Distorted portrait orientation images

Imagery, data, and integrations
1

Hello everyone.
I just started using Mapillary recently, with the main intention to improve hiking trails in OSM.

During a recent hike, I took some pictures in portrait orientation with my phone.
I uploaded them afterwards, using the Mapillary Uploader.
All of them got weirdly distorted.

Here are two examples:

In the preview here, and also when I download the image again from Mapillary, they are just normal portrait orientation photos.

I know that the Android App just does not support portrait images at all. Should I just stop uploading portrait orientation images?

And as a follow-up question. Is there a method to manually turn these single pictures into the right direction?

Thank you!

2

Good question - yes, portrait images aren’t really supported. Generally landscape is better because it captures more of what’s around you and less of the ground and the sky. Ideally you should capture with the Mapillary mobile app which will generate whole sequences of captures so users can see the whole trail in addition to individual photos.

2 Likes
3

Thank you for your answer!
This hike I tracked was more of a mountaineering activity, so most of the sequence would have been the phone looking straight at some stones while I am climbing up and down the mountain. Also, because it is so steep, I could actually capture more of the track using the portrait orientation photo.
But I will try to get a better hiking setup for my phone, to improve the sequence making for future hikes.

And is there a recommendation for my second question?
A way to direct single pictures towards a specific direction?

4

Thanks! There is no way to manually direct pictures towards a specific direction, but if you shoot things as a sequence, Mapillary is meant to figure out the direction automatically based on a technique called structure from motion. In practice there are some bugs there that the team is currently looking into.

1 Like
5

@boris
Would you please confirm that specific directions are not able to be set? I use the mapillary_tools CLI that sources its GPS info from an NMEA file without using direction interpolate, eg

2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: verbose: True
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: import_path: /mybook/mupload/20230814WB/process
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: skip_subfolders: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: skip_process_errors: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: filetypes: gopro, image, camm, video, blackvue
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: overwrite_all_EXIF_tags: True
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: overwrite_EXIF_time_tag: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: overwrite_EXIF_gps_tag: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,583 - DEBUG - CLI param: overwrite_EXIF_direction_tag: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: overwrite_EXIF_orientation_tag: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: device_make: Logitech
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: device_model: C300
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: add_file_name: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: add_import_date: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: geotag_source: nmea
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: geotag_source_path: /home/user/Action Active/Nomad/GPS Tracks/20230814.nmea
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: interpolation_use_gpx_start_time: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: interpolation_offset_time: 0.0
2023-08-14 12:01:33,584 - DEBUG - CLI param: offset_angle: 225.0
2023-08-14 12:01:33,585 - DEBUG - CLI param: offset_time: 0.0
2023-08-14 12:01:33,585 - DEBUG - CLI param: cutoff_distance: 50.0
2023-08-14 12:01:33,585 - DEBUG - CLI param: cutoff_time: 180.0
2023-08-14 12:01:33,585 - DEBUG - CLI param: interpolate_directions: False
2023-08-14 12:01:33,585 - DEBUG - CLI param: duplicate_distance: 0.25
2023-08-14 12:01:33,585 - DEBUG - CLI param: duplicate_angle: 90.0

(It is also looking left rear of track)

It seems to work fine with the camera view direction always correct, including the first (which seems to get messed up when using interpolate)

My tools version is a little dated so am concerned. Cheers

6

I found a solution for my issue with single pictures.
Using the Camera App Open Camera on Android, there is an option to store the compass direction as Exif Tag Exif.GPSInfo.GPSImgDirection in the pictures.
This tag is used by Mapillary to display the correct direction of the pictures.

7

Super, great. Yes, I should have said that we don’t have UI for this, but glad you got it going!