flop

Flip images horizontally (mirror left-right) using a dedicated command. This is a specialized version of the flip command, optimized specifically for horizontal mirroring.

Usage

Terminal

$ mediaproc image flop <input> [options]

Basic Syntax

Terminal

$ mediaproc image flop photo.jpg

✓ Flopped (flipped horizontally)

$ mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -o mirrored.jpg

$ mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -q 100 -o high-quality.jpg

Options

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
`--output`	`-o`	`string`	`flopped-[input]`	Output file path
`--quality`	`-q`	`number`	`90`	Output quality (1-100)
`--dry-run`		`boolean`	`false`	Preview operation without saving
`--verbose`	`-v`	`boolean`	`false`	Show detailed processing information

What is Flop?

Flop is the technical term for horizontal flipping (mirroring left-right). In image processing terminology:

Flop: Horizontal flip (this command)
Flip: Vertical flip (see flip command)

Examples

1. Basic Horizontal Flip

# Simple horizontal flip
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg

# With custom output name
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -o mirrored-photo.jpg

# High quality output
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -q 100 -o high-quality.jpg

2. Fix Front Camera Selfies

# Correct front camera mirror effect
mediaproc image flop selfie.jpg -o corrected-selfie.jpg

# Fix multiple selfies
for img in selfies/*.jpg; do
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "corrected-$(basename "$img")"
done

3. Mirror Text Correction

# Make mirrored text readable
mediaproc image flop reversed-text.jpg -o readable-text.jpg

# Fix sign reflections
mediaproc image flop mirror-sign.jpg -o proper-sign.jpg

# Correct backwards logo
mediaproc image flop logo.jpg -o correct-logo.jpg

4. Create Symmetrical Designs

# Mirror for symmetry
mediaproc image flop pattern.jpg -o symmetric-pattern.jpg

# Create kaleidoscope base
mediaproc image flop texture.jpg -o mirrored-texture.jpg

# Artistic mirror effect
mediaproc image flop abstract.jpg -o mirror-art.jpg

5. Product Photography

# Show product from opposite angle
mediaproc image flop product-left.jpg -o product-right.jpg

# Create facing variations
mediaproc image flop model-left.jpg -o model-right.jpg

# Mirror catalog items
for img in products/*.jpg; do
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "mirrored/$(basename "$img")"
done

# Fix selfie for social media
mediaproc image flop story.jpg -o story-corrected.jpg

# Create mirror effect post
mediaproc image flop creative.jpg -o mirror-effect.jpg

# Prepare profile picture
mediaproc image flop profile.jpg -o profile-final.jpg

7. Batch Processing

# Flop all images in directory
for img in *.jpg; do
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "flopped-$(basename "$img")"
done

# Flop specific file types
for img in *.png; do
  filename=$(basename "$img" .png)
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "${filename}-flopped.png"
done

# Conditional flop based on naming
for img in *-reverse.jpg; do
  output=${img/-reverse.jpg/.jpg}
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "$output"
done

8. Web Development Assets

# Create RTL (right-to-left) version
mediaproc image flop arrow-left.png -o arrow-right.png

# Mirror UI elements
mediaproc image flop icon-left.svg -o icon-right.svg

# Flip navigation icons
mediaproc image flop chevron-left.png -o chevron-right.png

9. Quality Control

# Maximum quality
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -q 100 -o max-quality.jpg

# Web-optimized
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -q 80 -o web-optimized.jpg

# Balanced quality
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -q 90 -o balanced.jpg

10. Preview Operations

# Preview before processing
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg --dry-run

# Detailed preview
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg --dry-run --verbose

# Check output size estimate
mediaproc image flop large-image.jpg --dry-run --verbose

11. E-commerce Applications

# Standardize product facing direction
for img in products/*.jpg; do
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "standardized/$(basename "$img")"
done

# Create before/after product views
mediaproc image flop product-before.jpg -o product-after.jpg

# Mirror catalog for consistency
mediaproc image flop item.jpg -o item-mirrored.jpg

12. Photography Workflow

# Correct camera mirror shots
mediaproc image flop mirror-photo.jpg -o corrected.jpg

# Fix reversed compositions
mediaproc image flop composition.jpg -o proper-composition.jpg

# Batch correct photo shoot
for img in shoot/*.jpg; do
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "corrected/$(basename "$img")"
done

