EXIF Issues

I've run into some problems with EXIF data that don't seem to have a
solution. Specifically...

When you rotate an image in-camera, the image isn't actually rotated (at
least in some cameras). Instead, the EXIF "orientation" tag is set to
indicate that the image should be rotated whenever it is displayed.

So here are the issues:

1. Some graphics editing programs recognize the orientation tag, and others
do not. So you have the bizarre situation where some programs will display
your images in the correct orientation, and some won't.

2. Some programs let you copy across the EXIF data when you edit an image
and save the changes. At least some of them don't change the orientation
tag, even if they rotated the image automatically when it was opened, and
saved the edited image in its correct orientation. So now you have images
where the EXIF tag says they should be rotated for display, but in reality
they should NOT.

3. When an image displays in the correct orientation, you have no idea
whether this is due to the EXIF tag being recognized, or to the image
really having the correct orientation.

4. Likewise, when an image displays INcorrectly, you don't know whether
it's due to your software not recognizing the EXIF tag, or the image really
is in the incorrect orientation, or --- gasp! --- the EXIF tag IS being
recognized but the image has already been rotated.

4. Lastly, when your image editor displays an image correctly, you assume
that it will display correctly when you send it to someone else, perhaps as
an email attachment or web page image. But how many email clients and web
browsers recognize the EXIF orientation tag?

Bottom line: Looks like the EXIF orientation tag was a BAD idea that
creates nothing but chaos. And the best advice would be to NEVER rotate
images in-camera.

Am I missing something, or is this really as messy as it looks?

Pete

Pete wrote:
>
> Am I missing something, or is this really as messy as it looks?


It is that messy.

I haven't had the problem of rotating an image manually and have it
improperly re-rotated, so I figure sometimes it helps, sometimes I gotta
rotate manually.

Pete <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote:

> I've run into some problems with EXIF data that don't seem to have a
> solution. Specifically...
[..]
> Bottom line: Looks like the EXIF orientation tag was a BAD idea that
> creates nothing but chaos. And the best advice would be to NEVER rotate
> images in-camera.
>
> Am I missing something, or is this really as messy as it looks?

The orientation tag is a good idea, but a bad implementation, since EXIF
is relatively new while JPEG is as old as dirt (in internet years,
anyway).

I use a piece of software called exifiron which can do lossless rotation
of jpeg images and also change the EXIF orientation tag (independent of
the rotation). There's other similar software out there to do this, and
it shouldn't be hard to find.

Then you can just 'hard' rotate all your images that need it, and never
worry about the tag again.