How to Rotate the Canvas in Photoshop
There are a few ways to rotate an image in Photoshop. Rotating an image in Photoshop can mean rotating individual elements within the picture or the entire canvas itself. Rotating the entire canvas when it contains an image is the simplest way to perform large rotations accurately – perfect when the image is upside down or flipped to one side or the other. To do so:
How to Transform a Layer
If you want to perform similar rotations to the above option, but want to apply it to a specific layer, you need to use the Transform tool instead.
How to Free Transform an Image
Although not as exact as the other method, rotating an image by hand using Free Transform is one of the quickest.
How to Crop an Image
Although not strictly a rotation tool, Crop does have that function within it and it means you can rotate and cut down an image at the same time for a better design.
How to Rotate an Image for Better Composition
Rotating an image is typically something you do to fix a picture so it’s straighter, or lines up better proportionally. Photoshop has a few tricks and tools you can use to make the process easier and make your rotations more meaningful. Here are a few extras to consider.
Enable Rulers
Rulers can help you line up an image to a specific orientation or help with measuring elements of a picture. Select View > Rulers to enable them. When in place, you can select them to display a horizontal or vertical line on the image. When rotating, this can make the process of forcing a horizon to be horizontal much easier.
Enable Overlay Options
When using the Crop tool, the top menu has the option to display several overlay options, including the photographer’s Rule of thirds and the classic painter’s Golden Triangle. To enable this, select the Crop tool, then in the top menu, select the small white triangle next to the cog icon. They will then appear as grid lines when you perform a crop and/or rotation.
