At the weekend I was the official photographer at the Are You Tough Enough ACU event in Deepcut, and I took around 550 shots, mostly in portrait.

Now, my battered old 400D seems to know when a shot is taken in portrait and shows it the correct way up on the screen, but when I upload to my (Again, old and battered! 😉 ) PC they come out landscape. And it takes a fair while to get 500 shots turned round.

I've had a look in the camera settings, and it seems to be set up OK, but is there a way that I can get them to upload already turned round? It would save a LOT of hassle!

Cheers! 🙂

Nope don't think so, there may be a third party software that does it though.

Actually lightroom does I think and there's usually a 30 day trial.

yeah what are you transferring them with? if you've changed to raw it might not be possible (not too hot on raw)

What software are you using on your PC?

I just transfer them from the card to the HDD via a card reader, then open them up in DPP ( The canon software ) for general browsing and conversion from RAW, and then open photoshop or whatever from there.

DPP has never got the orientation wrong … even though I dont 'import' directly from the camera.

Hmm. Interesting. I use the Canon software directly off the camera (I don't have a card reader) and just copy them straight into My Pictures.

what's difficult about "select all" "rotate anti/clockwise"…then go and have a cuppa for 10 mins while it rotates?

what's difficult about "select all" "rotate anti/clockwise"…then go and have a cuppa for 10 mins while it rotates?

That's what I'm doing but it's a LOT LOT longer than 10 minutes! Try about an hour!

And I thought that being as the camera seems to understand, there might be a simpler way of doing it….. 🙂

an hour?, i did the same with about 300 from MM, took 8 minutes on my weak little acer netbook, is your PC fast enough?

but yea, a simpler way would be most interesting *watches thread*

I've nto had this problem, using Lightroom, or Aperture- I imagine, though never thought about it, that there's a field in the exif data which holds the shot orientation.
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Try downloading a free editor (Picassa or Faststone Image Viewer might be worth a look), and importing the photos.

EDIT: a card reader is a useful purchase, a lot quicker than direct transfer, and only costs a couple of quid off of ebay.

My PC is crap, slow and old

**hangs head in shame**

Buy a card reader. They cost about a tenner. it will be faster than connecting your camera to the computer, and will preserve the orientation. Works for my 300d.

windows explorer, select required images, rotate, walk away.

Buy a card reader. They cost about a tenner. it will be faster than connecting your camera to the computer, and will preserve the orientation. Works for my 300d.

They have no idea of the file contents, how do they do anything with the orientation?

I think I should try a card reader then! 🙂

They have no idea of the file contents, how do they do anything with the orientation?

the orientation is stored in the file data and the card reader doesn't change it, whereas reading from the camera obviously does. 🙄 Like I said, that's the method I use with an older version of Peter's camera and it works for me.

NBT, I've just ordered one off Ebay. For £2.44 it's gotta be worth a try! Cheers!

Beware cheapo card readers – I've had two fail on me not long after getting them.

the orientation is stored in the file data and the card reader doesn't change it, whereas reading from the camera obviously does. Like I said, that's the method I use with an older version of Peter's camera and it works for me.

I'm aware of that, but he wants it auto-turned, and the card reader won't do that, whereas the camera and its attached software should? I'm feeling a bit thick here, I just can't see why he'd want a card reader in this process (other than maybe speed of transport).

Orientation is stored in the EXIF data. Surely it makes no difference if you transfer from camera or via card reader, neither should change the EXIF data?

Yup it's the EXIF data where it's stored, it's the software on the PC that will auto rotate it.

After a quick google. Windows explorer whilst retaining the EXIF orientation property does not read it. So using a card reader is not going to make the slightest difference.

whereas reading from the camera obviously does

isn't it actually the camera software in the PC doing something ? I always use my camera lead to access it as a drive and use Windows to copy the files unchanged from the card.

As everyone is saying it's the software used to view the files which interprets the orientation tag. If the op is not using something which reads that tag then the file is not going to be oriented correctly. If pp could say what he was using to view the files, then it might be a bit clearer where the apparent problem lies.
Mossimus is correct, looking at them in explorer isn't going to show them correctly- in fact if it can write to the exif, then it will royally screw everything up.

