Details
Almost all images contain some kind of EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) metadata. The information stored within this metadata can be something as simple as the image filetype (so that apps know how to display it), or as complex and detailed as the name of the person who took the photo, the model of camera or phone used, the lens settings (such as ISO, aperture, shutter speed), the geolocation (GPS coordinates) of the photo, as well as the orientation of the photo.
If this data is incorrect or corrupted, some image viewers will interpret the photo incorrectly. One of the more common corruptions we see relates to the orientation setting.
If you've ever had a photo on your phone that shows up as 'portrait' when you're holding your phone in 'landscape' mode - and then when you turn your phone 90 degrees to portrait, the photo again turns to be incorrect... that's due to incorrect orientation information saved in the EXIF metadata. Essentially, the photo was taken as landscape, but is marked in the data as being portrait - thus causing it to display 90 degrees out from the correct orientation.
The same can happen when including an image (with incorrect or corrupt EXIF data) in an email. It may look fine in the email editor when you insert the image - but upon sending your email, the email client used to view the email may display the image in the incorrect orientation. Or the reverse may be true - it appears incorrectly in our email editor, but not when sent.
Thankfully, this can be fixed by stripping the image of its EXIF data. If you have an image which is behaving in this manner, follow the guide below.
How-to Guide
- Remove the image from your email and also from the Files & Images manager.
- Visit an EXIF data remover website - you can Google search this, or try the VEREXIF website.
- Once on the third party website, upload your image and use the tools provided to remove the EXIF data.
- Download your fixed image from the website back to your computer.
- Add your new image back into your email design.
- Save the message & try another test send.
If these steps don't correct the issue, you can also try opening the image in an editor (such as Microsoft Paint or similar) and adjusting the rotation there. If the image already appears the correct way around when opening it in Paint, just save it and the rotation will be correct in the saved version.