How to mirror a photo on a Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Did you take a great selfie, but it turned out the opposite? Or do you need to prepare a photo to print on a T-shirt, where mirror reflection is required? On Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi and POCO), you can mirror the image in literally 2-3 touches — without a computer and complex editors. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways, from built-in MIUI tools to third-party applications with advanced features.

It's important to understand that mirroring and turning are different operations. When you mirror, the left and right sides of the photo change places (like in a mirror), and when you turn, the image scrolls 90 times.° 180°. We will focus on the first option, as it is most often required for selfie correction, collage creation or layout preparation.

All of the methods in this article have been tested on MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 (current for the 2022-2026 models), but most of them work on older versions of the shell. If your phone is released before 2018, check for updates - some features may not be available.

Method 1: through the standard Xiaomi gallery

The fastest method is to use the built-in photo editor in the Gallery app, which requires no additional software installation and works even without the Internet.

1. Open the Gallery app (a icon with multi-colored squares).
2. Find the right photo and tap it to open in full screen mode.
3. In the bottom panel, click on the Edit icon** (pencil or three stripes).
4. In the tool menu, select a Mirror (an icon with two arrows pointing in different directions).
5. Confirm the changes by clicking Save or Ready.

⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI The "Mirror" option is hidden behind the "Three Dots" button in the top right corner of the editor. If you didn't find the icon right away, check this menu.

Original photo undamaged (no artifacts)

Free space on the phone (minimum 50 MB)

Photos not in RAW format (may not be supported)

Other applications are closed (for smooth operation)-->

Once saved, the mirror image will appear in the same folder as the original. Please note that some versions of MIUI create a copy of the file, rather than overwrite it. To avoid confusion, the original can be manually deleted or renamed.

Method 2: Google Photos (for cloud users)

If you use Google Photos to back up your images, mirroring is available there, and it's convenient because the changes sync with all your devices.

1. Open the Google Photos app (if not, install it from the Play Market).
2. Pick a photo and tap it.
3. Click Edit (the icon with sliders).
4. Go to the Tools tab → Turn.
5. Slip on the icon "Mirror"** (two arrows with a vertical line in the middle).
6. Save the changes with the Ready button.

🔹 The advantage of the method is that all edits are saved in the cloud and available on other devices (PC, tablet.

💡

If the image quality has deteriorated after mirroring in Google Photos, check the compression settings in Settings → Backup and Sync → Download quality. Select High quality instead of Traffic Savings

Important: Google Photos uses mirroring to apply to all photos, including text and logos. If you only need to reflect a part of the image (like the face on a selfie, but leave the text readable), use the method. №4 with Snapseed app.

Method 3: via the Camera app (before shooting)

Few people know, but Xiaomi smartphones can enable mirror mode before you take a photo, which is useful for selfies when you want to see the "right" face in real time.

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Switch to the front camera (circle arrow icon or human silhouette).
3. Slap the icon. ⚙️ Settings (cogs).
4. Find the Mirror selfie or Mirror selfie option and turn it on.

Now all selfies will be saved mirrored. Note: this setting only works for the front camera and does not affect the images from the main module.

After shooting |Before shooting (in camera settings) |Only for printing on clothes/souvenirs |Never a mirror-->

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) POCO X3) The camera mirroring only works in Photo mode, not in Video or Portrait. Check this before taking an important shot!

Method 4: Third-party applications (Snapseed, PicsArt)

If built-in MIUI tools aren't enough, use professional editors. We recommend two proven options:

• 📱 Snapseed (from Google) – free editor with the Transform tool, where there is a separate option Mirror horizontally / vertically.
• 🎨 PicsArt is suitable for creative mirroring with added effects (for example, you can only reflect a part of the photo).

Instructions for Snapseed:

1. Install Snapseed from the Play Market.
2. Open the photo in the application → Tools → Transform.
3. Select a mirror (an icon with two triangles).
4. Slap the icon horizontally or vertically depending on the desired effect.
5. Save the result with the Export button.

Snapseed saves edit history, so you can cancel mirroring even after a week - the original photo does not spoil.

Method 5: File Manager (for experienced users)

This is a method that works for those who prefer to work with files directly, and we will use standard Explorer (or Files by Google) and built-in image viewer.

1. Open Explorer and find the photo folder (usually DCIM/Camera).
2. Long click on the file → Open with the help of → Gallery or Photos.
3. In the viewer, tap on the editing icon (pencil).
4. Choose a Turn. → Reflect horizontally.

This is less convenient than the previous ones, but it can be useful if the MIUI gallery is unstable, and the main advantage is that you do not need to install additional programs.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with this simple procedure, users sometimes face problems, and here are the most common ones and solutions:

• 🔄 Photos are not saved after mirroring. → Check the free space on your phone (needs a minimum of 100MB) or permissions for the Gallery app in the settings.
• 🖼️ Reflection applies to the wrong photo → Make sure you edit the original, not the thumbnail from the cache (check the path to the file in the explorer).
• 📱 There is no "Mirror" button in the gallery → Update. MIUI Up to the latest version or use Google Photos.

⚠️ Note: If you mirror a print photo on a T-shirt or mug, make sure the file is saved in format. PNG (No compression. JPEG Can add artifacts when editing multiple times.

💡

For selfies, it is better to use mirroring before shooting (in the camera settings), and for printing on souvenirs, editing AFTER shooting in Snapseed or PicsArt.

Additional tips for working with photos on Xiaomi

Mirror is just one of many features for working with images on Xiaomi smartphones. Here are some more life hacks that will come in handy:

• 📁 Automatic Sorting: You can create albums by person, place or date in the Gallery. → Information → Add to the album.
• 🔍 Search by content: Google Photos works by object search (for example, type in “cat” or “sunset” to find all similar photos).
• 🎞️ Collage creation: The standard gallery has a built-in tool to combine photos. → Create → Collage.

If you often work with photos, pay attention to the settings of the camera:

• Turn on the Grid (rule of thirds) for more balanced frames.
• Activate HDR for better detail in challenging lighting conditions.
• Use Pro mode to manually adjust shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.

💡 Useful tip: To quickly find all mirrored photos, add a tag to their names (for example, " mirror"). → Rename → Add the tag at the end of the name.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions