How to Mirror/Flip a Video in iMovie on Mac

We commonly refer to "flipping" footage vertically when we say "flipping". This entails flipping the movie (but you'll normally flip a movie if it's already upside down, and you want it to be right-side up). A horizontal reflection is commonly used while "mirroring" a video. If someone in your video is strolling from the left to the right side of the screen, mirroring it will make them walk backwards. This is beneficial for a variety of reasons, such as if you recorded it in front of a mirror. When you rotate a video, you're basically turning it 90 degrees till it's precisely as you want it. Mirroring and flipping a video are the same thing. It's a reflection of your video, either horizontally or vertically.

Knowing how to rotate your video is a vital skill to have. You can convert vertical videos to horizontal and vice versa using a variety of programs. It's especially useful if you're uploading a video to social media and realize you shot it the incorrect way around. Here's how to do it on your Mac if you find yourself in that situation.

Let's look at how to mirror a video in iMovie for Mac now.

Part 1. How to Mirror a Video in iMovie on Mac?

You may change left to right and right to left by mirroring a video. It's not uncommon to discover that some videos are shot in the wrong direction. As a result, you'll need to mirror a video vertically or horizontally. Why would you want to flip a film? Flipping allows you to subtly alter the visual image's impact. If the film is in motion, having it move from left to right gives it a more natural appearance (since we read from left to right). The motion will appear to be slower if it is flipped from right to left. Similarly, a spokesman on the right side of the screen has a better visual impact than one on the left. You can even flip specific sections of a movie, giving you more control over the final outcome.

When making your movie in iMovie, you might want to try something different by flipping your clip. This can give your creation some amazing effects. Alternatively, you may need to rotate a clip to have it look appropriately. In any event, Mac users may simply rotate, tilt, and flip video in iMovie. This lesson will show you how easy it is to do.

A clip can be flipped vertically or horizontally, as well as rotated left or right. As previously said, some positions can enhance the effect of your film; the subject should stand to the right because we read from left to right, and having the person on the right is more powerful. Similarly, when panning a video, it is preferable for the pan to travel from left to right. Another reason you might need to flip your video is if you made a mistake when importing or shooting it. You may import a video from a phone and discover that it is upside down; in order for the video to make sense to the viewer, you need to flip it.

So, fire up iMovie on your Mac and follow the instructions below.

Rotate a video clip in iMovie

Step #1. In the timeline at the bottom, find your clip and select it. It will be highlighted in yellow as a result of this.

Step #2. In the Browser toolbar above the Viewer, click the Crop button.

Step #3. Rotate the clip clockwise or counterclockwise by pressing the Rotate button.

To flip your clip vertically, repeat the instructions above, but this time click the Rotate button twice.

Horizontally flip a clip in iMovie

Step #1. In the timeline at the bottom, find your clip and select it.

Step #2. In the Browser toolbar above the Viewer, click the Clip filter and audio effect button.

Step #3. Select Flipped from the Clip Filter window.

In certain circumstances, rotating or flipping your clips is necessary, while in others, it creates a great effect. In any case, this is a useful feature to remember when using iMovie.

Part 2. An Easier Way to Mirror/Flip a Video on Mac with iMovie Alternative

It's highly likely that you shot some fantastic portrait or landscape films in the wrong direction. Many people make this mistake because they don't always think about orientation when filming. Is there a simple way to flip/rotate videos so that you don't have to turn your head sideways to see them? The answer is definitely yes.

To mirror or flip your video clips effortlessly and quickly, all you need is a competent video editor like Wondershare Filmora. This program makes it incredibly simple to rotate films clockwise or anticlockwise, horizontally or vertically. In addition, this flip software has a variety of video editing tools, effects, and intro/credits.

We'll show you how to use this video editing application to flip a video in the following sections. Please first download Filmora, and then proceed to the procedures below.

Step 1. Upload your video clips

To begin, click "New Project" after launching Filmora. Click "Import" to browse your computer's file folder, or drag the video clips into the media library directly. When you've finished importing them all, click the thumbnails in the left pane to see a preview in the right screen window. This Mac video editor supports a wide range of video and audio formats, including MOV, MP4, AVI, WMV, DV, and many other formats. Then, from the media library, drag your video files to the video timeline.

Step 2. Rotate the entire video

Then, to open the editing window, double-click the video in the timeline. Switch to the Video tab in the window that displays, and then get to the Transform option at the top. Click the Transform button to reveal the four transform options: Rotate, Flip, Scale, and Position. You can alter the Rotate and Flip settings and test the real-time effect in the previewing box to achieve the effect you want. Despite the fact that there are just four buttons available, you can generate more alternatives by combining them.

Rotate: You can rotate the video at any angle by inputting an angle value or adjusting the slider. Rotate the slide 90 degrees clockwise and anti-clockwise, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and more.

Flip: horizontally, from left to right; vertically, from right to left; horizontally, from right to left; vertically, from right to left; horizontally, from right to left; vertically, from right to left; horizontally, from right to left; vertically, from right to left

You can use the Rotate and Flip features together to flip video vertically and rotate 90 degrees clockwise or 90 degrees counterclockwise.

In addition, you can alter the video's location and scale. This is the step where the entire video gets flipped.

Only flip a portion of the video

You may simply need to flip portions of your video clip, such as 1 minute, rather than the entire film. In this instance, you'll need to split the video into separate files and then flip each one separately like above. Simply move the playhead to the desired split point and select the "Scissors" symbol from the menu bar.

Step 3. Save the flipped video

When you're happy with the outcome, click "Export" in the upper right corner to save the flipped video. Select your desired format or predefined preset for your portable player to view on the go in the pop-up output window that appears. You may also want to save your work by uploading it to YouTube or burning it to a DVD, so go ahead and do it.

Finally, click Export to leave the rest to this video flipping application.

You can do more than just flip video files with Filmora. You can use special effects, background music, and a picture-in-picture effect, among other things.

Filmora is created for you if you can't be bothered to learn a new video editing software, or if you don't want to muck around and just want to get things done. Filmora, known for its easy learning curve and affordable pricing, can help you get the job done quickly.

You can rotate your video in Filmora to whatever angle you choose. Furthermore, you may easily zoom or corp the sections of the video that you don't want to see. It also includes predefined aspect ratios such as 16:9, 9:16, 4:5, 1:1, and others to help you quickly select the ideal aspect ratio for YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

Conclusion

Mirroring or flipping a video isn't difficult, as you've seen in this guide.

You might want to try something different and flip your video while making a video with iMovie. This can give your video some nice features. You may rotate a clip left or right, as well as flip it vertically or horizontally, using iMovie and its best alternative by following the instructions outlined in this article.