How to flip a video vertically (upside down)
- Step 1Confirm the clip is upside down, not sideways — If the top of the scene is at the bottom of the frame, it is a vertical flip. If the scene is rotated 90 degrees (portrait shot landscape or vice versa), that is a rotation, not a vflip.
- Step 2Drop the video onto the tool — Drag in MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, AVI, M4V or TS. It loads into your browser only and is never uploaded.
- Step 3Set the Axis dropdown to v — The Flip axis panel defaults to h (horizontal). Switch it to v to apply
vflip— the top-to-bottom mirror that turns an upside-down clip the right way up. - Step 4Run the vertical flip — JAD calls FFmpeg with
-vf vflipand re-encodes once usinglibx264 -preset medium -crf 20, copying the audio. CRF and preset are fixed — there is nothing else to set. - Step 5Download the MP4 — You receive an H.264 MP4 with audio identical to the source. The filename is your original with
-out.mp4. - Step 6Check the result is upright AND not mirrored — If the picture is now upright but text reads backwards, the source was also horizontally mirrored — that needs a separate hflip pass or a 180 rotation. The Flip tool does one axis per run.
vflip vs rotate-180 — they are different operations
A common mistake is treating a vertical flip as a 180-degree rotation. They produce different frames unless the image is also horizontally mirrored.
| Operation | What it does | When to use | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| vflip (Axis v) | Mirror top<->bottom; left/right unchanged | Camera filmed upside down (inverted optics/mount) | This flip tool |
| hflip (Axis h) | Mirror left<->right; top/bottom unchanged | Mirrored selfie / left-right reversed | This flip tool |
| rotate 180 | Turn the whole frame around (= hflip + vflip) | Clip is genuinely upside-down AND reversed | /video-tools/video-rotator |
| rotate 90/270 | Stand a sideways clip upright | Portrait shot in landscape or vice versa | /video-tools/video-rotator |
Vertical-flip specifics
Behaviour of the vflip pass. Output is always H.264 MP4.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Filter applied | vflip (single vertical mirror) |
| Axis setting | v (default is h — you must change it) |
| Audio | Stream-copied, in sync, no quality change |
| Video | Re-encoded H.264, CRF 20 fixed |
| Output | MP4 (one file in, one file out) |
| Free / Pro size | 1 GB / 10 GB per file |
Cookbook
Vertical-flip scenarios, with the all-important vflip-vs-rotate-180 distinction made concrete so you do not pick the wrong correction.
Ceiling-mounted webcam recorded upside down
A webcam clamped to a shelf facing down records inverted. vflip turns it upright without mirroring left/right.
Input: ceilingcam.mp4 (upside down, text not reversed) Axis: v FFmpeg: -i ceilingcam.mp4 -vf vflip -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -c:a copy out.mp4 Output: ceilingcam-out.mp4 (upright)
Upside down AND mirrored = use rotate 180, not vflip
If both the vertical and horizontal axes are wrong, that is a 180 rotation. vflip alone leaves left/right reversed.
Symptom: upside down AND text backwards Wrong: Axis v -> upright but still mirrored Right: rotate 180 -> /video-tools/video-rotator (single correct op)
Action cam clamped inverted on a handlebar
Mounting an action cam upside down to clear a bracket inverts the footage. vflip restores it.
Input: gopro_inverted.mp4 Axis: v Result: gopro_inverted-out.mp4 (horizon the right way up)
Don't use vflip for a sideways portrait clip
A portrait clip shown sideways is a 90-degree rotation issue, not a vertical flip.
Symptom: scene rotated 90deg Wrong: Axis v -> still sideways, now also vertically mirrored Right: rotator 90 or 270 -> /video-tools/video-rotator
Vertical flip then resize for a player
vflip outputs a standard MP4 that the resizer accepts directly, so you can fix orientation then conform dimensions.