Which we established at the start if the thread but thanks anyway mossimus.

If pp could say what he was using to view the files, then it might be a bit clearer where the apparent problem lies.

I use the Canon software to download the pics straight into My Pictures. That's all I have!

coffeeking – Member
I'm aware of that, but he wants it auto-turned, and the card reader won't do that,

WHen you take a pic with a canon SLR, the image appears in the correct orientation on the in-camera screen. The orientation data is stored already before it leaves the camera.

I use a card reader. I have several different programs that I use to view images, even when I use thumbnail view the images are correctly rotated, as they are in the camera.

Maybe it's Peter's OS that's so old it can't read the orientation in the Exif? I'm on XP

I use the Canon software to download the pics straight into My Pictures. That's all I have!

Then you need something to read the tag correctly. try downloading Faststone Image Viewer (it's free, and doesn't need a fast pc). Lets you do some basic manipulation as well.

NBT – I'm on XP too. From what you're saying this might work for me….

I shall try it! 🙂

From wikipedia Windows Pix and Fax Viewer entry…

Limitations

The program does not allow the user to select the level of quality when re-saving an image.
Does not recognize image orientation value from Exif.
It cannot preview raw image formats, which are the preferred formats of many photographers.

Download and use Irfanview – it will honour the orientation of your files ( and it's an excellent free image viewer ).

Ahh, must be said, I always shoot Raw and have the XP Raw viewer powertoy installed. Thumbnails, previews, picasa and photoshop all read the correct orientation

WHen you take a pic with a canon SLR, the image appears in the correct orientation on the in-camera screen. The orientation data is stored already before it leaves the camera.

I use a card reader. I have several different programs that I use to view images, even when I use thumbnail view the images are correctly rotated, as they are in the camera.

Maybe it's Peter's OS that's so old it can't read the orientation in the Exif? I'm on XP

That was my point, having the card reader won't help, it's a software problem. That was my point to begin with?!

but the method he's using doesn't preserve the orientation data – whereas using a card reader will, as shown. Or did you not understand the problem

As far as I could see he was not able to extract the images without losing orientation data that is stored in them on the camera. So it's his software that's losing the file info during the process, not his method of transfer. So he just needs to find better software, not a card reader? The bit at fault here is the software, not the physical card interface.

So it's his software that's losing the file info during the process

yes, so using a card reader will remove the software causing the problems, as well as providing a faster data transfer.

Slightly academic discussion anyway as he's bought the card reader now 🙂

yes, so using a card reader will remove the software causing the problems, as well as providing a faster data transfer.

Sorry, I was just working on the thought that getting some of the many freely available softwares (including canons own) would solve the problem without a purchase and further problems! 🙂 **** it. Card reader will at least be quick.

Incidentally you can mount the 400D as a card reader, rather than as a camera, you just change a setting the in config of the camera and it mounts as a card would in a card reader. (PTP mode)

really?
I thought that the software he's using to look at the pictures (Windows Pic and Fax) doesn't read the orientation tag, so won't react to it. On the other hand, it seems that if this program is used to rotate the picture it can delete the tag, meaning that any other programs used to look at the picture will not orientate it correctly.

On the other hand, it seems that if this program is used to rotate the picture it can delete the tag, meaning that any other programs used to look at the picture will not orientate it correctly.

But it would only be saved if he rotated it and hit save. At which point it's been rotated anyway so the tag info is superfluous?

Hey pete, I have had this problem, recently had to do 600 portraits for school, all needed rotating. Get picasa (free from google), once the pics are on the pc, picasa will find them and display them all as rotated. Just find the save to disk button and click it and voila, it saves them all rotated!

Solved so many problems for me.

its rich btw.

I'm surprised people like event organisers and schools actually get people in who can't handle image orientation though, no offence intended but events and school photogs are not really the place to be learning the basics? I'd consider myself reasonably versed in photography and I'd not offer?