TracRat wrote: ... iSight still shows an inverted image to the user...
Well, you asked .... almost.....
Software has always controled your iSight. (BTW - Apple has changed the built-in camera's name on newer Macs from "iSight" to "FaceTime" and then to "FaceTime HD." Regardless of the name of your Mac's built-in camera, the same info and troubleshooting applies.)
Many, but not all, software applications give mirror-image iSight views. Different apps work differently. Your Mac's Help in each application should give you more info on how each particular app works, but here are some suggestions for a few of the most common apps.
(1) iChat's picture-in-picture and Snapshot is "mirrored" by design.
We are so accustomed to seeing ourselves in the mirror that it looks strange the other way. Your movie clips and the view that your chat friends' see and are normal. Only video snapshots you make and your video preview are mirror-image.
FaceTime works the same as iChat (& Messages in OSX 10.8) because it uses the same system and QuickTime video software components as iChat does.
(2) You can change individual snapshots made with iChat, FaceTime, Photo Booth, etc. by opening the file with your Preview application and using the Preview > Tools > Flip Horizontal menu command.
Full-featured image editing software such as PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements can also flip images that have already been saved.
(3) You can change future Photo Booth snapshots with the Photo Booth > Edit > Auto Flip New Photos menu choice.
More info is in Photo Booth > Help > Photo Booth Help. Search for Flipping a photo there.
(4) iMovie is different. Its preview window shows images right-way-around, as is the customary view for movie cameras.
QuickTime X (the QuickTime Player (version 10.x that comes with Snow Leopard) is also left-to-right correct.
(5) For mirrored video clips saved with Photo Booth or other apps, QuickTime Pro can easily flip them. Use QT Pro's "Visual Settings" controls in the "Video Track" section of its "Movie Properties" menu command to flip, rotate, resize, and edit other properties of an already-recorded video.
If you do not have QT Pro, the latest iMovie version, iMovie 9 (sometimes called iMovie '11 because it is part of iLife '11), can flip already-saved video. iMovie 8 (sometimes called iMovie '09 because it is part of iLife '09), can also flip already-saved clips. With either of these apps, click Clip Inspector > Video Effect: > Flipped to reverse the selected clip.
I do not think that iMovie 7 (which was part of iLife '08) can flip videos. However, if you have the previous version, you can import clips and flip them using iMovie 6's Editing > Video FX "Mirror" effect.
If you do not have QT Pro, you can use iMovie 6 HD. Import the saved Photo Booth or iChat 4 video clip into iMovie and use iMovie's "Mirror" effect in Editing >Video FX to flip it.
(6) If you really want to change your iSight's image, you can add iGlasses software. You can download the free trial to test whether it will do what you need before you decide whether to pay the modest price.
(7) If you are into no-cost, imperfect, and unsophisticated work-arounds, one kludged alternative for reversing images with any application would be to position a mirror as best you can so you are making video of your image in the mirror.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac OSX 10.8.3