13. Design and Graphics

# Create mirror pattern
mediaproc image flop half-pattern.jpg -o full-pattern.jpg

# Flip texture for tiling
mediaproc image flop texture.jpg -o mirrored-texture.jpg

# Generate symmetrical artwork
mediaproc image flop art-left.jpg -o art-right.jpg

14. Document Processing

# Fix scanned mirror documents
mediaproc image flop scan.jpg -o readable-scan.jpg

# Correct reversed diagrams
mediaproc image flop diagram.png -o correct-diagram.png

# Fix mirrored charts
mediaproc image flop chart.jpg -o proper-chart.jpg

15. Combining with Other Operations

# Flop then resize
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -o temp.jpg
mediaproc image resize temp.jpg -w 800 -h 600 -o final.jpg
rm temp.jpg

# Flop then crop
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -o temp.jpg
mediaproc image crop temp.jpg -w 1000 -h 800 -o final.jpg
rm temp.jpg

# Resize then flop
mediaproc image resize photo.jpg -w 1200 -o temp.jpg
mediaproc image flop temp.jpg -o final.jpg
rm temp.jpg

Use Cases

1. Selfie and Camera Corrections

Front Camera Fix: Correct mirror effect from phone cameras
Mirror Photo Correction: Fix photos taken in mirrors
Webcam Images: Correct webcam mirror effect
Video Thumbnails: Fix mirrored video frame captures

2. Text and Logo Corrections

Reversed Text: Make mirror text readable
Logo Orientation: Ensure logos face correct direction
Sign Corrections: Fix mirrored signs in photos
Brand Assets: Standardize brand element direction

3. Design and Art

Symmetry Creation: Generate symmetrical designs
Pattern Mirroring: Create mirrored patterns
Texture Generation: Generate flipped textures
Artistic Effects: Create mirror art effects

4. E-commerce and Product Photos

Product Direction: Standardize which way products face
Model Shots: Ensure models face desired direction
Catalog Consistency: Maintain uniform product presentation
Comparison Images: Create before/after comparisons

5. Web Development

RTL Layouts: Create assets for right-to-left languages
Icon Variations: Generate directional icon variants
UI Elements: Create mirrored UI components
Navigation: Flip directional navigation elements

Story Corrections: Fix selfie orientations
Post Preparation: Ensure correct text/logo orientation
Profile Pictures: Correct camera mirror effects
Content Creation: Create mirrored creative effects

Technical Details

Processing Method

The flop command uses Sharp's flop() method:

Flips image horizontally (mirrors left-right)
Fast operation (coordinate remapping)
No quality loss (no resampling)
Maintains dimensions exactly
Preserves color information perfectly

Coordinate Transformation

For image of width W:
  new_x = W - 1 - x
  new_y = y

Where:
- x: original horizontal position
- y: original vertical position (unchanged)
- new_x: flipped horizontal position
- new_y: same vertical position

Visual Transformation

Original (4×3 pixels):

A B C D
E F G H
I J K L

After Flop:

D C B A
H G F E
L K J I

Performance Characteristics

Speed: Very fast (simple remapping)
Memory: Efficient (in-place when possible)
Quality: Lossless (no interpolation)
CPU: Minimal (no complex calculations)
Format: Works with all image formats

Metadata Handling

Preserves most EXIF metadata
Updates orientation tag appropriately
Maintains color profile
Keeps creation date/time
Preserves camera information

Flop vs Flip vs Rotate

Operation	Direction	Result	Use Case
flop	Horizontal	Mirror left-right	Selfie fix, text reversal
flip (vertical)	Vertical	Mirror top-bottom	Upside-down correction
rotate 180°	Both axes	Same as flip+flop	Complete inversion
rotate 90°	Clockwise	Landscape↔Portrait	Orientation change

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Selfie Correction (Most Common)

# Fix front camera mirror effect
mediaproc image flop selfie.jpg -o corrected.jpg

Pattern 2: Batch Selfie Fix

# Fix all selfies at once
for img in selfies/*.jpg; do
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "fixed/$(basename "$img")"
done

Pattern 3: Create RTL Asset

# Generate right-to-left version
mediaproc image flop ltr-arrow.png -o rtl-arrow.png

Pattern 4: Mirror Pattern

# Create symmetrical design
mediaproc image flop half-pattern.jpg -o symmetric.jpg

Pattern 5: Logo Correction

# Fix reversed logo
mediaproc image flop reversed-logo.png -o correct-logo.png

Troubleshooting

Issue: Image Appears Unchanged

Problem: No visible difference after flop

Solutions:

