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Flip an object

You can easily flip objects in Microsoft® Expression Blend™. Flipping an object can be useful in various ways, such as for creating a mirror image of an object. For example, you can create a fully-defined object, with the object's size, shape, fill, stroke, and more specified. You can then create a duplicate of the object, and then flip the duplicate to create a mirror image of the original object. You can flip an object by setting properties under the Transform section of the Properties panel, or by using the commands under Flip on the Object menu.

Tip When you flip an object, the object flips around its center point. You can change an object's center point by dragging the center point on the artboard, or by setting a specific center point under Transform in the Properties panel. For more information, see Change the center point of an object.

To flip an object by setting properties
  1. Select the object that you want to flip, by using either the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool.
  2. In the Properties panel, under Transform, click the Flip image of Flip tab tab, and then do one of the following:
    • Click Flip X axis, to flip the object horizontally.
    • Click Flip Y axis, to flip the object vertically.
    • For three-dimensional objects only, click Flip Z axis, to flip the object (either in the foreground or background).
To flip an object by using menu commands
  1. Select the object that you want to flip, by using either the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool.
  2. On the Object menu, point to Flip, and then click either Horizontal or Vertical.
To flip an object by using resizing handles on the artboard
  1. Select the object that you want to rotate, by using the Selection tool.
  2. Move your mouse pointer over one of the corner handles of the object's bounding box until the pointer becomes a resizing handle (, , , or ).
  3. Drag the pointer past the opposite side or corner. Hold down the SHIFT key to constrain the proportions of the object as you resize it. Hold down the ALT key to maintain the center point.
Tip The preceding procedures do not apply a transform to the object. Flipping an object converts the scale of the object to the negative of the original scale. For example, if your original scale value for X is 1, the scale value for X will change to -1 after you click the Flip X axis button.