To rotate crops in Lightroom, you have two primary methods within the Crop Overlay tool, as referenced in the documentation. You can either manually drag the area outside the crop boundary or use the specialized Angle tool to straighten based on a visual line.
Methods for Rotating Your Crop
Effectively rotating your crop allows you to straighten horizons, level perspectives, or add a creative tilt to your image. Here are the standard techniques:
Method 1: Manual Rotation by Dragging
This is the most common way to freely rotate the crop overlay.
- Activate the Crop Overlay tool in the Develop module.
- Position your mouse pointer outside any of the corner crop handles.
- You will see the pointer change to a curved Rotate icon.
- Click and drag your mouse. As you drag, the image will rotate relative to the crop rectangle.
- The axis of rotation for this method is the center of the crop rectangle.
- Release the mouse button when the image is rotated to your desired angle.
Method 2: Using the Angle Tool for Straightening
This method is particularly useful for straightening photos based on elements within the image, like horizons or vertical lines.
- Activate the Crop Overlay tool.
- Select the Angle tool. In the Crop Overlay panel, this tool icon typically looks like a level or protractor.
- Click and drag a line directly on the photo along an element that you want to make perfectly horizontal or vertical (e.g., a crooked horizon line, a building edge).
- Lightroom will automatically rotate the image so that the line you drew becomes either horizontal or vertical, depending on the angle and setting (though typically used for horizons).
Using these methods within the Crop Overlay tool gives you precise control over the final composition and orientation of your image.
