Video Editing

How to rotate videos in VLC media player

Learn how to rotate videos in VLC media player with both a temporary rotation for playback and a permanent rotation by converting the file. Step-by-step instructions.

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vlc
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CC BY-SA 4.0

Introduction #

VLC Media Player supports a wide range of multimedia file formats and includes built-in tools for video manipulation, including rotation. If you have recorded a video that appears sideways or upside down, VLC offers both temporary and permanent solutions** to correct the orientation.

This article explains how to rotate videos temporarily during playback and how to permanently rotate and save them using VLC.

Temporary video rotation during playback #

If you only want to view a video in a corrected orientation without altering the original file, use the temporary rotation option in VLC.

  1. Open VLC Media Player.
  2. Open your video by clicking on Media > Open File.
  3. Go to the top menu and click Tools > Effects and Filters.
  4. In the Adjustments and Effects window, switch to the Video Effects tab.
  5. Click on the Geometry sub-tab.
  6. Check the box labeled Transform.
  7. From the dropdown menu, select the desired rotation angle (e.g. Rotate by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees, flip horizontally, flip vertically, etc.).

    You can also set a more fine-grained rotation angle in the Rotate section.
  8. Click Close to apply the rotation.

This rotation only affects playback. The video file itself remains unchanged.

The set rotation angle affects the current VLC session for all files. If VLC is set to persist settings beyond the session, rotation will remain active until it is turned off again.

Permanent video rotation and saving #

To rotate and save the video file with the new orientation, follow these steps:

Enable video transformation filter #

  1. Open VLC Media Player.
  2. Click on Tools > Preferences.
  3. At the bottom left, change Show settings to All.
  4. In the left sidebar, expand Stream output, then Sout stream, then select Transcode.
  5. Check the box for Video transformation filter.

Set the rotation angle #

  1. Go to the top menu and click Tools > Effects and Filters.
  2. In the Adjustments and Effects window, switch to the Video Effects tab.
  3. Click on the Geometry sub-tab.
  4. Check the box labeled Transform.
  5. From the dropdown menu, select the desired rotation angle (e.g. Rotate by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees, flip horizontally, flip vertically, etc.).

    You can also set a more fine-grained rotation angle in the Rotate section.

Convert file #

  1. Return to the main window and click Media > Convert / Save.
  2. Click Add to select your video file, then click Convert / Save.
  3. In the Convert window, choose a profile such as Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4).
  4. Click the wrench icon next to the profile.
  5. Go to the Video codec tab, then the Filters tab.
  6. Check Video transformation filter and click Save.
  7. In the Convert window, specify a destination file name and click Start.

Make sure the playback toogle between loop all, loop one, and no loop is set to no loop, to avoid an annoying output file already exists loop.

The video will now be converted and saved with the applied rotation. The output file is a new version with corrected orientation.

FAQ's #

Most common questions and brief, easy-to-understand answers on the topic:

Can VLC rotate videos without changing the original file?

Yes, VLC can rotate videos temporarily during playback without altering the original file using the transform filter.

Does rotating a video permanently in VLC reduce quality?

If you choose high-quality output settings during conversion, there is minimal to no visible quality loss in the permanent rotation process.

Can I rotate videos on macOS using VLC?

Yes, the rotation process in VLC is the same on macOS and Windows. The interface may look slightly different, but the options are in the same locations.

Why is my rotated video not saving after using VLC?

Temporary rotation does not alter the file. To save changes, you must use the convert/save function with rotation filters applied.

What video formats can VLC rotate and convert?

VLC supports most common formats including MP4, AVI, MKV, and MOV for both rotation and conversion.

Further readings #

Sources and recommended, further resources on the topic:

Author

Jonas Jared Jacek • J15k

Jonas Jared Jacek (J15k)

Jonas works as project manager, web designer, and web developer since 2001. On top of that, he is a Linux system administrator with a broad interest in things related to programming, architecture, and design. See: https://www.j15k.com/

License

How to rotate videos in VLC media player by Jonas Jared Jacek is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only. To give credit, provide a link back to the original source, the author, and the license e.g. like this:

<p xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a property="dct:title" rel="cc:attributionURL" href="https://www.ditig.com/how-to-rotate-a-video-in-vlc">How to rotate videos in VLC media player</a> by <a rel="cc:attributionURL dct:creator" property="cc:attributionName" href="https://www.j15k.com/">Jonas Jared Jacek</a> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="license noopener noreferrer">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>.</p>

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