Live Videos Mirrored: You may have noticed it on Facebook or Instagram: Sometimes, text appears mirrored in the live videos. Why is that? And above all: How can this be solved? We have all probably participated in as many video conferences and made as many live videos as ever in the past year. This sometimes has a strange side effect: Texts appear mirror-inverted in live videos.
That might be okay if it’s just lettering on your t-shirt. But when it comes to a company logo or a whiteboard that people are supposed to read on their screens, it’s incredibly annoying. We’ll take a closer look at what’s behind the mirror effect – and how you can solve the problem.
Live Videos Mirrored: This Is Why You See The Text In Selfie Mode Mirror-Inverted
The mirror effect in digital cameras, whether on a smartphone or PC, is something that we owe to Apple. Because, from a purely technical point of view, it doesn’t make any sense. If you take a photo or video head-on with your mobile phone camera, everything will look exactly as you saw it from your perspective behind the camera.
However, if you turn the smartphone or tablet around, everything is suddenly reversed. This also applies to cameras on a PC or laptop. It would be easy for the devices not to mirror the image here, either. But why are you doing this? For more outstanding user-friendliness. Because we are used to seeing each other in a mirror image from everyday life. It’s a skill we develop in childhood. So we learn very quickly to orient ourselves in a mirror-inverted world.
Interestingly, our self-perception is so closely tied to the mirror that non-mirror-inverted photos of us seem strange to us. This is precisely why Apple, with the rise of digital video, came up with the idea of imitating this mirror effect with cameras on computers and cell phones. If we suddenly saw everything not mirrored, our spatial perception would be irritating.
This means: a mirror-inverted selfie or camera mode makes it easier for users to work with the camera. It gets fascinating or challenging when you work with text in the video or photos. Does this then also arrive mirror-inverted with the viewer?
Most Devices And Programs Flip Text
With the vast majority of devices and video software, you won’t have any problem with it. It’s best to try it out right away. Hold up a text in your camera and press “Record” or take a photo of it. You see the text in the mirror image in selfie mode. But when you look at the saved video or photo, the reader is flipped. In other words, the “other side” can usually read the text.
It’s a great trick. You see everything mirror-inverted to be able to orientate yourself better. The devices reverse the effect when it is played or displayed. The mirror-inverted texts usually do not arise on the device but in the applications themselves. Fortunately, with most video platforms, you won’t have that problem at all. Skype or Zoom show you texts mirrored in your camera, but the text is reversed and legible for the viewer.
Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about writing your lyrics mirror-inverted for the audience. Unfortunately, there are a few exceptions: On Facebook and Instagram, text appears in reverse on photos and live videos.
Live Videos Mirrored: This Is How You Solve The Problem On Instagram And Facebook
For some reason, the platforms didn’t make it a default setting to make text from live videos or photos readable for viewers. This applies if you use the apps yourself to take pictures with them.
If it’s just a matter of uploading a photo or video with text in the apps, the problem is relatively easy to solve. Take the pictures with your phone camera and then upload the files from your gallery. Then you don’t have the problem. But what about live videos? It would be best to use a few hacks so that the text doesn’t appear mirrored in live video.
The Mirror Image Of Facebook Live Videos? The Hack!
You can solve this yourself in the app on Facebook. When you record a live video, you will see a magic wand icon on the left side of the screen. Go to it and then select the settings using the gear. Here you will find the option to flip the image horizontally. This means that the text in the live video does not appear mirror-inverted.
If you record a Facebook live video on your laptop, it will look different again. The Facebook camera generally doesn’t seem to reflect anything here. This is a strange feeling when recording, but at least it has the advantage that texts do not appear mirror-inverted.
The Mirror Image Of Instagram Live Videos? The Hack!
So far, we have not discovered such an attitude on Instagram. You can find the filter for download when you go to the filter, search for the live video and then search for “Flip Camera.”
If you download this filter, you can select it when recording and tap the screen so that the text is no longer mirrored.
Solution For Mirrored Texts On WhatsApp
The problem also exists on WhatsApp, but in a slightly different form. If you record a video or photo yourself using the app and then send it directly to a contact, the app doesn’t turn the text around at the end so that it is legible.
In that case, you would have to take the photo or video using your smartphone camera and then send it so that the text does not appear mirror-inverted to the recipient. However, if you use WhatsApp for a video chat, strangely enough, the text in the live videos does not appear mirror-inverted for the viewer.
The mirror problem can look different depending on the app or source device. So you have to experiment a bit to find out how it works in your case.
ALSO READ: 5 Tips For Hosting Your Online Shop
