How to Mirror an Image
April 21
4 min. to read
Wouldn't it be nice to add a perfect reflection of a landcscape scene in a peaceful lake?
Thanks to layers and the transform tool in Luminar Neo, you can create that mirror image effect for your photographs. Here are the basic steps to create a mirror image.
The easiest way to proceed is to have two versions of your image. The first version will be full sized photo, with the second image being a duplicate of the original. I recommend cropping the duplicate photo so that it only displays the elements you want to mirror.
Load the full-sized photo into Luminar Neo. Then add an image layer by clicking on the + icon in Layers, and choosing Add New Image Layer. You now have two layers in your Luminar document. And with a little manipulation, you can create your special effect.
Make sure the new image layer is selected, then go to Tools > Flip Vertical. This flipped layer will serve as your mirror image. Now you can choose Transform to adjust the position of the mirror image in the frame. Be careful not to rotate the photo when doing this. Its position won't be perfect at this point, but it will be soon. Click Apply.
You're also going to apply Transform to the original image. Click on its layer, then once again enable Transform to position the photo correctly in the frame. It will help to zoom out to 50 percent while doing this. That way, you'll have enough room on the canvas to drag the handles of the Transform frame.
Go back and forth between the picture layers using Transform until your get the positions exactly how you want. Once you're happy with the position of each layer, then adjust the opacity of the mirror image (the one that's flipped) to be a bit lighter than the original. This enhances the mirror effect in the picture.
Now, Export your edited image so that you can share it with others. And don't forget to save your working Luminar file in case you need to return to it for more fine tuning.
One last tip. If you wish to edit the entire image all at once, you can Merge the Layers then apply a Luminar preset. Adjust the parameters to your taste so that you're completely happy with the final version of the shot.
