Camera/Computer Auto Rotate Images

B Kennedy · Jun 6, 2009

So I'm tired of having to rotate all my vertical pictures I shoot in the camera on my pc. I have the setting on the camera to auto rotate on the camera and pc, but it never seems to auto rotate on my pc. Any ideas?

KmH · Jun 7, 2009

The accelerometer that detects the change of orientation may not be working.

B Kennedy · Jun 7, 2009

hmmm....whats an accelerometer? is that camera or computer? Both my 30d and 5d don't auto rotate into computer

table1349 · Jun 7, 2009

What program are you using to bring the photos into the computer. I believe that only Canon's EX browser and DPP will auto rotate the photos from a Canon camera. Could be wrong though, I have never paid attention.

Garbz · Jun 8, 2009

Rotation of images is done by the camera setting a specific parameter in the image's EXIF data. A part of an image reserved for information on how and when the image was taken. Software will need to be compatible with the parameter for rotation to work, and there are many packages out there which aren't.

An accelerometer is a small device tells the camera electronics of current acceleration in several axis. Orientation is then derived knowing that gravity has an acceleration of -9.8m/s^2 straight up.

B Kennedy · Jun 8, 2009

gryphonslair99 said:
What program are you using to bring the photos into the computer. I believe that only Canon's EX browser and DPP will auto rotate the photos from a Canon camera. Could be wrong though, I have never paid attention.

Hmm, well i usually just copy off the card using my firewire card reader and just copy and paste onto my computer...maybe this is the problem i think?

Garbz · Jun 8, 2009

Nope that's not the issue. The question is more what program are you using to OPEN the photos. There is no difference between copying off the card and importing using some software.

table1349 · Jun 8, 2009

Garbz said:
Nope that's not the issue. The question is more what program are you using to OPEN the photos. There is no difference between copying off the card and importing using some software.

Now you are going to make me mess around with the whole thing. I always import mine using Zoom browser and never have an issue with any program I open them in, They are always in the proper orientation.

Guess I will take a half dozen photos and drag them over directly and see what happens. You have made me curious.

B Kennedy · Jun 9, 2009

yea I definitely think the problem was that I wasn't using a software program to get them off the card. I was going into my computer and going into the card and copying and pasting them. I used the eos utility to download the images and it worked and auto rotated them...thanks for the help!

table1349 · Jun 10, 2009

B Kennedy said:
yea I definitely think the problem was that I wasn't using a software program to get them off the card. I was going into my computer and going into the card and copying and pasting them. I used the eos utility to download the images and it worked and auto rotated them...thanks for the help!

Thanks, now I don't have to test it out since Garbz made me wonder. I was thinking that that Zoom Browser did an automatic metadata rewrite when it brought the photos in to rotate them to the proper orientation. But like I said in my first post I wasn't sure.

Garbz · Jun 10, 2009

? That would just be strange. What if you're not using Zoom browser? I know lightroom doesn't care if I copy them or if I import them off the card, I couldn't imagine Canon being this backward.

table1349 · Jun 10, 2009

Garbz said:
? That would just be strange. What if you're not using Zoom browser? I know lightroom doesn't care if I copy them or if I import them off the card, I couldn't imagine Canon being this backward.

I'm thinking it is a bit like Picasa. I sort through files with Picasa, see one that is not in the proper rotation, rotate it and close Picasa. When I re-open Picasa the file is in the proper rotation. Other programs however don't see the file the same way.

Now I do the same thing in picasa, only this time I save the changes and all programs see the file in the right orientation.

When I use Thumbs Plus, when ever I rotate I have to choose to save it or not at that point in time. My guess is that with Canon the rotation information is stored in a proprietary mode by the camera until it is run through a program like Zoom browser that does a default save of the rotation setting on the computer. Don't ask me, I didn't write it, I just know how it works.

Garbz · Jun 11, 2009

But But But... Exif has an orientation flag just for this purpose which is used on Nikons....
*Head explodes*

I guess there's some things I'll never understand

table1349 · Jun 11, 2009

Garbz said:
But But But... Exif has an orientation flag just for this purpose which is used on Nikons....
*Head explodes*

I guess there's some things I'll never understand

Mac - IBM
Canon - Nikon
Potato (po tay toe) - Potato (po tah tow)

Only God knows for sure and he's not giving out any interviews. :mrgreen: