And if you wish just a head within an image to be the only thing that rotates, use one of the Selection tools (Lasso, etc.) to outline the head or part you wish to select, then click the Move tool (letter V or the arrow star tool) where you’ll get the bounding box handles. Grab the middel handle on either left or right side and pull to the opposite side until it flips. Move the image to where the blank space is, then use the handle to be sure it’s the right size (original aspect).
Or you can Copy (on a PC, Control C) and Paste (on a PC, Control V) which will copy what you select onto a new layer on top of old and won’t disturb the original. Place the new over the old (or where you wish it) and apply the cleanup needed.
Bob
Thanks for the suggestions. Chris, I can’t believe it worked. I swear I had tried every combination under the rotate menu. Works great. Thanks.
I remember saying in an earlier thread on a related topic: you will get some odd effects if you do this with an image of a human face. We are not symmetrical and the results can be mildly disturbing.
Andrew
Bob,
Let me offer a better way to copy a selected object to a new layer. In PS7 and PS CS you could Ctrl+J (or on a MAC Cmd-J) to jump, or to clone, the selection to a new layer. In PSE2, you don’t have a keyboard short-cut to do this. If you go to Layer>New>Layer via Copy (or >Layer via Cut) you can create a new layer without the memory (real or scratch disk) tied up in a copy\paste operation. This effectively clones the selection directly to a new layer.
Andrew,
You are correct. Try this, clone one half of a persons face to a new layer, flip the layer horizontally, and position the cloned layer over the original face (use a reduced opacity to see where you are moving the clone, then restore the opacity to 100% after the face is positioned). The new face won’t look like the original person. This will work with either side. It is an interesting way to create a new face for a composite image.
Cheers,
Stephen
Is it my imagination or does one of the "clones" usually look like a simpleton, while the other looks mildly malevolent?
A manifestation or reflection of the differences of the right and left halves of the brain? While I doubt it, it’s interesting to play with.
Don
A psychology prof at NYU did a study back in the ’70s in which he created pairs of faces from a set of originals using the left or right half of the face, then had observers rate the ‘person’ on a number of personality traits. Each rater only saw one version (both right, both left, original or mirror image). The rated personality of each version was distinctly different. Truly an interesting effect.
Bob Warren
