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k_loy
Known Participant
Jun 16, 2009 8:52 PM UTC
Answered

Effect equivalent to Flip Horizontal

I'm trying to find an effect that is equal to Flip Horizontal.

I want the objec to flip from one side of the screen to the other. What Effect can I use for this?

TimeRemapper
TimeRemapperCorrect answer
Inspiring
Jun 16, 2009 9:06 PM UTC

You can unlink the scale values, and set the X scale to -100.

To ensure it's an exact horizontal mirror (especially if your scale is already animated, or your object is not full frame/offset from the composition center) you can precompose your layer and then preform the inverted X scale on the precomp.

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10 replies

BeckTPB
Participant
Jul 16, 2026 4:30 PM UTC

If you’re wanting your existing keyframes to flip as well (in my case I duplicated a layer and wanted it to mirror the original), you can use effect>distort>transform, uncheck “uniform scale” and change width to -100

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HouHouHou
Inspiring
Jun 9, 2022 11:29 PM UTC

If you want to flip an entire layer throughout its entire duration in your clip, just use Layer>Transform>Flip from the top menu. Any changes you have already made via Fx or animation should still work but visually reversed (not reversed in time, in case you wondered). You'd have to ask Adobe why, like seemingly hundreds of other siloed functions, this isn't in Edit>Transform>Flip as in Photoshop.

 

If you want a layer to instantaneously flip (no page turn-type animation) but in the middle of your clip, here's the above instructions step by step (minus the precomp option)...

>Open Transform under the layer itself,

>Enable keyframes under Scale and set keyframe #1 at frame 0, keyframe #2 on the frame before you want your flip to take place, and keyframe #3 on the frame you want your flip to take place,

>With the playhead on that last keyframe, unlink the X & Y Scale values, and set -100 for whichever way you want the flip to occur, horz or vert.

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    Sarah279675176ryp
    Participant
    Mar 8, 2023 9:56 PM UTC

    Thank you!! This is exactly what I was searching for 🙂

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      TimeRemapper
      TimeRemapperCorrect answer
      Inspiring
      Jun 16, 2009 9:06 PM UTC

      You can unlink the scale values, and set the X scale to -100.

      To ensure it's an exact horizontal mirror (especially if your scale is already animated, or your object is not full frame/offset from the composition center) you can precompose your layer and then preform the inverted X scale on the precomp.

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        k_loyAuthor
        Known Participant
        Jun 16, 2009 11:52 PM UTC

        Thanks for your response.

        Please forgive me.  I am new at After Effects

        Can you elaborate on what you mean by 'preform the inverted x scale'

        This is seeming to me that it's going to involve something 3D?

        I want it to flip, but I also want animate kind of like a page turning.  So it's very thin at one point.  Right side up on one turn, and a mirror image on the next.

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        Mylenium
        Mylenium
        Legend
        Jun 17, 2009 8:11 AM UTC

        Doesn't involve any 3D. what Steve is referring to is that you may wish to pre-compose your existing items to keep possibly existing animation independent from the scale. E.g. you may have your object already moving and you may want to retain that move on the page. This would only be possible by applying the scale one level above and making the existing motion a pre-comp, as naturally all scaling will be based on the anchor point. If you were to scale a moving layer directly, you really only flip the layer content, not the motion... Just try it, it will become clear. and for a page turn, you would not need to animate scale at all - CC Page Turn is your friend or you simply rotate your pre-composed layer as a 3D layer.

        Mylenium

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