Step 1: Axis v -> clip-out.mp4 Step 2: /video-tools/video-resizer -> target 1280x720 Step 3: download upright, resized clip
Edge cases and what actually happens
Picture is upright but text now reads backwards
Wrong toolvflip only fixes the vertical axis. If the clip was also horizontally mirrored, you are left with reversed text. Use a 180 rotation instead (/video-tools/video-rotator), which fixes both axes in one correct pass.
vflip didn't fix a sideways clip
Wrong toolA 90-degree orientation problem is a rotation, not a vertical flip. vflip mirrors top-to-bottom; it cannot stand a sideways frame upright. Use the rotator's 90 or 270.
Treated vflip as a 180-degree rotation
Wrong toolvflip (top<->bottom) is not the same as a 180 rotation (= hflip + vflip). They differ unless the frame is symmetric. For a true 180 turn, use the rotator.
Axis left on default h by mistake
User errorThe Axis dropdown defaults to h (horizontal). If you forget to switch it to v, you get a left/right mirror instead of an upside-down fix. Set Axis to v before running.
Output came back as MP4 from an MKV input
By designThe flip always writes H.264 MP4 regardless of input container. To return to MKV/WEBM, run the result through the transcoder.
Re-encode is slower than a trim
Expectedvflip is a full libx264 re-encode at CRF 20, not a stream-copy, so it takes longer than lossless operations like trim or merge. High resolutions take proportionally longer.
File exceeds tier limit
RejectedFiles over the per-file cap are blocked: 1 GB Free, 10 GB Pro, 100 GB Pro-media/Developer.
Audio unchanged after the flip
PreservedThe audio is copied with -c:a copy, so it stays in sync and at original quality — only the picture is mirrored vertically.
Frequently asked questions
What does a vertical flip do?
It mirrors the frame top-to-bottom across the horizontal centre line — the top row of pixels becomes the bottom row. JAD applies FFmpeg's vflip filter. It is the fix for footage that was filmed upside down.
How do I do a vertical flip here?
Drop in your clip and change the Axis dropdown from its default h to v, then run. v applies vflip; h applies a horizontal mirror.
Is a vertical flip the same as rotating 180 degrees?
No. vflip mirrors top-to-bottom only. A 180-degree rotation is hflip + vflip combined. They produce different frames unless the image is also horizontally mirrored. For a true 180 turn, use the rotator at /video-tools/video-rotator.
My clip is upside down and the text is backwards — what do I use?
That is a 180-degree rotation, not a vertical flip. Use the rotator's 180 option, which fixes both axes in one correct pass. The flip tool only handles one axis per run.
Will vflip fix a sideways clip?
No. Sideways is a 90-degree rotation problem. Use the rotator with 90 or 270, not the flipper.
Does vertical flipping affect audio?
No. Audio is stream-copied with -c:a copy, so it is unchanged and stays in sync. Only the video is re-encoded.
Is the video uploaded?
No. The flip runs in your browser via FFmpeg.wasm. Nothing is uploaded — your footage stays local.
What output format do I get?
Always an H.264 MP4. To convert to another container afterward, use the transcoder at /video-tools/video-transcoder.
Does flipping reduce quality?
There is a small re-encode cost (libx264, CRF 20), usually invisible. Audio is copied unchanged. The CRF is fixed in the tool — there is no quality slider.
What inputs are accepted?
MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, AVI, M4V and TS. All are normalised to H.264 MP4 on output.
Is there a size limit?
Yes: 1 GB per file on Free, 10 GB on Pro, 100 GB on Pro-media and Developer. No duration limit — only file size and batch count.
Can I flip just a section vertically?
No — the flip applies to the whole clip. Trim the section with the lossless trimmer, flip it, then rejoin using the merger.
Privacy first
Every JAD Video tool runs entirely in your browser via WebCodecs and FFmpeg (WebAssembly). Your video files never leave your device — verified by zero outbound network requests during processing.