Why is my image/video rotated?

Introduction

If you have uploaded an image or a video and found it looks rotated, and not the way up your were expecting, this article will help explain why and what you can do to correct it.

Why is my image/video the wrong way up?

When you take a photo, or record video, on a modern device, such as digital camera or mobile phone, it also records information about which way up it should be displayed. On a more technical level, the image or video file will contain metadata, that includes orientation data.  

However, Nimble Author does not currently support orientation data, with the result that the image or video you upload may appear rotated from what you were expecting.

This can be particularly noticeable with something shot in portrait mode, which are typically stored as landscape format. As a result, when these are uploaded to Nimble they can also appear as landscape format.

What can I do to correct this?

Essentially, you will need to explicitly rotate your file, and re-save it, before uploading to Nimble Author.

What this will do is create a version of the image or video that has the correct way up 'baked in' to it, without relying on orientation data to tell it which way up is should be displayed. 

How do I create a rotated version of my file?

Rotating an image file

You will need an image editor,  so below are some suggestions, including some free and online tools you can use. 

Jpeg rotator (online tool, free) - 'World's simplest jpg tool'. A basic tool that lets you upload a jpg, rotate it and save it.  Use it here: https://onlinejpgtools.com/rotate-jpg

Irfanview - (software, free) -  A simple image viewer that lets you do basic image editing, including rotating an image.  Get it here: https://www.irfanview.com/

Sumopaint (online tool, free) - A comprehensive image editor, a bit like Photoshop, that you can use in your web browser. Use it here https://sumo.app/paint

Photopea (online tool, free) - Another comprehensive image editor, a bit like Photoshop, that you can use in your web browser. Use it here: https://www.photopea.com

GIMP (software, free) - 'GNU Image Manipulation Program'. A popular, open source, image editor, offering similar features to Photoshop. Get it here: https://www.gimp.org/

Adobe Photoshop (software, commercial) - Probably the most well know, 'industry standard' image editing tool. More info here: https://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop.html

Using your chosen image editor:

1. Load or upload your image.
2. Find the 'rotate' tool - in a lot of editors, this is typically found under 'Image' > 'Rotate'
3. Choose the amount of rotation, usually this will be in increments of 90 degrees,  so  -90, 90, 180, 270, etc. Alternatively you may get the option to rotate left/right, or clockwise/anticlockwise.
4. When you're happy with the orientation of your image, save/export it  (or download it if you're using an online tool).  You may want to consider giving this file a new name, e.g. '[original filename]-rotated', rather than overwriting your original file, which you may want to keep.
5. Upload your newly saved image to Nimble Author.

Rotating a video file

Rotating video is a little more involved than rotating images, but the good news is that there are free tools available to help you do it.

Here is a step by step guide on how to rotate and save a video using the free video editor, Handbrake (available on Windows, Mac, and Linux):  

How to Rotate a Video in Handbrake (And Save It) - https://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editing/rotate-video-handbrake.html.