Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Forum News => How To Post Photos on CRPF => Topic started by: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 10:04:28 AM

Title: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 10:04:28 AM
I am not sure if this is just me, or if it's not possible to do. However I was wondering why upright/vertical images when uploaded to the forum seem to end up in landscape/horizontal view? Most of the images I take are with my dredged "smart phone." I was wondering if I'm not uploading images correctly, or if it will be possible to upload images in a format other than landscape/horizontal view in the future? I don't always think about taking pictures with the forum in mind. I would like to share more of my collection and restorations if I didn't have to retake images.

Just a question. Any help would be great.

Thanks as always.

???
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 11:40:53 AM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 10:04:28 AM
I am not sure if this is just me, or if it's not possible to do. However I was wondering why upright/vertical images when uploaded to the forum seem to end up in landscape/horizontal view? Most of the images I take are with my dredged "smart phone." I was wondering if I'm not uploading images correctly, or if it will be possible to upload images in a format other than landscape/horizontal view in the future? I don't always think about taking pictures with the forum in mind. I would like to share more of my collection and restorations if I didn't have to retake images.

Just a question. Any help would be great.

Thanks as always.

???
Most smart phones don't give the option whether to save in landscape or portrait mode. You need to save the photo on a computer, and flip it in a graphics program before uploading the photo.

That is how we re-orient photos people have uploaded flipped the wrong way - we download a copy from the server, flip it using graphics software, then re-upload it to the server. Then sideways photos will appear correctly.

Dave
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: WesternElectricBen on August 21, 2013, 11:43:54 AM
I take about every picture from a "smart phone'' and I think all you have to do is hold the phone is a landscape way. Thats what I do.

Ben
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 11:47:25 AM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on August 21, 2013, 11:43:54 AM
I take about every picture from a "smart phone'' and I think all you have to do is hold the phone is a landscape way. Thats what I do.

Ben
Not with most smart phones. That is why we have to spend so much time re-orienting people's photos. Most phones save photos only in one mode or the other. You have no idea how many photos we have to flip as moderators.

The reason most smartphones don't do this is that with a smart phone, it is easy to turn your phone to view in the correct direction - but when you put the photo on a computer, you can't very well turn the monitor. It saves a lot of cost in on-phone image processing software.

Dave
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: Russ Kirk on August 21, 2013, 11:57:50 AM
That explains what happened to me.  Most of the time I use a digital camera and then transfer the photos.  But one time I used my iPad and I uploaded the photo to the posting. Only to discover the photo was upside down in the post.
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 12:04:13 PM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 10:04:28 AM
I am not sure if this is just me, or if it's not possible to do. However I was wondering why upright/vertical images when uploaded to the forum seem to end up in landscape/horizontal view? Most of the images I take are with my dredged "smart phone." I was wondering if I'm not uploading images correctly, or if it will be possible to upload images in a format other than landscape/horizontal view in the future? I don't always think about taking pictures with the forum in mind. I would like to share more of my collection and restorations if I didn't have to retake images.

Just a question. Any help would be great.

Thanks as always.

???

EG, taking one of your recent photos which displays as the following, here is the original, and the flipped version cropped and brightened.....

Dave
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: WesternElectricBen on August 21, 2013, 12:17:21 PM
Quote from: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 11:47:25 AM
Quote from: WesternElectricBen on August 21, 2013, 11:43:54 AM
I take about every picture from a "smart phone'' and I think all you have to do is hold the phone is a landscape way. Thats what I do.

Ben
Not with most smart phones. That is why we have to spend so much time re-orienting people's photos. Most phones save photos only in one mode or the other. You have no idea how many photos we have to flip as moderators.

Dave
]

Oh really, oh well.
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 04:37:01 PM
Wouldn't it just be easier to allow photos to be uploaded in both formats? It's possible on other websites, why not here. This flip method seems a bit involved when allow portrait and landscape modes would eliminate the need for images to be flipped by a moderator. Also, I uploaded pictures to the flea market/auction find, awhile ago and no one flipped the images. I know you can't get em all.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=9854.0

It would seem easier to allow both formats. Perhaps this could be worked into an update to the forum.


Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:08:28 PM
Also.. What program can I even use to do this flipping? I have a mac and can't find any software that allows me to flip and crop. Not to mention, trying to crop an image within the correct size adds to the frustration.
I would like to engage the forum more, but I don't have time to spend buying software and then working on every single image just because the forum isn't current with how most photographs are taken today.
The classic camera uses landscape mode. The modern camera is typically a smart phone, using portrait mode as it's primary style. Everyone I know owns a classic digital camera, no one I know actually uses it anymore. Especially not when out and about shopping at flea markets. This is typically when I take an image. My first thought is never, "How will this upload to Classic Rotary Phones Forum." It's usually, "I'm going to text this to blah blah blah." They don't need me to flip and crop the image first for them to view it properly.
I love my classic phones, but even somethings can't be avoided like modernization. If the forum is looking to add younger generations to it's ranks, then it will need to update the site from time to time. My wife is convinced that no one other than me is under the age of 40 on this site. She's not even 30 herself. So, you can see why I'm making this point. My 14 year old nephew is into rotary phones now, but would skip over any site that doesn't allow him to upload an image on the fly. Because that's how long his attention span is now.

The extra steps required to upload images to this site is off putting. If you don't believe me, ask your kids.

Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 05:49:35 PM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:08:28 PM
Also.. What program can I even use to do this flipping? I have a mac and can't find any software that allows me to flip and crop. Not to mention, trying to crop an image within the correct size adds to the frustration.
I would like to engage the forum more, but I don't have time to spend buying software and then working on every single image just because the forum isn't current with how most photographs are taken today.
The classic camera uses landscape mode. The modern camera is typically a smart phone, using portrait mode as it's primary style. Everyone I know owns a classic digital camera, no one I know actually uses it anymore. Especially not when out and about shopping at flea markets. This is typically when I take an image. My first thought is never, "How will this upload to Classic Rotary Phones Forum." It's usually, "I'm going to text this to blah blah blah." They don't need me to flip and crop the image first for them to view it properly.
I love my classic phones, but even somethings can't be avoided like modernization. If the forum is looking to add younger generations to it's ranks, then it will need to update the site from time to time. My wife is convinced that no one other than me is under the age of 40 on this site. She's not even 30 herself. So, you can see why I'm making this point. My 14 year old nephew is into rotary phones now, but would skip over any site that doesn't allow him to upload an image on the fly. Because that's how long his attention span is now.

The extra steps required to upload images to this site is off putting. If you don't believe me, ask your kids.


First of all, it is NOT the fault of the forum this happens. Your smart phone does not have a quality camera in it. Smart phones have very low resolution cameras in them, and they save all images in the same format whether they are landscape of portrait. Don't believe me? View your SD card with a graphics viewer. ALL LANDSCAPE PHOTOS ON IT WILL VIEW SIDEWAYS. So, when you upload to the forum, you are uploading sideways photos. Period.

As I say, to correct this you need to download software designed to manipulate your photos. Yes there are free programs to do this for a MAC. The forum software here isn't unique to this site. The same software is used on thousands of sites. Perhaps, one day, it might include auto-detecting software that will detect image orientation. But now, it doesn't, and cannot do it. Dennis pays for the forum himself and cannot afford custom programming.

If taking the step of orienting your photos is too much for you, then you will have to put up with sideways photos, because I for one will no longer take the time to re-orient your photos.

Dave
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:58:55 PM
So my 8 megapixel smart phone camera is considered bad? You must have a serious SLR camera that makes a smart phone with 8 megapixels a real piece of trash. When I upload my shots to Nikon viewer, the crappy smart phone images appear... in portrait view.  :o

What a joke. Have fun flipping!

Technology is leaving you behind.

Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 06:07:13 PM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:58:55 PM
So my 8 megapixel smart phone camera is considered bad? You must have a serious SLR camera that makes a smart phone with 8 megapixels a real piece of trash. When I upload my shots to Nikon viewer, the crappy smart phone images appear... in portrait view.  :o

What a joke. Have fun flipping!

Technology is leaving you behind.


No, my camera is 18 megapixel. Don't be ignorant with me. I am just stating the facts. If you aren't willing to take the time to flip your photos, you will just have to put up with having them show sideways. The fact that you are using the Nikon viewer explains why you are seeing them oriented correctly, but view them in any other viewer, you will see them as they are - sideways. Hold your phone sideways when you take your photos and they will appear correctly without any changes.

Dave
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 06:10:56 PM
It's actually considered being rude.


Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: unbeldi on August 21, 2013, 06:47:55 PM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:08:28 PM
Also.. What program can I even use to do this flipping? I have a mac and can't find any software that allows me to flip and crop. Not to mention, trying to crop an image within the correct size adds to the frustration.

This is actually an operation for which the Mac these days is very user-friendly. You don't need any extra software. The Preview application is a rather nice image manipulation tool.  Just double-click on the image, and rotate it with Ctrl-R and Ctrl-L, or use the menu in the tool bar. Close the window and it saves automatically. While you're at it you might want to use the size tool and the color tool (see tool menu) to adjust the picture.
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: unbeldi on August 21, 2013, 06:59:12 PM
Quote from: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 06:07:13 PM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:58:55 PM
So my 8 megapixel smart phone camera is considered bad? You must have a serious SLR camera that makes a smart phone with 8 megapixels a real piece of trash. When I upload my shots to Nikon viewer, the crappy smart phone images appear... in portrait view.  :o

What a joke. Have fun flipping!

Technology is leaving you behind.



No, my camera is 18 megapixel. Don't be ignorant with me. I am just stating the facts. If you aren't willing to take the time to flip your photos, you will just have to put up with having them show sideways. The fact that you are using the Nikon viewer explains why you are seeing them oriented correctly, but view them in any other viewer, you will see them as they are - sideways. Hold your phone sideways when you take your photos and they will appear correctly without any changes.

Dave


The image size that a camera can capture has nothing to do with 'quality' per se. Almost any camera these days produces images of sufficient size.  Even the first digital cameras that I had almost 15 years ago, had sufficient size for forum display.
It is the optics and the CCD array where only the cheapest cell phones still lack.
Orientation may be handled differently from camera to camera, depending on software and image format applied.  Not all are capable of storing the orientation EXIF metadata that allows other software to automatically adjust to the correct orientation, so often it must be established by reading and rewriting the image. Whether this forum reads EXIF data, I doubt.
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 08:03:30 PM
Quote from: unbeldi on August 21, 2013, 06:59:12 PM
Quote from: DavePEI on August 21, 2013, 06:07:13 PM
Quote from: acolabrese on August 21, 2013, 05:58:55 PM
So my 8 megapixel smart phone camera is considered bad? You must have a serious SLR camera that makes a smart phone with 8 megapixels a real piece of trash. When I upload my shots to Nikon viewer, the crappy smart phone images appear... in portrait view.  :o

What a joke. Have fun flipping!

Technology is leaving you behind.



No, my camera is 18 megapixel. Don't be ignorant with me. I am just stating the facts. If you aren't willing to take the time to flip your photos, you will just have to put up with having them show sideways. The fact that you are using the Nikon viewer explains why you are seeing them oriented correctly, but view them in any other viewer, you will see them as they are - sideways. Hold your phone sideways when you take your photos and they will appear correctly without any changes.

Dave

The image size that a camera can capture has nothing to do with 'quality' per se. Almost any camera these days produces images of sufficient size.  Even the first digital cameras that I had almost 15 years ago, had sufficient size for forum display.
It is the optics and the CCD array where only the cheapest cell phones still lack.
Orientation may be handled differently from camera to camera, depending on software and image format applied.  Not all are capable of storing the orientation EXIF metadata that allows other software to automatically adjust to the correct orientation, so often it must be established by reading and rewriting the image. Whether this forum reads EXIF data, I doubt.

