‘Mirror Vertically’ options. ‘Mirror Horizontally’ will reverse the object along its vertical axis, while ‘Mirror Vertically’ will invert it along its horizontal axis.
3. Viola, your object is flipped.

Using the Selection Tool

However, not all objects and elements in Krita can be selected with the Select Shape Tool.

For instance, if I want to flip a portion of my drawing, I cannot simply click it. In this case, I must use the Selection Tool in Krita first to create a selection.

Krita offers eight different selection tools. Among them, the Bezier Curve and Freehand Selection Tool are my preferred choices.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose one of the selection tools available in Krita. I often use the Bezier Curve Selection Tool.

Step 2: Create a selection on the part of your drawing you wish to flip. With the Bezier Curve Selection Tool, I select the lower body of my drawn character.

Step 3: Transform the selection by pressing Ctrl + T on Windows or Cmd + T on a Mac. Alternatively, right-click the selection, go to the Transform menu, and then select ‘Transform Tool.’

Step 4: Right-click the transformed selection and choose between the ‘Mirror Horizontal’ or ‘Mirror Vertical’ option.

Step 5: After using the mirror tool, check to see if the transformed portion has flipped correctly. If you are not satisfied with the result, use the undo shortcut to revert the changes.

How to Temporary Flip the Canvas in Krita

If you want to flip the entire canvas, but you want to do it quickly, then you can use the Mirror View to flip the canvas temporarily.

Using Mirror View is beneficial before you progress with your sketch. It provides a different perspective.

Sometimes, after drawing for a long time, we may not notice mistakes or inconsistencies in our art. 

Mirror View can be used to give a fresh perspective on your artwork.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to the ‘View’ menu at the top.
2. Select Canvas > Mirror View to flip the canvas. You can also press M on your keyboard as a shortcut.
3. Check your art from this flipped view to spot any errors.
4. To return to the original view, click the ‘Mirror View’ menu again or press M to turn off the Mirror View. 

How to Use Mirror or Symmetry Tool in Krita

How to Permanently Flip the Canvas

To permanently flip the canvas in Krita, rather than just using the Mirror View for a temporary flip, you can apply the mirror or flip transformation to the entire canvas itself.

1. Go to the Image menu at the top of the screen.
2. Select ‘Mirror Image Horizontally’ to flip the canvas along the vertical axis, or ‘Mirror Image Vertically’ to flip it along the horizontal axis.
3. This action will permanently flip the entire canvas and all the layers contained within it.

Just a heads-up, this will flip everything on the canvas.

Look at the result. Our drawing is in Layer 1, the rectangular shape is in Layer 2, and the polygonal shape is in Layer 3. After using the Image menu to mirror the canvas, all layers are flipped automatically.

How to Flip the Layer

But what if you don’t want to flip the entire canvas? What if you just want to flip only the layer? Luckily, you can do it in Krita.

Follow these steps:

1. Click the layer you want to flip to select it. For example, I click my first layer.
2. Transform the layer by clicking the transform tool icon in the toolbar or by pressing Ctrl + T on Windows or Cmd + T on a Mac.
3. This action will enable transformation for all objects on the selected layer. Right-click the transformed layer and choose the mirror option you prefer—either ‘Mirror Horizontal’ or ‘Mirror Vertical’.
4. After applying the mirror option, verify that only the selected layer has been flipped.

An alternative way to flip a layer is to utilize the Tool Options docker after activating the transform tool.

Here’s how to do it:

1. After selecting the transform tool with your chosen layer, open the Tool Options docker.
2. Scroll down in the docker until you see the icon for flipping the layer.
3. Click the flip icon—either the ‘Flip Horizontally’ or ‘Flip Vertically’ button—to flip the layer as desired.

If you want to learn more about managing your layers in Krita, check out our article on How to Work and Organize Layers in Krita