Avoiding loss of quality when rotating images?

[Deep Days]

When I rotate my camera 90 degrees to get a "long" shot, I need to rotate the images on the computer to get them to come out straight. Whenever I do this, there is a SIGNIFICANT dulling of the image.

How do I avoid this? Is there a way to rotate without corrupting the image? Or do I have to find a way to get the images to rotate themselves before being uploaded? Is it a function of the type of storage (I have SD, I believe)?

The info would be much appreciated.

[pechelman]

um
how are you rotating the image?

ive never had this trouble
this sounds more like an issue that its rotating, but changing the aspect ratio or picture resolution.

[mtbakerskier]

When I rotate my camera 90 degrees to get a "long" shot, I need to rotate the images on the computer to get them to come out straight. Whenever I do this, there is a SIGNIFICANT dulling of the image.

How do I avoid this? Is there a way to rotate without corrupting the image? Or do I have to find a way to get the images to rotate themselves before being uploaded? Is it a function of the type of storage (I have SD, I believe)?

The info would be much appreciated.

My best guess is that your using the digital zoom portion of your cameras zoom, or you have the resolution set VERY LOW.

[Tippster]

For a really cheap viewer (that lest's you do some light photo-editing) I would recommend Irfanview - it's free. When you view the image just hi L or R and it rotates it - no loss of rez whatsoever.

What resolution is your monitor set on? You only have 3/4 of the pixels vertically.... so if it's set to 800x600 you only get 450x600 when you view it vertically...

[Deep Days]

I'm using Windows Office Picture Manager to rotate the images. Good for cropping, adjusting saturation, etc. I have my pictures CRANKED on resolution: 2592x1944. And I have digital zoom turned off to avoid loss of quality (12x optical is plenty IMO). Squatch and I agree it's a problem with the process AFTER uploading--i.e., a software problem, not a camera problem.

Tippster may have it right. I'm not sure what my resolution is on the monitor. Squatch just came and watched me rotate an image to confirm that I'm not crazy: there is definitely a loss in quality (by about 1/3, so what Tipp is saying makes sense).

I'll check out Irfanview. Thanks, Tippster.

[Benny Profane]

There is no degradation of image quality after a 90 degree or 180 degree rotation. None. Only scaling, or "off axis" rotations degrade quality.

Widows Office Manager? C'mon, try to get a copy of Photoshop, or at least, that cheaper version, Elements.

[Shepherd Wong]

The Gimp also does a good job of image manipulation and you can officially get it for free.

[Squatch]

Tippster may have it right. I'm not sure what my resolution is on the monitor. Squatch just came and watched me rotate an image to confirm that I'm not crazy: there is definitely a loss in quality (by about 1/3, so what Tipp is saying makes sense).

No.



I don't know if you noticed what I did, but I purposefully set the zoom on the viewer at the same level so I could make a comparison. Thus, the effective resolution is maintained for both aspects.

Even my mom is not this suggestible. What you are seeing is something along the lines of a 5% loss of quality. It has nothing to do with viewing it on a reduced resolution, because that's not happening. Instead, the software is using some formula that reduces image sharpness when it rotates it. I don't know why it does this, but at the same time I also don't know anyone who gives a shit who uses Office Picture Manager, either.

[summit]

You need software that performs a LOSSLESS JPEG TRANSFORM

Programs like Photoshop, Picassa, and ACDSee can do this.

ACDSee is excellent for batch lossless rotations using EXIF data (your camera records camera orientation in EXIF data and the software uses that to automatically rotate pictures that need it) and it is easy to do on a whole directory.

Your included Canon Zoombrowser EX should be able to do this.

ETA cheap software like that windows crapfest performs lossy transforms... easier algorithms and less processor time

And the term you are looking for is "VERTICAL COMPOSITION"

[pechelman]

2nd the acdsee reccomendation

let me know if you need the filz and a hax0r
i might still have it layin around