Invert Image Colours

How to use the invert image colours

1. Open your image.
2. Move the slider until it looks right — hold the compare button to see the original.
3. Download the adjusted image.

About this tool

Inverting replaces every channel value with its opposite — 255 minus the original — so black becomes white, white becomes black, and blue becomes orange. That is precisely what a photographic negative is, which is why the operation is also called making a negative.

The most practical use is the literal one: turning a scanned film negative back into a positive image. A flatbed scan of a strip of negatives inverts into something you can actually look at, though colour film also carries an orange base layer that inversion alone does not remove, so colour negatives come out with a blue cast that needs correcting afterwards. Black and white negatives invert cleanly.

It is also a quick design check. Inverting a layout shows immediately whether its contrast survives reversed tones, which is a rough proxy for how it will behave in a dark theme.

Inversion is its own opposite, so applying it twice returns the original values. Re-encoding a JPEG each time still costs a little quality, so working from the original is better than inverting back and forth.

Common uses

• Turning a scanned negative into a positive image.
• Producing a negative effect deliberately.
• Checking a design in reversed tones.

Frequently asked questions

Will inverting twice give me the original?

In values, yes — inversion is its own opposite. Re-encoding a JPEG each time loses a little quality, so work from the original rather than inverting back and forth.

Why does my inverted colour negative look blue?

Colour negative film has an orange base layer. Inverting turns that blue, and removing it needs a colour correction step that inversion alone cannot do. Black and white negatives invert cleanly.

Is this the same as a dark mode preview?

Not really. Inverting flips every colour including photographs, whereas dark mode restyles the interface and leaves images alone. It is a useful rough check of contrast, not a preview.