When importing images into the Folio Albums Online Designer, sometimes photos taken using a digital camera or a mobile phone appear upside down or rotated incorrectly. This can be confusing, especially when the files look perfectly normal on your computer. This help guide explains why this happens and what you can do to fix it.
Why Images Import Upside Down
Most cameras and smartphones don’t actually rotate the pixel data in a photo when you hold the device in different orientations. Instead, they record an EXIF Orientation Tag, which simply tells image-viewing software which way is “up.”
Many applications (including Mac Preview, Windows Photos, and mobile galleries) automatically read this tag and display the image the right way up, even though the underlying image data may actually be sideways or upside down.
The Folio Albums Designer does not interpret or adjust this EXIF orientation. It displays the image exactly as its pixel data is stored. So if the EXIF tag says “rotate this to look correct,” the Designer cannot read that and shows the original stored orientation.
How to Fix It
To correct the issue, the image must be manually rotated before uploading it to the Folio Albums Designer.
Open the photo in an image-editing program such as Photoshop, Lightroom, or Affinity by Canva, rotate the image until it is the correct orientation to allow the pixel data to be physically updated (not just the EXIF orientation tag), then save it as a new file with a new name.
Important: Even if the image opens in the correct orientation, you must still perform the full rotation and save steps as outlined above.
Once saved, return to your project, import the newly rotated version, and place it back into your design.
