Image Rotation in Develop

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Today’s Question: Is there a way to get the rotation buttons that are available on the toolbar in the Library module of Lightroom Classic to appear on the toolbar in the Develop module? Or do I have to be in the Library module to rotate in 90-degree increments.

Tim’s Quick Answer: You can’t add the 90-degree rotation buttons to the toolbar in the Develop module, but you can still rotate while in the Develop module using keyboard shortcuts or a menu command.

More Detail: The buttons for rotating in 90-degree increments are included by default on the toolbar below the image preview area in the loupe view in the Library module in Lightroom Classic, but they are not on the toolbar in the Develop module. Furthermore, while you can modify which controls appear on the toolbar, in the Develop module you can’t add the rotation buttons.

However, you don’t need to switch to the Library module to rotate an image in 90-degree increments. In the Develop module you can still use keyboard shortcuts for rotation. While holding the Ctrl key on Windows or the Command key on Macintosh you can press the left square bracket key ([) to rotate counterclockwise or press the right square bracket key (]) to rotate clockwise.

You can also go to the menu while in the Develop module and choose Photo followed by Rotate Left (for counterclockwise) or Rotate Right (for clockwise). The rotation options are also available on a context menu. You can right-click on the image preview in the Develop module and choose Transform followed by Rotate Left or Rotate Right. You can also right-click on a thumbnail on the filmstrip while in the Develop module and choose Rotate Left or Rotate Right.

I do think it would be nice if Adobe would add the ability to include the rotation buttons on the toolbar below the image preview area in the Develop module. However, fortunately there are other options that enable you to rotate an image in 90-degree increments without having to go to the Library module.