IOS5 & "+" button = Upside-Down Pictures?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3144070

by algoshift • 15 years ago

1 2 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Before you could use the "Volume +" button to take pictures it was probably accepted fact that you had to have the home button on the right when taking landscape shots.

Now that the "+" button is available it seems that most people would instinctively want it on the upper-right when taking pictures. This leads to a problem in that the shots end-up upside-down when emailed or when viewed on most computers.

Why didn't Apple put in an option (or do it by default) to rotate the images and achieve the correct orientation? Maybe there's something fundamental I am missing here. It just doesn't seem like a sensible way to this to work. I personally like the mechanical shutter button option, but now having to ensure that every single shot is oriented correctly isn't a lot of fun.

I've seen reports of video showing up upside-down, however I have not experienced this (only tested on the 4S).

rachelbythebay• 15 years ago

It seems like it would be nice if viewers stopped ignoring the EXIF orientation data. It's becoming more and more important.

Or hey, where there's pain, there's opportunity. You could create a tiny little photo app which uses jpegtran to flip things around so non-EXIF-clued readers can open it and still see the right thing.

algoshift• 15 years ago

I guess I am interpreting things differently. On learning that the "+" button is now used as the camera shutter button and that a number of people where having trouble with it I decided to run a little experiment.

I gave the phone to about a dozen people and, after explaining that they could press "+" to take a shot, asked them to do so. I did not suggest an orientation and went out of my way to not telegraph how they had to hold the phone.

Every single person placed the "+" button on the upper-right. And, every single one of those shots would display upside-down if you emailed it to someone right from the phone (and if viewed through other means).

My thinking is that the device is intelligent enough to know the orientation. There is no reason whatsoever for the image to be stored upside-down. OK, there's one reason: That's what the user wants. That unusual case ought to be covered with a suitable option. Otherwise the phone should always use the available sensors to store the image using the correct orientation.

Furthermore, and perhaps more fundamental than anything else: Why don't they allow the user to define where "up" is for each orientation. There really is no reason whatsoever to have a "mothership" impose this upon all users. This holds particularly true if you believe in that EXIF will save the world. If we take that as the truth, then let me define "up" as I wish and life is good.

The reason this came to the surface is that we were studying the design of an accessory where it would be desirable to have "up" be landscape with the "+" button on the upper-right. The fact that images end-up upside-down is making things a little less than ideal.