[Feature request] Composite Tag for Unified Image Orientation (EXIF + QuickTime) #413
Replies: 3 comments 2 replies
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I think the consensus was that the interpretation of orientation is different for different image applications, so I don't think it is possible to have a universal orientation value as you suggest.
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I don't agree. It is possible, image formats follow ISO standards which tell exactly which orientation a compliant renderer should use and which to ignore. Different formats store orientation in different ways, that's exactly why users and applications get confused and end up using the wrong one by mistake, a universal value would only help, so they don't need to go read ISO standards just to get the correct orientation information out of an image. This feature is not about guessing which orientation a non compliant application might have thought was the correct one to use, that of course is impossible as you say. The point is giving users the orientation a compliant renderer will display the image at, that is absolutely possible |
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I see. Can you suggest the exact logic that this tag would employ, and a name for this new tag?
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For the exact logic you need to read the standards, which unfortunately are really expensive to get but you can find the relevant part of it quoted here: AOMediaCodec/libavif#3078 (comment) What I did to be 100% sure this quote is true was creating "ambiguous" orientation images on purpose, for example: So the logic should be: if it's an heif based image -> ignore exif orientation, use QuickTime, irot/imir Choose whatever name you want, I personally only needed this feature to fix immich ASAP, but now that immich is fixed I have no interest in this feature anymore |
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So we can close this? It seems you are only interested in JPG and HEIF images anyway, and this would only be a small part of a "universal" orientation tag since ExifTool supports many other image and video formats.
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Introduce a new composite tag in ExifTool that provides a normalized, universal orientation value by combining Exif:Orientation and QuickTime:Rotation / QuickTime:Mirror. This would simplify workflows where users need a single, consistent interpretation of an asset’s display orientation regardless of file format.
Users working with mixed image formats, like AVIF, HEIF, JPEG must manually interpret and reconcile these tags to determine the effective display orientation. This adds complexity and increases the risk of incorrect handling.
A unified composite orientation tag would significantly improve usability and reduce ambiguity when working with mixed-format media. This enhancement aligns well with ExifTool’s goal of abstracting metadata complexity into accessible, user-friendly outputs.
The text above is AI generated cause I didn't want to waste time writing it, but the AI actually made some good points. The reason I ask for this feature is actually because I want this issue fixed: immich-app/immich#27820
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