Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

[Richard M.]

Since the advent of Smartphones, it is often a problem when uploading photos here on the TDB. They are not oriented properly.

Each phone camera manufacturer has settings available to orient them. Rotation is always disabled when I am taking the photo. However, this is not always sufficient on some phones. My Android phone appears to get confused often. When they look okay in my Gallery view on the phone, I then transfer them to my PC. They look good there too when I see them in the Folder Icon view or in the MS Photo Viewer software built into my PC.

However......

When I upload those same photos here to the TDB, they're sideways. I have spent much time in my phone settings and nothing works. I've read on the forums and blogs that everyone has problems and the manufacturer help documents are useless. I've experimented so much and to no avail I cannot get this corrected on my Android. It's clearly a bug. SO........

Below is a method I have continually used to workaround this problem. It's a bit of a pain but it always works.

On my PC, I go to the folder with the photos and double click on a photo to view it in the MS Photo viewer. The photo looks fine and is oriented properly. The Viewer has a rotate button, CW-Right or CCW-Left. I deliberately hit a Rotate button to mis-orient the photo sideways. Advance to the next photo so it then saves the previously rotated file, albeit in the wrong orientation. I repeat the same on every photo in the folder. Now all of my photos are sideways.

I then go back and Rotate a photo again back to normal orientation view and advance to the next, each time it will then save the previous photo so it is then oriented correctly. I repeat this on all photos in the folder. All fixed, even though they're just back to the way I saw them originally in the Viewer, however some attribute got overwritten and the photos are now ready for upload without a problem.

I then upload the photos to the TDB........ They are now correctly oriented!

I have no idea why this works, but it does, and I'm sticking with it until this unusual Android cell phone camera oddity gets corrected.
(See THIS POST for the reason)

Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Back up top....

[Gary C.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

turn off "Auto Rotate" and photos will be oriented on the TDB the way you took them

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Gary, Even with Autorotate off on my Android it rotates them.

Rich

[Gary C.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Rich,

Turn Auto Rotate Off and then take the photo - still rotates the photo ?

You'd need to ask an Android expert what's with the rotate.

Gary
....

[Gary C.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Rich,

The photo rotation is caused by the EXIF metadata included in the digital photo file.

You can check the EXIF metadata image orientation in Windows by right clicking on a digital photo file, select Properties and then open Details. Dimensions will show the digital photo orientation.

Dimensions - Horizontal side on the left and vertical side is on the right.

Gary
....

[Harry S.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

When I upload from my iPhone, I am given the option on size. I select a smaller size. If the picture is 3 mg, I upload at 700k. The picture does not rotate at the smaller size

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Gary,

The strange issue is that when I transferred the files from my phone to my PC, they're fine, just like viewing on the phone, with Autorotate off.

Then when uploaded to the TDB, they get rotated 90*.

To fix it, I use the PC on the original photo, the normal correct view, then deliberately rotate it 90*(making it sideways), save it sideways, reopen it, rotate to normal, save it.

Then upload to here, then its fine.

Rich
PS I bumped this thread up from Feb, 2021 just to get it up top again for some members with similar problems.

[Gary C.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Rich,

Do you "turn off" Auto Rotate before you take the photo?

That's what you have to do with an iPhone to retain the proper orientation.

Gary
....

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Rich,

The photo rotation is caused by the EXIF metadata included in the digital photo file.

You can check the EXIF metadata image orientation in Windows by right clicking on a digital photo file, select Properties and then open Details. Dimensions will show the digital photo orientation. First number is the digital photo width IIRC.

Gary
....

Ok good info I'll check that out.

Rich,

Do you "turn off" Auto Rotate before you take the photo?

That's what you have to do with an iPhone to retain the proper orientation.

Gary
....

I never have Autorotate on. I believe it's a Android bug.

Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

When I upload from my iPhone, I am given the option on size. I select a smaller size. If the picture is 3 mg, I upload at 700k. The picture does not rotate at the smaller size

Harry are you saying the big size does the sideways act and the reduced size doesn't?

Rich

[Harry S.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

Harry are you saying the big size does the sideways act and the reduced size doesn't?

Rich

Yes, that is what I am saying.

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

See example HERE

[John S.]

[Richard M.]

Re: Misoriented, Sideways, Upside Down Photos Upload - A MS PC Workaround

John, I think I basically explained a similar approach. For some reason if I rotate the correctly oriented photo in the MS Viewer, so it's sideways, then rotate it back to normal, then save it, it then uploads properly. I think it modifies the EXIF data in the process, then saving it corrects the orientation when it gets uploaded here. I have no definitive explanation why it fixes it, but like you I stumbled across the process.

Rich