There are countless ways to customize your layouts on Affinity Photo. When duplicating images or trying new visuals on your design, you might consider flipping layers. Flipping layers allows you to view your design from a different perspective and observe how new changes work. How do you flip a layer in Affinity Photo?

Read on to learn how to flip a layer in Affinity Photo. There are 7 simple steps and considerations when flipping a layer in Affinity Photo. Though the process is easy, you want to ensure that it is done correctly to meet the potential of your design.

1. Select A Layer To Flip

First of all, decide which layer you want to flip. If you only want to flip one layer out of the many inserted into your design, you have to make sure to select that specific layer. Otherwise, you may flip the wrong layer or every layer in the design. As you will learn later, however, there are easy ways to flip groups of layers.

Select the layer you wish to flip so it is outlined and can be edited individually. Keep in mind that flipping is different from mirroring, and when the layer is flipped – whether vertically or horizontally – it will remain within the exact coordinates of your design.

2. Transform Panel

The Transform Panel is where you will want to go to alter the placement of your selected layer. If the Transform Panel is not already showing at the bottom right of Affinity Photo, select the View tab at the top of Affinity Photo and click Studio in the dropdown menu. Then, locate and click Transform.

When you move a layer around, you will notice that the coordinate numbers in the Transform Panel change. If you have set coordinates in mind for your design, you can manually enter the coordinates into their respective boxes. This ensures that your layer will remain in the right place, even when you flip it. It is easier to place your layer before flipping so you do not have to worry about it afterward.

3. Locate The Arrange Menu

When you have selected the layer you wish to flip and it appears highlighted in the menu on the right side, locate the Arrange Menu on the left of the edit bar on the top of Affinity Photo’s page. Click the Arrange Menu tab. This will drop down to a variety of arrangement edit options.

Using the Arrange Menu to flip your layers in Affinity Photo is certainly the easiest way to flip layers, but using the Gradient Tool helps as well. As will be discussed shortly, the Gradient Tool ensures that your layers remain in the coordinates that you wish them to be in.

4. Select Flip Option

When you get the dropdown from clicking the Arrange Menu tab, you will see quite a few layer editing options. The flip options should be towards the bottom of the dropdown menu. You should see the options “Flip Horizontal,” “Flip Vertical,” “Rotate 90 degrees Clockwise,” and “Rotate 90 degrees Anticlockwise.”

Depending on your preferences, you will likely select to flip your layer horizontally or vertically. As mentioned, the flip function flips the layer in its place. Thus, a horizontal flip flips around the horizontal center and a vertical flip flips around the vertical center. Rotating a layer 90 degrees is essentially the same function as flipping in that it does so on a set center.

5. Flipping Multiple Layers

If you want to flip more than one layer – or even every layer in your design – the process works the same. Instead of selecting one layer, select all of the layers that you want to flip and repeat the steps above. Flipping multiple layers allows you to view larger perspective changes in your design to see what fits best to the viewer.

6. Gradient Tool

Affinity Photo’s Gradient Tool is a perhaps undervalued tool for some graphic designers. When the Gradient Tool is activated, it allows you to measure how different hues work on your page. You can then position different layers where they fit best. This is useful when flipping an image because it aids you in finding the perfect location for it on the page before and after flipping it.

Using the Gradient Tool, you can compare your flipped layer to the original layer to see how the hues of the layer match up against the rest of the layers in your design.

7. Flipping Vs. Mirroring

It is important to distinguish between flipping a layer and mirroring a layer. Both are useful for graphic design, but they are not the same. Flipping a layer involves flipping it on a horizontal or vertical center while mirroring a layer flips it on a horizontal or vertical axis. Thus, a mirrored layer will not flip within the same coordinates as a flipped layer.

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Takeaway

Flipping layers in Affinity Photo is essential for gaining a different view of your designs. You will be better able to compare different layouts of certain layers to see how they fit best into your design. Like many other functions in Affinity Photo, flipping layers is simple. You just have to make sure you follow the steps carefully for the best outcome.