# Camera phone question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227 "2020-01-10T16:44:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/1 "2020-01-10T16:44:19Z")
Why does the “selfie” mode of my smartphone camera show me as though I’m looking in a mirror? Is there some technological reason it can’t take my real picture? I really hate it. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/2 "2020-01-10T16:49:17Z")
There should be an option to switch it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/3 "2020-01-10T16:51:07Z")
You should be able to fix this on the phone using an “un-mirror” option or plug-in. In case your model does not support that, it is a trivial fix to flip it during post-processing using any image editing utility. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/4 "2020-01-10T16:54:15Z")
The live display shows you in mirror image to make it easier for you to line up the shot. On my phone at least the actual picture that is saved is flipped so it is not mirrored. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/5 "2020-01-10T16:55:00Z")
Interesting. I had not noticed that until you brought it up, but it does. Is there a setting buried in there somewhere that could turn it off? A quick google search suggests that it is, but I can’t find the setting on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/6 "2020-01-10T16:55:32Z")
I always think it’s odd when someone (is it just iPhones) pictures are all backwards. Just to clarify, however, is it just showing it to you that way or are the pictures coming out that way as well. On my (android) phone, if I put the camera in selfie mode, the display shows a mirror image, which makes sense, but the resulting picture is the right way. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/7 "2020-01-10T17:01:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Why does the “selfie” mode of my smartphone camera show me as though I’m looking in a mirror? Is there some technological reason it can’t take my real picture? > > I really hate it. There may be some confusion between the post and what the behaviors actually are. Lets see if I can make it clear: I have an iPhone. In Selfie mode, before/after I take a picture: I see a video of myself on the screen. It appears as it were a mirror. I assume this is because this is how people are used to seeing themselves. If they raise their right hand, and the video shows a guy raising his right hand (but it is on the left side of the screen), most people would see it as “flipped” and would not like it. In selfie mode, the actual selfie picture: If I actually push the button and take a picture, and go look at the picture, it shows me appropriately. It is “flipped” from the way it was displayed on the video. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/8 "2020-01-10T17:06:36Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > The live display shows you in mirror image to make it easier for you to line up the shot. On my phone at least the actual picture that is saved is flipped so it is not mirrored. A lot of the selfies I see make it look like the subject/photographer is wearing their T-shirt inside out. FWIW, I have an iPhone 11 (plain vanilla) in case anyone wants to walk me through the process of correcting this deficiency. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/9 "2020-01-10T17:10:27Z")
That’s absolutely not clear. When I look into a mirror and raise my right hand, the reflection raises its left hand. If it’s the other way around on your phone, it’s already unmirrored. Change the option back if you prefer it the other way. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/10 "2020-01-10T17:10:41Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > There may be some confusion between the post and what the behaviors actually are. Lets see if I can make it clear: > > I have an iPhone. > > In Selfie mode, before/after I take a picture: I see a video of myself on the screen. It appears as it were a mirror. I assume this is because this is how people are used to seeing themselves. If they raise their right hand, and the video shows a guy raising his right hand (but it is on the left side of the screen), most people would see it as “flipped” and would not like it. > > In selfie mode, the actual selfie picture: If I actually push the button and take a picture, and go look at the picture, it shows me appropriately. It is “flipped” from the way it was displayed on the video. Can I make selfie mode show me video of myself in real time (while I’m waiting for my FaceTime call to go through, f’rinstance)? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/11 "2020-01-10T17:33:53Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > That’s absolutely not clear. When I look into a mirror and raise my right hand, the reflection raises its left hand. If it’s the other way around on your phone, it’s already unmirrored. Change the option back if you prefer it the other way. Sorry, never mind, you were clear. Try the FrontCamUnMirror tweak for iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/12 "2020-01-10T18:03:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > A lot of the selfies I see make it look like the subject/photographer is wearing their T-shirt inside out. > > FWIW, I have an iPhone 11 (plain vanilla) in case anyone wants to walk me through the process of correcting this deficiency. I have an iPhone 6S and my selfies are correctly oriented (not mirrored). Never consciously changed anything, it’s always been that way. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/13 "2020-01-10T18:38:07Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > A lot of the selfies I see make it look like the subject/photographer is wearing their T-shirt inside out. > > FWIW, I have an iPhone 11 (plain vanilla) in case anyone wants to walk me through the process of correcting this deficiency. It’s not a “deficiency.” Take a pic with the selfie camera and see. Once you take the picture it shows you in the correct orientation. If you’ve seen pics that look backwards it could have been that the subjects took photos of themselves _in a mirror._ If you are wanting to see yourself in the camera looking flipped (so you raise your left hand and the image raises the hand on the right of the screen), that’s… bizarre. That’s not how humans are used to seeing ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/14 "2020-01-10T18:52:24Z")
An actual mirror can be your friend. Tricky but I can finagel and flip things to take decent selfies. Tips: clean the actual mirror first. Don’t look at your camera. Look at your image in the mirror. Or look slightly above your head. Edit afterwards. I learned all this from the lil’wrekker, whose taken 1000s of selfies. ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/15 "2020-01-10T19:03:29Z")
It’s shown that way on preview because otherwise **it would be very confusing to aim the camera.** Think about trying to center your selfied head when you angle the camera around. It would be _very_ counterintuitive to aim correctly if it operated the way you say. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/16 "2020-01-10T19:04:42Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Can I make selfie mode show me video of myself in real time (while I’m waiting for my FaceTime call to go through, f’rinstance)? I can’t do facetime at the moment, only camera. So when you see yourself on your phone in selfie mode, you want it to NOT look like a mirror, correct? I don’t think that is an option on an Iphone. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/17 "2020-01-10T19:20:29Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > It’s shown that way on preview because otherwise **it would be very confusing to aim the camera.** > > Think about trying to center your selfied head when you angle the camera around. It would be _very_ counterintuitive to aim correctly if it operated the way you say. Exactly. The real-time display is mirrored so the phone behaves like a mirror - tilt the phone to one side, and the image moves the same way it would if you were holding a mirror. And we all know how to operate a mirror. But I think the original question is about why the **saved** video file (or image file) is mirrored, and the answer to that is, it probably shouldn’t be, and the camera app should allow that to be changed. On my Samsung tablet, the option to save the mirrored image is called “pictures as previewed.” On my Pixel phone it’s “save selfies as previewed”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/18 "2020-01-10T21:53:58Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > A lot of the selfies I see make it look like the subject/photographer is wearing their T-shirt inside out. Even more weird, in a lot of the selfies I see, it makes it look like they are not wearing a shirt at all! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/19 "2020-01-10T22:01:23Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I can’t do facetime at the moment, only camera. So when you see yourself on your phone in selfie mode, you want it to NOT look like a mirror, correct? I don’t think that is an option on an Iphone. [This](https://github.com/Sticktron/FrontCamUnMirror) is the tweak I mentioned. You _may_ have to jailbreak your Iphone if it refuses to install third-party apps. It says version 2.2 works with iOS 7 through 10. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227/20 "2020-01-11T03:06:05Z")
IANA teenage girl who spends 5-8 hours per days staring into her phone but if I was I could tell you that one of the good things about selfie-mode giving a mirrored image is that I can also check my make-up, which adds about another 90 mins per day to my phone-staring. Trying my two phones (one Apple on Android) I’m wearing an ACILLATEM t-shirt in selfie view, but the photos I took shows it correctly oriented. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camera-phone-question/846227.md?page=2)