Rotating Pictures

[NEtrawler58]

The issue really comes from the phone side of things. Posting from computer isn't a problem.

I always post from my laptop, almost never from my phone. Pics look fine on my laptop display but will display sideways at times on TF. I can go through the trouble of rotating them and uploading again, but I usually don't bother as I don't think it's all that important.

 

[twistedtree]

I believe the issue is that TF, actually the underlying VBulletin software, is ignoring the Orientation info that accompanies most images. There is the orientation of the stored JPEG (to use that as an example), but also orientation info to tell the displaying software how to rotate it, if at all.

IPhones always record the JPEG in landscape orientation, button right, lens left. It then adds the orientation info based on how you are holding the camera at the time.

Display software is supposed to load the JPEG, the rotate it according to the Orientation info. This is why most programs display the image correctly, yet others do not.

When you view an image that either appears correctly in the first place because the program has rotated it as instructed, or because it was displayed in its underlying JPEG orientation and you manually rotated it, and then you save it, I think most programs save the new JPEG as viewed and rest the Orientation info to indicate no rotation is required. Now if software like TF display it and ignore the Orientation info, it still displays correctly because no orientation rotation is required. This is how the photos get “fixed”.

Unlike a iPhone, it would appear that photos are stored as JPEGs after they have been rotated, so never include Orientation info indication that rotation is required.

So, I would argue that the problem is in TF because it doesn’t display images as instructed by the image. Androids don’t expose the problem, but that doesn’t make TF right.

 

[BandB]

I always post from my laptop, almost never from my phone. Pics look fine on my laptop display but will display sideways at times on TF. I can go through the trouble of rotating them and uploading again, but I usually don't bother as I don't think it's all that important.

Is your laptop an i?

 

[BandB]

So, I would argue that the problem is in TF because it doesn’t display images as instructed by the image. Androids don’t expose the problem, but that doesn’t make TF right.

But it's VBulletin, not TF, and it's also on other forum software. Forum software doesn't import any data attached. Likely best it doesn't or it would bring in all the metadata and some you wouldn't want brought in. This isn't just a situation with VBulletin. It's the same with every forum software I'm aware of.

 

[NEtrawler58]

Is your laptop an i?

Standard Dell Latitude laptop

 

[twistedtree]

But it's VBulletin, not TF, and it's also on other forum software. Forum software doesn't import any data attached. Likely best it doesn't or it would bring in all the metadata and some you wouldn't want brought in. This isn't just a situation with VBulletin. It's the same with every forum software I'm aware of.

Yes, VBulletin is the underlying software.


IF VBulletin wants images where the JPEG is correctly oriented, and without any metadata, it could reprocess the images to make them the way it wants. It's already doing that to some extent if it's stripping off the metadata as you suggest.

 

[twistedtree]

I just tried a little test and Vbulletin (TF) is already processing uploaded images in order to down size them. I think this is where the prescribed rotation should be taking place, prior to downsizing and creating a new JPG.

 

[BandB]

I just tried a little test and Vbulletin (TF) is already processing uploaded images in order to down size them. I think this is where the prescribed rotation should be taking place, prior to downsizing and creating a new JPG.

Now I want to see you convince VBulletin to make the change. Of course VBulletin launched in 2000 and the version used here is something like 13 or 14 years old. In late 2017, a post by Technical Support Lead, Wayne Luke, confirmed that vBulletin 3 and vBulletin 4 were now considered to be "End of Life" software, with no further development of the series planned. This site is on 3.8.8 Beta 4. They are now up to 5.6.7. I don't know any site on the current version though to check. Everyone got locked in so long ago and no one ever changes. Cruisers Forum is even earlier with 3.8.8 Beta 1.

 

[Oeanda]

Yeah the forum that forced me to get familiar with V Bulletin, where I learned the trick to posting upright photos, moved on from this software many years ago. Nowadays there are many forum software improvements out there, and there should be no need to struggle so hard to post pics, etc. Clearly CF and TF are managed with a ‘hands off’ approach. There are pros and cons to that though, so ya take the good with the bad.

 

[BandB]

Yeah the forum that forced me to get familiar with V Bulletin, where I learned the trick to posting upright photos, moved on from this software many years ago. Nowadays there are many forum software improvements out there, and there should be no need to struggle so hard to post pics, etc. Clearly CF and TF are managed with a ‘hands off’ approach. There are pros and cons to that though, so ya take the good with the bad.

VBulletin still remains the standard, although most forums, like this one, are using old versions. There is a substantial cost and disruption to making the change and some forums I know that moved had many issues with the move including down time, loss of some old messages, especially private messages, and then continued issues and disruptions after the move that may or may not have been software related. I had forums decades ago and used different software, mainly to save money. The software I used worked very well. However, I would never attempt to move all the sites this company owns. I might, however, upgrade to more current versions, but not for turning of photos.