Flip and Rotate Picture Fills for Shapes in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

It is fairly easy to flip a picture on your slide, as shown in Figure 1, below. You can see the original picture on the left, and on the right, you can see a mirror image of the picture on the left.

Figure 1: Original and flipped picture

However, this flipping can be a little tricky when the same picture is used as a fill for a shape. Look at the examples shown in Figure 2, below. The shape on the left is the original Teardrop shape with a picture fill. In our attempt to flip the picture, we flipped the container shape. The result is that the picture does get flipped, but so does the shape, as shown on the right. Of course, this is not ideal.

Figure 2: Pictures flipped along with the shape

That’s not what we wanted. We wanted to just flip the picture within the shape, to end up with a result, as shown towards the right in Figure 3, below? Do note that the shape is not flipped, and only the picture within the shape is flipped. How do you achieve this result?

Figure 3: Pictures flipped but not the shape

Follow these steps to flip picture fills for shapes in PowerPoint 365 for Windows:

1. We assume you already have a shape with a picture fill applied, as shown towards the left within Figure 3, above. Select the entire shape and copy it to the Clipboard by pressing the Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut.


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2. Now, paste the copied shape in a new slide. To do so, press Ctrl + V. Then change the copied shape to a Rectangle. In our case, we started with a Teardrop shape, and then with the shape selected, we accessed the Picture Format tab of the Ribbon, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4, below. Next, click the Crop to Shape option, highlighted in blue within Figure 4. Finally, select the Rectangle shape, highlighted in green within Figure 4.
3. 
   Figure 4: Crop to Shape
3. You'll end up with the same picture filled within a rectangle shape, as shown in Figure 5, below.
4. 
   Figure 5: Shape changed to rectangle
4. Flip this rectangle shape horizontally, to end up with what you see in Figure 6, below. Compare with Figure 5, above.
5. 
   Figure 6: Rectangle flipped horizontally
5. Copy the flipped rectangle by pressing the Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut, so that it is now available on your Clipboard.
6. Now, right-click the Teardrop shape, which would be the shape towards the right within Figure 2, shown previously on this page. From the contextual menu that appears, choose the Format Picture option, shown highlighted in red within Figure 7, below.
7. 
   Figure 7: Format Picture option
7. Doing so brings up the Format Picture Task Pane. Here, ensure that the Shape Options tab is active, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 8, below. Then, click the Fill & Line button, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 8. Now, within the Fill section, click the Clipboard button, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 8.
8. 
   Figure 8: Format Picture Task Pane
8. This action fills the Teardrop shape with the content on the Clipboard, which is the flipped picture, as shown in Figure 9, below.
9. 
   Figure 9: Shape filled with flipped picture
9. Now, access the Graphics Format contextual tab of the Ribbon, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 10, below. Next, click the Crop button, shown highlighted in blue within Figure 10. In the resultant menu, click the Fill option.
10. 
    Figure 10: Crop to Fill option
10. Doing so results in the picture’s proportions being set properly within the shape, as shown in Figure 11, below.
11. 
    Figure 11: Picture fits with proper proportions
11. Compare the picture shown in Figure 11, above, with the original and flipped states of the same picture shown in Figure 3, previously on this page.
12. Save your presentation often.