How to rotate, crop, and straighten in Photos for iPhone and iPad

Most of us don't frame every photo perfectly when we shoot it. That's why Apple provides editing tools right inside the Photos app that let you straighten, rotate, crop, and even change the aspect ratio of your pictures simply and easily.

That way, you get your photos and you get them framed just the way you want them. Here's how to do it!

How to rotate in Photos for iPhone and iPad

Rotating is especially useful when you accidentally take a photo without the camera being in the right orientation.

  1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Find the photo that you'd like to rotate and tap on it to open it.

  3. Tap Edit on the top right of your screen.

  4. Tap on the crop button in the bottom menu.
  5. Tap on the rotate button on the bottom left. It's a box with a curved arrow. Keep tapping it until the photo is rotated the way you'd like.

  6. Tap the Done button.

How to rotate in Photos in iOS 13

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch Photos on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 13.

  2. Find the photo you would like to rotate and tap it to open it.

    Launch Photos, tap photo to rotate

  3. Tap Edit in the top right corner.

  4. Tap on the Crop button in the bottom menu.

    Tap Edit, select Crop

  5. Tap the Rotate button in the top menu.
    • It is the second button from the left with a curved arrow.
    • Tap it until you get your desired rotation.

  6. Tap Done to save your changes.

    Tap Rotate, tap Done

How to straighten in Photos for iPhone and iPad

Sometimes you've taken a bit of a wonky photo, but that's ok. You can use the crop tool and straighten everything out.

  1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Find the photo that you'd like to rotate and tap on it to open it.

  3. Tap Edit on the top right of your screen.

  4. Tap on the crop icon in the bottom navigation. iOS will smartly adjust the photo to where it thinks the crop should be.
  5. Drag your finger on the dial to change the crop or don't think it's right,

  6. Once you find a crop you're happy with, tap on Done in the bottom right.

If you ever want to go back to the original photo, just tap on Reset underneath the dial to remove any crop iOS or you made.

How to straighten in Photos in iOS 13

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch Photos on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 13.

  2. Find a photo that you want to straighten out, and then tap on it to open.

    Launch Photos, find photo

  3. Tap Edit in the upper right corner.

  4. Tap on the Crop button in the bottom menu.

    Tap Edit, select Crop

  5. By default, it goes to Straighten. Simply drag your finger along the dial at the bottom to straighten out your image.

  6. If you need to straighten out the image vertically or horizontally, tap on either Vertical or Horizontal (located next to the default Straighten option).

    Straighten, Vertical, or Horizontal

  7. Adjust the slider until you are satisfied with the results.

  8. Tap Done to save your changes.

    Slide until satisfied, tap Done to save

Sometimes you'll need to vertically or horizontally straighten your image to get a better perspective. This is especially true if you are taking photos of architecture and buildings, and want a straight edge on the walls rather than a skewed perspective due to the lens.

How to crop a picture with the Photos app for iPhone and iPad

If you've ever taken a great photo only to realize an unsightly object in the background, you already understand the need to be able to crop photos down.

  1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Find the photo that you'd like to rotate and tap on it to open it.

  3. Tap Edit on the top right of your screen.

  4. Tap on the crop button in the bottom menu.
  5. Tap and drag the corners of the photo until you're satisfied with the crop.

  6. Tap Done in the bottom menu.

How to crop in Photos in iOS 13

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch Photos on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 13.

  2. Find the photo you want to crop, and then tap on it to open.

    Launch Photos, select photo

  3. Tap Edit in the upper right corner.

  4. Tap the Crop button in the bottom menu.

    Tap Edit, select Crop

  5. Tap and drag on the corner handles of the crop until you're satisfied with the results.

  6. Tap Done to save your changes.

    Drag corner handles until cropped, tap Done to save

How to change the aspect ratio in Photos for iPhone and iPad

  1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Find the photo that you'd like to rotate and tap on it to open it.

  3. Tap Edit on the top right of your screen.

  4. Tap on the crop icon in the bottom menu.
  5. Tap on the aspect ratio button on the lower right of the screen.

  6. Tap on the ratio you'd like to use.

  7. Drag your finger on the dial to center the photo how you'd like it.

  8. Tap on Done in the bottom right hand corner when you're happy with the image.

How to change the aspect ratio for crops in iOS 13

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

  1. Launch Photos on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 13.

  2. Find a photo you want to crop, then tap on it to open.

    Launch Photos, find and select photo

  3. Tap Edit in the top right corner.

  4. Tap on the Crop button in the bottom menu.

    Tap Edit, tap Crop

  5. Tap the Aspect Ratio button at the top (it's the one with multiple rectangles in one located next to the "..." button).
  6. Scroll through the aspect ratio options by swiping horizontally.
  7. Tap the ratio you want to use (the default is Freeform).

  8. Tap Done to save your changes.

    Tap Aspect Ratio, select preference, tap Done

Get the perfect snapshot

Moment Wide Lens for iPhone ($120 at Amazon)

This lens from Moment is wide-angle, helping you capture 2x more picture in each shot. You'll need a compatible Moment M-Series Photo or Battery Photo Case with this lense.

Moment iPhone XS Photo Case ($40 at Amazon)

If you snag a Moment lens, you'll need a compatible case to go along with it. This Photo Case for iPhone XS lets you easily snap your Moment lenses into the back over the camera, giving you the best view possible when photographing. The case is also protective and durable.

Any questions?

Sound off in the comments below.

July 2019: Updated with iOS 13 beta.

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