# Check if image is horizontally symmetrical
# Symmetrical images show no change when flopped

# Add asymmetric element to test
# Or use test image with text

# Verify operation with --verbose
mediaproc image flop input.jpg --dry-run --verbose

Issue: Text is Backwards

Problem: After flop, text appears reversed

Solutions:

# This is expected behavior
# Flop mirrors everything including text

# If text should be readable:
# Either don't flop, or flop again to restore
mediaproc image flop mirrored.jpg -o restored.jpg

# Double flop returns to original orientation

Issue: Wrong Direction Flipped

Problem: Image flipped vertically instead of horizontally

Solutions:

# Flop only does horizontal flip
# For vertical flip, use flip command
mediaproc image flip input.jpg --vertical

# Flop = horizontal only
mediaproc image flop input.jpg  # ✓ Left-right mirror

Issue: Quality Loss

Problem: Output quality appears degraded

Solutions:

# Increase quality setting
mediaproc image flop input.jpg -q 100 -o output.jpg

# Use lossless format
mediaproc image flop input.jpg -o output.png

# Flop itself is lossless
# Quality loss comes from output format compression

Issue: Metadata Not Preserved

Problem: EXIF data missing or incorrect

Solutions:

# Flop preserves most EXIF data
# But updates orientation tag

# Check metadata before and after
mediaproc image metadata input.jpg > before.json
mediaproc image flop input.jpg -o output.jpg
mediaproc image metadata output.jpg > after.json

# Most metadata should be preserved

Issue: Flop vs Flip Confusion

Problem: Not sure which command to use

Solutions:

# Use FLOP for:
# - Horizontal flip (left-right mirror)
# - Selfie corrections
# - Text reversal fixes
mediaproc image flop input.jpg

# Use FLIP for:
# - Vertical flip (top-bottom mirror)
# - Upside-down corrections
# - Both directions (flip --both)
mediaproc image flip input.jpg --vertical

Best Practices

Understand the Operation
- Flop = horizontal only (left becomes right)
- Creates mirror image along vertical axis
- Fast and lossless operation
Selfie Corrections
- Always flop front camera photos
- Check if text/logos need correction
- Preview one image before batch processing
Preserve Originals
- Keep original files unmodified
- Create flopped copies with descriptive names
- Don't overwrite source images
Quality Settings
- Use q=90-100 for important images
- PNG for lossless operations
- JPEG q=80-90 for web delivery
Batch Operations
- Test with single image first
- Use consistent naming convention
- Verify results before processing large batches
Documentation
- Note why images were flopped
- Maintain consistent workflow
- Script repetitive operations
Performance
- Flop is very fast
- Can process thousands of images quickly
- Consider parallel processing for large batches

Integration Examples

With Other Image Commands

# Auto-orient then flop
mediaproc image auto-orient photo.jpg -o oriented.jpg
mediaproc image flop oriented.jpg -o final.jpg

# Flop then resize
mediaproc image flop photo.jpg -o temp.jpg
mediaproc image resize temp.jpg -w 800 -h 600 -o final.jpg

# Crop then flop
mediaproc image crop photo.jpg -w 1000 -h 800 -o temp.jpg
mediaproc image flop temp.jpg -o final.jpg

# Flop then composite
mediaproc image flop overlay.png -o mirrored.png
mediaproc image composite base.jpg --overlay mirrored.png -o final.jpg

In Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# Fix all front-camera photos

for img in photos/*.jpg; do
  filename=$(basename "$img" .jpg)

  # Fix mirror effect
  mediaproc image flop "$img" -o "corrected/${filename}.jpg"

  # Create thumbnail
  mediaproc image resize "corrected/${filename}.jpg" -w 300 -h 300 -o "thumbs/${filename}.jpg"
done

echo "Processed $(ls photos/*.jpg | wc -l) images"

Creating Symmetrical Compositions

#!/bin/bash
# Create symmetrical image from half

input="half-pattern.jpg"
flopped="flopped-half.jpg"
output="symmetric-pattern.jpg"

# 1. Flop the half
mediaproc image flop "$input" -o "$flopped"

# 2. Combine side-by-side
mediaproc image composite "$input" --overlay "$flopped" --gravity east -o "$output"

# 3. Clean up
rm "$flopped"

echo "Created symmetrical pattern: $output"