Photo orientation issue

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Many users have commented they can't seem to get photos to appear here in the correct orientation. Here's why. When you take a photo with any recent camera part of the photo file is what is called EXIF data. One of the bits of data in there is orientation info. That info says what corner of the photo is the anchor point of the photo. IOW, if you take the photo with your phone camera the anchor point is the right top of the screen regardless of which direction you're holding the phone. When you take a photo holding the camera turned left at horizontal the anchor point is now Top left. Here is a screen shot of the EXIF data for the first photo below.

EXIF info Photo #1.JPG

What happens, and what causes frustration, is the photo program you are using, and Windows folder icon displays, will turn the photo so the top of the photo is shown at the top.

Here are 4 photos I just took with my phone with the top end of the camera at top, at left, at bottom, at right. The anchor point for the 4 photos is: Right top, Top left, Left bottom, and Bottom right.

1 Top above.jpg 2 Top at left.jpg 3 Top at bottom.jpg 4 Top at right.jpg

What the forum software does is read where in the photo the anchor point is, and then ALWAYS puts the anchor point at the left top corner when it is posted here. Most, if not all, photo viewing and editing programs on your PC or phone or tablet will automatically orient the photo when you look at it so that the top of the photo is at the top. That's why you can't tell, looking at the photo, what its actual orientation is with respect to the camera when you took the photo. What adds to the problem is the forum software does not use the same corner of the photo for the default anchor point that a camera does. I don't know, but all cameras may not use the upper right corner of the phone, when holding it vertical, as the default anchor point.

Go to the next post to see how to fix the problem.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Now here are the 4 photos after I saved them to a different filename. Doing that creates a new file and in the process the anchor point is now set to Top left. The forum software displays each photo with the anchor point at the top left without regard to how your camera was oriented when you shot the photo.

1 Top above rotated.jpg 2 Top at left rotated.jpg 3 Top at bottom rotated.jpg 4 Top at right rotated.jpg

So, in short you MUST make sure the anchor point of your photo is always in the Top left corner. The ONLY way to do that is to be looking at it in your photo software as you want it to be posted, and save it as a new file. In some cases saving without changing the filename may work. I just did it on the first photo using PaintShop Pro.

The question is, who isn't following established standards or practices, the forum software or camera makers? I'm guessing camera makers since it seems the default anchor corner is top left for photo programs and the forum.

Now, since I'm not a 100% Windows expert, and don't know diddly about iOS, if someone knows of another way to accomplish the relocation of the anchor point, please post it here.

Anthony, feel free to edit this information or maybe even make it a sticky!

[LeftCoast]

Those were great posts Idaho thank you, I wasn’t aware of anchor points and that apparently there isn’t a standard.

[Chupaca]

Thanks...will definitely be checking it out...

[AnthonyG]

Vbulletin has never read the orientation tag in the exif info, it was supposedly added code in vb 5 to read it.

I will sticky it for you though, as its a good howto.

[Bob Denman]

I was sent six pictures of the construction of our new motorhome. being about as anal-retentive as six people: I re-named the pictures, and filed them...
But when I posted them in here: they were sideways!
What did I miss?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Did open them in a photo program, make sure they were upright, and then save with the new name? That should have done it unless your photo program doesn't change the orientation info. What photo program do you use?

If you're using Windows download Irfanview and try it. It's a good program for viewing and minor editing of photos and is free. You can use the image information option in it to see the EXIF data.

[Bob Denman]

Aha! It's not a photo program... it's just MS Paint.
Is there another way to skin this cat?

[Highwayman2013]

I post mine right from the Iphone and yes it's frustrating.

[Bob Denman]

I got the rig back up on it's wheels...
I did a re-size, and flipped each image a couple of times, and then saved the changes!

[AnthonyG]

I post mine right from the Iphone and yes it's frustrating.

[MENTION=11461]Highwayman2013[/MENTION]
Try uploading some now from your phone that are orientated incorrectly

[JayBros]

I don't store photos long on my phone and, particularly for SL participation, I keep all in a separate folder on desktop computer; so when I send them from phone to desktop if they arrive misoriented, I reorient, rename and save, and haven't ever had a problem with one getting to my SL file of photos misoriented. I don't use a specific photo editing program.

[Highwayman2013]

Looks like it works65155129-4DF8-414C-94B3-618433707343.jpeg correctB5A7C9F9-35E9-48DA-98CD-8EA49451297A.jpgincorrect

[AnthonyG]

Did it put the picture when you uploaded it from your phone, you post don’t really tell me?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I admit, this whole issue of top, left, bottom, etc., can be confusing! In fact I just had to repeat some photos because I was even beginning to wonder did I give the instructions properly? Here's a suggestion.

