Tip of the Week: Rotation–Clockwise or Counter-clockwise?
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Have you ever had that moment of doubt as to which direction InDesign’s rotation angle is going to move your object? Are positive numbers clockwise or counter-clockwise?
I can’t remember myself, but there’s a little cheat that helps me look smart in front of a class. Just take a quick peek at the Rotation tool in the Tools panel. Notice that it indicates a counter-clockwise direction.

That’s your clue that positive numbers rotate objects counter-clockwise.

Negative numbers go clockwise.

This half-second glance saves me a lot of undos.
This article was last modified on December 30, 2021
This article was first published on July 1, 2014
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