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Symmetry and mirrors

There are two ways to make a chart symmetrical. Symmetry mirrors each stitch as you draw it. The quick mirrors copy what is already drawn on one half or quarter onto the rest, at one press.

Symmetry while you draw

Four buttons in the options bar switch on mirrored drawing. When the bar is short of room, they fold into one menu.

Button What it does
Vertical symmetry Paints mirrored across the vertical centre line.
Horizontal symmetry Paints mirrored across the horizontal centre line.
Diagonal symmetry ↘ Paints mirrored across the diagonal from top left to bottom right.
Diagonal symmetry ↙ Paints mirrored across the diagonal from top right to bottom left.
  • They can be combined, so one stitch can be drawn in 2, 4 or 8 places. A stitch on a mirror line is drawn once.
  • The lines always pass through the middle of the chart; they can't be moved. They are shown as red lines over the chart in Edit's Colour and Black & white views only, and are never printed or exported. In Stitched, Photo and Export the lines are hidden, but symmetry stays on.
  • The diagonals need a square chart, and switch off if the chart stops being square.
  • Half stitches turn the other way in the mirrored copies where the mirror image needs it.

Symmetry is used by the Brush, Fill, Line, Rectangle, Oval, Lasso fill, Backstitch and BS edit, and when you drag a thread onto the chart. Select, Lasso, Magic wand and Move ignore it.

All four are off to begin with. Switching one on or off is not a step to undo. They are saved in the chart's file, but not otherwise kept.

Quick mirrors

The Mirror buttons at the foot of the tool rail, in the Edit workspace, act on the whole chart at one press, whatever tool you hold:

Button What it does
Mirror left half Mirrors the left half onto the right half.
Mirror upper half Mirrors the upper half onto the lower half.
Mirror upper-left corner Mirrors the upper-left quarter onto the other three quarters.
Mirror upper-left half corner Mirrors the triangle along the left edge of the upper-left quarter across its diagonal, then onto the other quarters. Needs a square chart.

Each mirror is one step you can undo. It copies empty stitches too, so it overwrites what was on the other side. It changes the active layer only, and is refused on a hidden or locked layer. A piece you hold is put down first. The photo is never mirrored.

A selected piece can also be flipped and turned on its own: see Selecting and moving.