Two ways to rotate a clip
The precise way is the “Rotation” control in the “Transform” group, in the Inspector on the right. It goes from -180° to 180°: type 90 to turn a quarter clockwise, -90 to turn it the other way and 180 to flip a video that came out upside down. Double-clicking the word “Rotation” resets it to 0.
The quick way is to turn it right in the viewer: with the clip selected, a rotate handle appears; drag it and the video turns with your mouse. It's handy for straightening a horizon that's a few degrees off. Rotation applies to video clips and images, clip by clip, and what you see in the viewer is what ends up in the MP4.
A video shot sideways: rotate 90° and fill the frame
The typical case: you shot in portrait but the file plays lying on its side, the picture turned sideways inside a landscape frame. First pick the canvas you actually want: with no clip selected, under “Format”, press 9:16 if the video is for Reels, Shorts or TikTok. Then select the clip and set “Rotation” to 90 or -90, depending on which way it's lying.
Once rotated, the video looks small in the middle, because the editor fits it based on its original shape. Raise “Scale” until it fills the canvas: for a 16:9 file on a 9:16 canvas, that's around 178%. If you'd rather keep a 16:9 landscape canvas, lower the scale to about 56% to see it whole, with bars in the “Background” colour at the sides. The “Fill” button works out the fit without taking the rotation into account, so here it's better to type the scale by hand.
Limits and result
Vaideo Editor has no flip or mirror button and no crop: if you rotate slightly to straighten a horizon, you'll see corners in the background colour; raise the scale a little to hide them. Rotation is fixed for the whole clip (there are no keyframes), though you can split the clip with S and give each piece a different angle.
It runs in the browser on a computer with a 900 px or wider screen. With the free account you upload files up to 2 GB and export MP4 up to 1080p with no watermark; with Unlimited, 2K and 4K too. For everything else the editor does, there's an overview at /en/cases/free-video-editor/, and if you need a video from scratch, Vaideo's AI creates one from a topic or an article and opens it in the editor.
Ways to use it
Fix a phone video that plays sideways
9:16 canvas, “Rotation” to 90 or -90 and “Scale” until it fills the screen. Ready for Reels or TikTok.
Flip a video recorded upside down
Type 180 into “Rotation”. It doesn't change the video's shape, so there's no need to touch the scale.
Straighten a tilted horizon
Turn 2-5 degrees with the viewer handle and raise the scale 5-10% so no corners show.
Step by step
- 1
Open Vaideo Editor and import the video
Go to app4.vaideo.org on your computer, sign in with your free account and upload the video in “Media”.
- 2
Choose the final canvas
With no clips selected, under “Format” choose 9:16 for vertical video or 16:9 for landscape.
- 3
Rotate the clip
Add the video to the timeline, select it and type 90, -90 or 180 into “Rotation”, or drag the rotate handle in the viewer.
- 4
Adjust the scale
Change “Scale” until the video fills the canvas (about 178% for a 16:9 file rotated on a 9:16 canvas).
- 5
Export as MP4
Press “Export”, choose the resolution (up to 1080p free) and download the rotated video with no watermark.
Tips that make the difference
- ★Pick the canvas before rotating: fit and scale depend on whether the canvas is vertical or horizontal.
- ★For exact turns, type the number into “Rotation”; dragging in the viewer is better for fine adjustments by eye.
- ★After a 90° turn, type the scale by hand: “Fill” doesn't account for rotation.
- ★If you straighten by a few degrees, raise the scale just enough to hide the background corners.
- ★Several sideways clips? Rotate one and apply the same rotation and scale values to the rest.
Rotating with a typical tool vs Vaideo Editor
| Desktop app or sign-up web tool | Vaideo Editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Angles | Many web tools only turn 90° or 180° | Any angle between -180° and 180° |
| Filling a vertical frame | On single-purpose web tools, black bars or fixed crops | You choose canvas and scale until it fits |
| Watermark | Common on free versions | No watermark on your footage, free plan included |
| Mirror or flip | Full desktop editors include it | Not available, rotation only |
Frequently asked questions
How do I rotate a video 90 degrees online?+
In Vaideo Editor, select the clip and type 90 (or -90) into “Rotation”, in the “Transform” group. Then adjust “Scale” and the canvas so it fills the screen and export an MP4.
Why does the video look small after rotating it?+
Because the editor fits the clip based on its original shape and then rotates it. Raise “Scale”: for a landscape file rotated on a 9:16 canvas, around 178% makes it fill the screen.
Can I flip or mirror the video?+
No. Vaideo Editor only rotates between -180° and 180°. With 180° you can turn an upside-down video the right way up, but that's not the same as mirroring.
Does rotating reduce quality?+
It's re-encoded to MP4 on export. If you pick the same resolution as the original and “High” or “Max” quality, you won't notice. If you enlarge the scale a lot, it will look less sharp.
Can I rotate text and images too?+
Images yes, just like video clips. Text layers and captions have no rotation control.
Does it work on mobile?+
No. Vaideo Editor runs in your computer's browser and needs a screen at least 900 pixels wide.
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