Actually, I am not talking size of the photo - I am talking the effective megapixels of the CMOS sensor. Lower megapixels give lower resolution, higher give higher resolution no matter what the finished size of the photo. But, what makes the biggest difference is the quality of the lens. A plastic lens as you will find in most smart phones will never equal the quality of a larger glass lense.

Note the poorer quality of most cell phone pics such as those taken with an Apple  iPhone 4. They cannot equal the quality of an DSLR. However, even more important is the quality of the on-board software. Smartphones are not made primarily as cameras - they do not too bad a job at quick photos, but can't rival the quality of an DSLR or even most fixed lens cameras.

But this is aside from the point. Even with an DSLR, you need to properly orient the photo before uploading it. Every different brand uses EXIF data differently.Warning to cell phone users - if you have GPS enabled on your camera, it will give your exact GPS coordinates when you took the photo. There are patches available which will disable this in most phones.

At any rate, you should also preview a photo before uploading it, whether taken with a smart phone, or with a DSLR. You can then orient it correctly, and size it to 1000 pixels or under so it doesn't chew up all the available photo space on the server. It only takes a minute, and it really isn't too much to ask people to do. That way, the photo will display exactly as you would like to see it. It also will blow up to a good size if you click on the thumbnail without taking an exorbitant amount of disk space.

There is free software available for Windows, Macs, and yes, even Linux to do this chore. You just have to care enough to take the time to download and install it.

Dave
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: Mr. Bones on August 21, 2013, 10:42:45 PM
     My iPud (sic)5 takes some very large, high-res pics, because I set it to, upon issue from my employer.

     I utilize a very ol' skool program, Paint Shop Pro 4.14., to crop, or at the least downsize to a respectful Forum level, in order to decrease the server bandwidth, and keep Mr Dennis able to provide us Phoneatics a happy home.

     There are many, more modern, and free programs available; if anybody is interested, I'll post some here. I'm sure that other members will chime in with their recommendations, as well...

      Best regards!

     
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: TelePlay on August 21, 2013, 11:00:11 PM
Quote from: Mr. Bones on August 21, 2013, 10:42:45 PMI utilize a very ol' skool program, Paint Shop Pro 4.14., to crop, or at the least downsize to a respectful Forum level, in order to decrease the server bandwidth, and keep Mr Dennis able to provide us Phoneatics a happy home. There are many, more modern, and free programs available; if anybody is interested, I'll post some here. I'm sure that other members will chime in with their recommendations, as well...

Mr. Bones: You piqued my curiosity. Ever hear of WebImage from Group 42 Software? I've been using it since I first started to program in HTML way back in 1995. Still use the software I downloaded back then even though it's still available in a newer version and it's still free and it's a quick and dirty way to do what you mentioned above.
Title: Re: Uploading Smart Phone images to the forum in non-landscape/horizontal view
Post by: twocvbloke on August 22, 2013, 06:42:43 AM
Most of my photos I take with my Galaxy S3 phone (which actually sets which way up I took the picture to how it is oriented when I come to take it off the phone, cos it is the smarter smartphone :D), and I always process them, a lot of which is cropping and resizing down to 1024x768 (with some occasional colour or brightness enhancement), mostly cos the phone takes pictures at 3264x2448 pixels and the files are often about 2-3MB in size, so I shove them through Paint Shop Pro 7 (ooh I feel so modern!! :D ), do the stuff, save and the filesize reduces massively while still retaining a good enough detail... :)

There's no excuse in the world for not processing your own digital photos, there's plenty of free image editors out there for all platforms(Windows, Linux mac, 'droid, ios, etc., dunno about blackberry though), even the preview thing in Windows can rotate pictures that are on their side, so it's easy to make pics look half-decent with about 2 minutes work before uploading them... :)