Let's take a look at some tips on how to rotate a clipping mask. I will be using this template called ql-grayscale-template-04.psd, which you'll find in your Part 5 lesson six practice folder, along with this beautiful photo called Autumn Beauty. I want to create an inspirational card using this photo, but my photo is in landscape orientation, and the photo clipping mask is in portrait orientation. No problem, I can change the orientation of the photo clipping mask by rotating it. Since there is a paper clipping mask behind the photo, let's rotate both of them together.

Get the Move tool and make sure Auto Select Layer is checked in Tool Options. On your document, click on the photo clipping mask to select that layer. In the Layers panel, shift click on the paper clipping mask layer below the photo clipping mask to select it as well. Press Ctrl T in Windows Command T on a Mac to get a transform outline. There are three easy ways to rotate layers by exact increments. One way is to move your mouse outside the transform outline until you see a double curved arrow. Shift click and drag with the mouse in the direction you want to rotate. Pressing the Shift key forces the rotation to go in increments of 15 degrees. This makes it very easy to land exactly at the right spot for a horizontal orientation. I'll let go of my mouse and then let go of the Shift key.

Let's cancel this and I'll show you another way to accomplish the same thing. Get the Transform tool, and in Tool Options, enter the number of degrees you want. In the Angle field, I'll enter 90 and that instantly rotates the layers 90 degrees. You can also type in -90, which rotates the layers the opposite direction. In this case, it doesn't make any difference but in some cases, it will be important which direction you go.

I'll cancel again and show you the third way. Get the Transform tool again, and right click on your document to get a context menu. Choose one of the degree options down at the bottom for rotating layers and that instantly rotates the two layers.

All three of these methods let you easily choose an exact rotation rather than you trying to eyeball it. Once you've rotated the layers, you can choose to resize them as well. Let's make the layers smaller by pressing Alt on Windows or Option on a Mac and clicking and dragging from a corner handle that resizes all four corners at the same time. Then I'll move this up a bit by clicking inside the outline and dragging up. Pressing Shift as you do that will make the layers move in a straight line. I can also adjust the sides by clicking and dragging from the middle handle on any of the sides. So I'll bring that up just a little bit.

If you want both sides to resize the same amount press Alt on Windows Option on a Mac and click and drag from any side handle. In this case, the right handle to bring both sides in a bit. When you're satisfied, click OK.

Here's how my document looks after I've clipped my photo and some papers to the clipping masks, made some minor adjustments to the size, changed the title, and added an overlay stamp element which is clipped to the green paper that's clipped to a paper clipping mask.

Rotating a layer can also be done freestyle. Let's say I want to slightly rotate the paper mat. I'll select the matte paper and it's clipping mask in the Layers panel, get the Transform tool, and as you can see, the outline is quite large because the paper is large. I'll move my mouse outside the bounds of the Transform outline until I see a curved double arrow and click and drag in the direction I want to go. I'll just move this a slight bit to the corner like that and move my arrow keys to the left a little bit and then click on the checkmark to commit the change.

So that's how to rotate layers freehand or you can use the tips I gave you to choose a specific degree of rotation.