Step 5: Add A Vertical Guide Down The Middle Of The Document

To create our mirror image effect, we first need to move everything that we want to "mirror" over to one side of the document. In my case, I need the guy in my photo to be over on the left side. To help me decide exactly how far to the left I need to move him, I'm going to add a guide down the middle of the image. Go up to the View menu at the top of the screen and choose New Guide:

This brings up Photoshop's New Guide dialog box. Select Vertical for the Orientation so that the guide runs up and down the image rather than left to right. Then enter 50% for the Position option so that it runs down the exact center of the document:

Click OK when you're done to exit out of the dialog box, and Photoshop will add a new guide straight down the center of the document:

Don't worry about the guide appearing in front of your image. It's there only to help us while working in Photoshop. Guides are known as "non-printing elements", which means they won't print, or appear if you save the image for the web, even if you forget to remove them when you're done.

Step 6: Drag Your Main Subject To One Side Of The Document

Think of the guide we just added as the "flip point" or "mirror point" for the effect. In other words, everything that we place on one side of the guide will appear mirrored on the other side of it. Of course, before we can mirror anything, we first need to move everything we want to mirror over to one side of the document. Select the Move tool from the top of the Tools palette, or press the letter V to quickly select it with the shortcut:

Then, with the Move tool selected, click anywhere on the image and drag it left or right until everything you want to mirror is on one side of the guide. Hold down the Shift key as you drag, which will force the image to move only left or right, preventing you from accidentally moving it up or down. In my case, I'm going to drag the guy in my photo over to the left of the document just to the point where the bottom part of his ear touches the side of his face. This is going to be the "flip point" for my effect:

Don't worry about the solid white area that's now appearing on the side of the photo. Everything on that side of the guide will be replaced with a mirrored version of what's on the other side in a moment.

Step 7: Drag A Selection Around The Side You Want To Mirror

Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the top of the Tools palette, or press the letter M to select it with the keyboard shortcut:

Then, with the Rectangular Marquee Tool selected, drag a selection around the entire half of the document that you want to mirror. In my case, I'm going to drag a selection around the left half of the document. You'll find that your cursor will snap to the guide once you're close enough to it (as long as you have both the Snap and Snap to Guides options enabled in the View menu at the top of the screen). When you're done, you should have a selection outline around the entire half of the document that you're going to mirror:

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