Mac Option Key tip #05: Rotate the Other Direction

Updated April 20th, 2020.

(Fifth in a series.)

Suppose you took this photo…

and now you want to rotate it so the label is readable, right-side up.. If you’re using Preview, the Rotate Button looks like this:

Here’s the “Rotate Left” button in Photos.

If you click a “Rotate” button three times the picture will rotate counter-clockwise, in 90 degree steps, to the proper position. Yay. It only takes three clicks. But, if you press the Option key, the Rotate Button changes to rotate the other direction, so you can turn your picture right-side-up in a single “Option-click.”

It doesn’t sound like such a big deal to save two clicks, but all those clicks add up. Ask someone with carpal tunnel syndrome.

This “Option-click” technique works in Preview, Photos, iPhoto, and probably a bunch of others. It is worth experimenting. The nice thing is, the button’s picture changes to show it’s going to rotate things the other way when you hold Option. Like this:

Here’s the rotated photo– and now that it’s rotated, you can see what a great price you can get on beef ribs if you’re willing to go to Texas to get them.

And that’s five.

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Click here to see all of my blog posts involving the Option key. Save yourself time and effort with the tips in those posts! Copyright 2008-2024 Christian Boyce. All rights reserved.

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