How to turn a photo on a Xiaomi phone: all the ways from mirror reflection to turn at 90°

You took a great shot on Xiaomi, but it turned upside down or requires mirror reflection? Don't rush to delete a photo or look for a computer - you can fix the orientation directly on the phone in a few seconds. Depending on the model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.) and the firmware version (MIUI 14/15), the methods may vary slightly, but the general principle remains unchanged.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven methods, from built-in tools from the Xiaomi gallery to third-party apps with advanced features, and learn how to not only rotate an image 90°/180°, but also create a mirror image (reflection horizontally/vertically) while maintaining original quality. And also why sometimes photos automatically turn the wrong way you want them to, and how to prevent this from happening.

1. Flip photo through the standard gallery Xiaomi

The fastest way is to use the built-in editor in the Gallery app (or Photos on some models), which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, including the latest versions of MIUI 15.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Gallery app and select the photo you want.
• ✏️ Click on the edit icon (pencil in the bottom menu).
• 🔄 In the bottom toolbar, find the Turn button (curved arrow) or Reflection (two arrows pointing in different directions).
• 💾 Click Save or Ready to apply the changes. Note: by default, the gallery saves the edited copy without affecting the original.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M4 Pro) The turn button can be hidden under the menu More (three dots). If you can't see the icon, tap on this menu and select Turn/Reflection.

App "Gallery" |Photos (not thumbnails!) |Packed edit button (pencil) |Reviewed menu "More" in the absence of turn button-->

2. Mirror reflection photo: horizontal and vertical upheaval

If you need to not just rotate a picture, but create a mirror copy of it (for example, for symmetrical collages or correcting "mirrored" selfies), use the reflection function. In the Xiaomi gallery, it is often combined with a rotation, but works differently:

• 🔁 Horizontal reflection - creates a mirror on a vertical axis (as in a reflection in water), useful for correcting text in a photo taken through a mirror.
• 🔃 Vertical reflection - turns the image horizontally (as in printing on transparent film) and is used for artistic effects.

How to do this:

1. Open the photo in the gallery editor (Gallery → Edit).
2. Click on the Reflection icon (may be called Mirror or Flip in English firmware).
3. Select the direction of reflection (horizontal/vertical).
4. Save the changes. Compare the original and the edited version if necessary by swiping left/right in viewing mode.

Important: the reflection changes the composition of the image — for example, the text will become unreadable if it is not corrected by a repeated reflection. If you need to keep readability, combine the reflection with a rotation of 180.°.

Once a week.|Only before posting on social media|Never.|Every day.|Only if the photo is upside down.-->

3.Using Google Photos to Turn and Reflect

If the standard Xiaomi editor seems limited, use Google Photos – the app is pre-installed on most smartphones and offers more tools for working with image orientation.

• 🔍 Automatic recognition of inverted photos (corrects orientation when loading).
• 📱 Synchronization between devices – edited photos will be available on PC.
• 🎨 Possibility to cancel changes within 60 days.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Google Photos and select the image you want.
2. Click Edit (the icon with sliders).
3. Go to the Tools tab (or more → Turn).
4. Use the turn buttons (↻) mirror (⇄).
5. Click Save copy to avoid losing the original.

⚠️ Google Photos can automatically rotate photos when uploading, focusing on metadata EXIF. If the image after editing again shows incorrectly, check its properties through the application EXIF Viewer (available on Play Market).

4. Third-party applications for advanced editing

If the built-in tools fail (for example, you need to rotate the photo at an arbitrary angle or apply a reflection to a part of the image), install one of the specialized applications:

Example of work in Snapseed:

1. Open the photo in the application and select the Turn tool.
2. Use the slider to fine-tune the angle (up to 0.1°).
3. To reflect, click on the icon Transform → Reflection.
4. Keep the result in high resolution (up to 4K).

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Snapseed can save its own turn/reflection presets. For example, if you often fix selfies from the front camera Xiaomi, create a preset with horizontal reflection and apply it in one click.

5. Why photos automatically turn incorrectly and how to fix it

Sometimes, photos taken on Xiaomi are displayed in a gallery or when transmitted to a PC in the wrong orientation.

• 📸 Tags EXIF: The camera stores orientation information in the photo metadata (for example, Rotation).=90°). Some programs ignore these labels.
• 🔄 Gyroscope and accelerometer: If the phone was tilted while shooting, the sensors could misidentify the “top” of the shot.
• 🖥️ Compatibility issues: When transferring to Windows/Mac The photo may be turned due to differences in processing EXIF.

Decisions:

1. Resave the photo: Open the photo in the gallery editor, rotate it by 0° (yes, just press the turn button and save it right away).
2. Use EXIF Editor: The app allows you to manually change the orientation setting. Set a value of 1 (normal position).
3. Turn off autoturn in the camera: In the camera settings (Settings → Additional), find the Autoturn option and deactivate it.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi models with a wide-angle camera (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or Redmi Note 11 Pro)+) Photos can be stored with a distorted orientation due to the features of processing the image with several modules, in which case only manual editing in Snapseed or Lightroom will help.

6. Turning photos without loss of quality: expert advice

When you edit multiple times (turn → save → re-turn), the image quality is degraded by compression.

• 📌 Save to Original Resolution: In the gallery or third-party editor settings, select Save to maximum quality.
• 🔄 Use lossless formats: Save edited photos in PNG instead JPEG, if detail is important.
• 🖼️ Edit RAW: If your Xiaomi supports shooting in RAW (For example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra, import files to Lightroom for non-destructive editing.

To check the quality after turning:

1. Open the photo in Google Photos and zoom in to 100%.
2. Pay attention to the edges of objects – if there are “steps” (compression artifacts), repeat the editing with other settings.

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When you rotate your photo to angles that are not multiples of 90° (like 45°), there are always empty areas around the edges. To fill them, use the "Purple Content" tool in Snapseed or crop the image.

FAQ: Frequent questions about turning photos on Xiaomi