---
title: "Fix EXIF orientation in C#"
url: https://recursiveai.org/oneimage/cookbook/fix-exif-orientation/
description: "Phone photos come out sideways in C# because the EXIF orientation tag isn’t applied. Load them upright, save them upright, and what the eight orientation values mean. Runnable code with OneImage."
version: "1.10.4"
---

# Fix EXIF orientation in C#

Phones often store a photo’s pixels sideways and record how to turn them in the EXIF orientation tag. Viewers and browsers apply the tag, so the photo looks right until your code resizes or re-saves it without applying it. With OneImage, `Image.Load` applies the tag, so the image is upright from the start and `Save` writes it upright. The program below uses a public test photo stored sideways.

```shell
dotnet new console -o ExifOrientation && cd ExifOrientation
dotnet add package RecursiveAI.OneImage --version 1.10.4
repo=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/recurser/exif-orientation-examples
curl -L -o phone.jpg $repo/master/Portrait_6.jpg
```

OneImage needs the .NET 10 SDK. Put this in `Program.cs` and run `dotnet run`:

```csharp
using OneImage;

// Identify reads the headers: the size as stored, and the tag.
ImageInfo stored = Image.Identify("phone.jpg");
Console.WriteLine($"stored:   {stored.Width}x{stored.Height}, "
                + $"orientation {stored.Metadata.Orientation}");

// Load applies the tag, so the image is upright from here on.
Image photo = Image.Load("phone.jpg");
Console.WriteLine($"loaded:   {photo.Width}x{photo.Height}, "
                + $"orientation {photo.Metadata.Orientation}");

// Save writes upright pixels and orientation 1, so no viewer turns it twice.
photo.Save("upright.jpg");
ImageInfo saved = Image.Identify("upright.jpg");
Console.WriteLine($"saved:    {saved.Width}x{saved.Height}, "
                + $"orientation {saved.Metadata.Orientation}");
```

```text
stored:   1800x1200, orientation 6
loaded:   1200x1800, orientation 1
saved:    1200x1800, orientation 1
```

`Width`, `Height`, crops and resizes all work in upright coordinates, which is also how a browser shows the photo, so crop rectangles picked in a web page line up. The rest of the EXIF block (camera, date, GPS) is kept. `Image.Identify` is the exception: it reads only the headers and reports the size as stored.

## What the eight values mean

Orientation is EXIF tag 274 (`0x0112`), defined in the [Exif standard](https://www.cipa.jp/std/documents/e/DC-X008-Translation-2019-E.pdf) (CIPA DC-X008):

| Value | To show the stored pixels upright |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing |
| 2 | Flip horizontally |
| 3 | Rotate 180° |
| 4 | Flip vertically |
| 5 | Transpose (swap rows and columns) |
| 6 | Rotate 90° clockwise |
| 7 | Transverse (swap across the other diagonal) |
| 8 | Rotate 90° counterclockwise |

Values 5 to 8 swap width and height. OneImage handles all eight.

## Keep the stored layout

To compare files or pass pixels on untouched, turn auto-orientation off and apply it later yourself:

```csharp
using OneImage;

Image stored = Image.Load("phone.jpg", new LoadOptions { AutoOrient = false });
Console.WriteLine($"{stored.Width}x{stored.Height}, "
                + $"orientation {stored.Metadata.Orientation}");

Image upright = stored.AutoOrient();
Console.WriteLine($"{upright.Width}x{upright.Height}, "
                + $"orientation {upright.Metadata.Orientation}");
```

```text
1800x1200, orientation 6
1200x1800, orientation 1
```

If the orientation comes from somewhere else, such as a database column, `Orient(6)` applies a given value.

## Limits

- **Re-saving a JPEG re-encodes it.** Fixing orientation on disk costs a little quality; skip files whose `Image.Identify(path).Metadata.Orientation` is already 1.
- **GPS stays.** Upright doesn’t mean private: [remove the metadata](https://recursiveai.org/oneimage/cookbook/remove-exif-metadata/) before publishing, or use [`Image.Thumbnail`](https://recursiveai.org/oneimage/cookbook/create-thumbnail/), which does both.
- **Coming from ImageSharp?** Remove your `AutoOrient()` calls; `Load` already applies the tag. See the [migration guide](https://recursiveai.org/oneimage/articles/migrate-from-imagesharp/).

To read the other EXIF fields, see [Read EXIF data](https://recursiveai.org/oneimage/cookbook/read-exif-data/). Metadata handling is in the [guide](https://recursiveai.org/oneimage/docs/guide/#metadata).