Hold your phone vertically, with the home button at the bottom. Now, put a mark of some sort at the top right corner of the screen. This is the camera's physical anchor point for ALL the pictures you take. It does not change. Take a photo. The EXIF info will show orientation as Right top, i.e., the physical anchor point of the camera is in the right top corner of the photo.

Now, hold the camera horizontal, or landscape, with the home button to the right. You will see your mark is now in the top left corner of the screen, i.e. in the upper left corner of your PHOTO when you click the shutter. Now the EXIF data says the camera physical anchor corner is in the Top left corner of the photo. You got this now?

Now, when you post the first picture where the EXIF data says the camera's physical corner is at the Right top corner of the photo, the forum software grabs the anchor point of the photo and puts it in the left top corner of the photo as displayed in the post. To do that it rotates the photo 90° CCW. Now post the second photo. Because the camera anchor point is at the Top left corner of the photo the forum s/w grabs the photo, says, "Ah, the anchor is already at the top left so no rotation is needed."

Open the photo in a photo program and make sure it is oriented the way you want it, and then save it as a new file. What you have done is taken the camera's anchor point that is in the photo EXIF data and thrown it out and replaced it with a new anchor point at the top left. Now the forum s/w will not rotate the photo since the anchor is at the top left corner.

Hope this helps!

[AnthonyG]

[MENTION=14672]IdahoMtnSpyder[/MENTION] I made a code change, i was just asking Highwayman2013 to upload a image like he used to, you can try as well, upload it without making any of your changes in a photo program.

[Highwayman2013]

Did it put the picture when you uploaded it from your phone, you post don’t really tell me?

It puts the picture on the forum just the way it is oriented on my Iphone.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

[MENTION=14672]IdahoMtnSpyder[/MENTION] I made a code change, i was just asking Highwayman2013 to upload a image like he used to, you can try as well, upload it without making any of your changes in a photo program.

Looks like Forum s/w 1, Anthony 0!! I uploaded these just like I did in the first post. Same displayed orientation as in the first post so looks like your code change didn't solve the issue.

1 Top above.jpg 2 Top at left.jpg 3 Top at bottom.jpg 4 Top at right.jpg

[AnthonyG]

Was the file ext JPG or JPEG, try uploading as a JPEG, not a JPG

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Was the file ext JPG or JPEG, try uploading as a JPEG, not a JPG

Here they are with the extension changed to jpeg.

1 Top above.jpg 2 Top at left.jpg 3 Top at bottom.jpg 4 Top at right.jpg


BTW, why won't the Insert Image dialog allow the selection of more than one file at a time?

[Flamewinger]

I post mine right from the Iphone and yes it's frustrating.

Go into the Photos app and select the ones you want to upload and duplicate them then use the duplicate to upload. Duplicating them renames and resets them.

[easysuper]

OK, so I read and reread all the post above until my head exploded ! I tried to post a photo off of my Ipad last night to see how it would work, I usually use my laptop when posting to SL without a problem, but we are taking a 10,000 mile Ryde in a few months Coast to Coast and I plan on only taking my Ipad. I still can't figure out how to orientate the photos off of my Ipad if they are horizontal or vertical . I can kind of understand the anchor point thing but how do I change it on my Ipad?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

OK, so I read and reread all the post above until my head exploded ! I tried to post a photo off of my Ipad last night to see how it would work, I usually use my laptop when posting to SL without a problem, but we are taking a 10,000 mile Ryde in a few months Coast to Coast and I plan on only taking my Ipad. I still can't figure out how to orientate the photos off of my Ipad if they are horizontal or vertical . I can kind of understand the anchor point thing but how do I change it on my Ipad?

Maybe this will help https://www.imore.com/how-to-crop-st...os-iphone-ipad, or search Google for more. Search for "how to rotate photos ipad." Otherwise I can't help as I don't use Apple systems.

[Revalden]

Why does this hafta be soo damn complicated? Some of us aren't all that tech savy, and if there are soo many steps to remember I'm not gonna even try. I've been on other forums that have no problems receiving photos. WTH?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Why does this hafta be soo damn complicated?

Because software writers don't like to adhere to standards. They all like to do things their own way. The Apple world is much better for following standards than the Windows world ever was. And Android developers are all over the map! I don't think standards is their vocabulary, or even in the vocabulary of Google who pretty much dictate rules for Android. Life would be a lot simpler for users like us if software developers would be less obsessive about doing things their own way, sacrifice some individualism for the good of the crowd, and develop and follow more standards.