Image with both Orientation and Rotation tags

[paolobenve]

Hi! I have a group of images shot with Nikon COOLPIX AW100, and they have both Orientation and Rotation tags:

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$ exiftool /home/my/foto.jpg |grep "Rotation\|Orienta\|Image Size"
Rotation                        : Rotate 90 CW
Orientation                     : Rotate 90 CW
Image Size                      : 2112x2816

The Image Size tag refers to a portrait (not landscape) image, and the phisical image is actually in portrait format

I think that nobody has modified the exif tags.

Is it a "normal" situation?

How should my photo app interpret this situation in order to correcly (landascape/portrait) show the image? apply both transformation? privilege one?

[Phil Harvey]

It would be very useful to know where these tags were located.  Add -G1 to the command to see this.  Also, adding -a is a good idea.

You'll have to read the Exif specification to see what the guidance is on on the Exif Orientation and image sizes.

I suspect that Rotation is a maker note tag, which you should probably ignore.

- Phil

[StarGeek]

Phil is correct about Rotation

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C:\>exiftool -G1 -a -s -Rotation -Orientation -*size* "Y:\!temp\x\Confirmaciones 2010-09-05--11.28.47.jpg"
[Panasonic]     Rotation                        : Rotate 90 CW
[IFD1]          Orientation                     : Rotate 90 CW
[System]        FileSize                        : 2.5 MB
[Composite]     ImageSize                       : 2112x2816
That said, I would say that the image has almost been certainly rotated, but whatever program did the rotation did not update the Orientation tag. I have never seen a direct from camera image that was already in portrait orientation. Images are always in landscape relying upon the EXIF:Orientation tag to be rotated upon viewing.

The Panasonic:Rotation would almost certainly wouldn't have been changed even with a program that properly rotates an image and updates the EXIF:Orientation, as there aren't really any programs beside exiftool that would change the MakerNotes.

Oh, wait a second. Orientation is in IFD1. Data there usually is what applies to the thumbnail image.  Orientation for the main image should be in IFD0. To add to the fun, the extracted thumbnail has also been rotated.

The best I can point you to is how Adobe Bridge (and I assume other Adobe programs) handles it. It ignores the Panasonic:Rotation, which would be expected, and also ignores the Orientation when it is in IDF1.  It only changes the rotation when it is in IDF0:Orientation.