How to Invert Colors on a Picture on Windows (MS Paint)
If you are using a PC, the absolute fastest way to invert a picture is by using the built-in MS Paint application. It has had this feature for over 20 years.
- 1
Right-click your image file and select Open with > Paint.
- 2
Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select the entire canvas.
- 3
Right-click anywhere on the image and select Invert color (or press Ctrl + Shift + I). The colors will flip instantly.
- 4
Save your new inverted image.
How to Invert Colors on a Picture on Mac (Preview)
On macOS, you can use the built-in Preview app to manually drag the color curves, which achieves the exact same color inversion effect.
- Open your image in Preview.
- Go to the top menu and select Tools > Adjust Color.
- In the adjustment panel that appears, find the graph with the diagonal line (the color curve).
- Click the slider on the bottom left and drag it to the top left. Then click the slider on the top right and drag it to the bottom right. This flips the curve to create negative colors.
How to Invert Colors on a Photo or Picture on iPhone & Android
Wondering how to invert colors on a photo on iPhone or how to invert colors on a picture on iPhone? The same applies to Android and Samsung devices. Neither the Apple Photos app nor the default Android/Samsung Gallery apps have a built-in option to invert colors on a photo and save the result to the file.
To invert colors on a photo or picture on iPhone, Android, or Samsung, your best option is to use a free web-based color invertor tool (like the one linked at the top of this page) or a dedicated photo editing app where you can manipulate the color curves.
How to Invert Colors on a Picture in PowerPoint & Word
If you need to know how to invert colors on a picture in PowerPoint or Word, Microsoft Office does not offer a true one-click "negative" effect. However, you can use the Artistic Effects panel to get close:
- Select the image in your Word document or PowerPoint slide.
- Go to the Picture Format tab.
- Click Artistic Effects.
- Select the Glow Diffused or Photocopy effects, or use the Color menu to heavily tint the image. For a true inversion, it is highly recommended to invert the image in MS Paint first, then paste it back into your document.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to invert colors?
Inverting colors means flipping every color in an image to its exact mathematical opposite on the color wheel. White becomes black, red becomes cyan, green becomes magenta, and blue becomes yellow. This creates the classic 'photo negative' effect seen in old film cameras.
Can I invert colors natively on my iPhone?
No, the Apple Photos app does not have an 'Invert Colors' button in its editing suite. If you just want to view your screen in inverted colors, you can turn on 'Smart Invert' or 'Classic Invert' in your Accessibility settings, but this won't save the image file as inverted.
Why would I need to invert an image?
The most common reasons are artistic expression, turning a white logo into a black logo for graphic design purposes, or making a blindingly bright schematic/blueprint easier to read in a dark room by turning the white background black.