How To Rotate a Video - step-by-step

[sls3nyc]

- Open a video in the VLC player
- Go to VLC > Preferences
- When the Pref window opens, click the button marked "All" instead of "Basic"
- Go to Video > Filters > Transformation
- In the Transformation drop-down, select the degree of rotation. If the video is sideways, then select "270 degrees"
- Click save.
- With the video open, go to "Window" > Extended Controls.
- In the EX popup, select "Video Filter" from the drop down. Then check "Transformation".
- The video will close.
- Re-open the video file. It should be rotated. If it's not rotated correctly, go back to Preferences and adjust the degree of rotation.

[jademonki]

this seems to work only if the playback of new file is using VLC.

I've been having this problem and have been working on a solution for a good two hours now and also have read the forums here so I apologize if I missed something but making it clear that I have tried to find the answer ;

I received an mp4 video that is sideways when played back. I follow the steps below and sure it's fixed for my playback but I want to save this version and email it to someone using something other than VLC or maybe they have VLC but have not made the changes below like I did. I would like this to playback in the saved orientation.

I've used STREAM and the video is exactly how I want when played from the playlist. I can successfully change the bitrate etc... no problems there. It seems no matter what I do the new orientation is not written back to the new file.

Is there maybe a manual setting I can enter here for orientation ? ((:sout=#transcode{vcodec=h264,vb=305,scale=1,acodec=mp4a,ab=128,channels=2,samplerate=22050}:file{dst=C:\\Users\\Chuck\\Desktop\\wolverine3.mp4} :no-sout-rtp-sap :no-sout-standard-sap :sout-keep))

or is this not necessary? I would appreciate any help or pointing me to a final solution.

thanks again for a great program ... I love the slo-mo features !!!

[Soozie]

I am a newbie to forums as well as VLC. I have followed the step by step instructions to #5 (Click save). After that I am lost. Should I play the video and while it is playing somehow find extended controls by right clicking in the open window? Would appreciate more detailed explanation in the last four steps if someone can possibly provide this.

[adjuvantjfoster]

- Open a video in the VLC player
- Go to VLC > Preferences
- When the Pref window opens, click the button marked "All" instead of "Basic"
- Go to Video > Filters > Transformation
- In the Transformation drop-down, select the degree of rotation. If the video is sideways, then select "270 degrees"
- Click save.
- With the video open, go to "Window" > Extended Controls.
- In the EX popup, select "Video Filter" from the drop down. Then check "Transformation".
- The video will close.
- Re-open the video file. It should be rotated. If it's not rotated correctly, go back to Preferences and adjust the degree of rotation.

This works but it is a step that will drive most users of VLC crazy to have to take that step.

Since this thread has been read by 2734 viewers, maybe it is time this "issue", actually a bug, was addressed.

VLC is not using Apple iPhone 4S orientation info

Steps to repeat bug to demonstrate this issue:

1)Take video with iPhone 4S mounted in landscape position on a tripod holder. This positions the home button on the left and the volume control buttons on the top right facing the view screen
2)Open CameraRoll and use iPhoto to download videos from the iPhone 4S to a MacBook Pro running latest Lion.(iMovie is a much slower download than iPhoto)
3) Verify that the downloaded files play correctly in iPhoto i.e. they play right side up, in landscape.
4)Drag the video file from iPhoto to the Finder desktop and verify that the video plays correctly with QuickTime Player, i.e. right side up.
5) Use VLC Mac latest version to open the video file on the finder desktop. Notice, (with some concern) that VLC plays the file upside down.
6) Use Plex Laika to open the Finder file and notice that Laika also plays the file upside down
7) Add the video file to Plex server and notice that it plays upside down on another, older MacBook pro running Snow Leopard

Question: How come both VLC and Plex play this file upside down?

More information as follows:
1) Apple's Image Capture app ( installed by Lion in Applications folder) also works in moving files to a Finder folder from Camera Roll.
2) Apple apps all rotate the resultant iPhone 4S appropriately for videos taken with Home button up, down, on right of on left. (thumb nail images do not have any defects)
3) VLC and Plex with Home Button on left (so the sound buttons are on top right) puts the image up side down on the Mac.
4) With home button on right, the image is correctly oriented on the Macn
5) With home button up, the left side of the image is on the top side of the Mac screen
6) With home button down, the left side of the image is on the bottom of the Mac screen 0  

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Question: How come both VLC and Plex play this file upside down?

Because iOS uses an undocumented flag in mp4 to explain the rotation they use. Moreover, we don't have the API to do that from the demuxer level.

[adjuvantjfoster]

Movies normally DO have exif tags that Apple and Adobe look at correctly, while VLC does not. See that for yourself with iPhone 4S video files you make with four possible orientations of the iPhone 4S home button.

This situations is explained on the web page:

impulseadventure.com/photo/exif-orientation.html

I have put 4 file, each taken with a different position of the home button of the iPhone 4S into DropBox.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7584570/IMG_0061.MOV.zip

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7584570/IMG_0062.MOV.zip

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7584570/IMG_0063.MOV.zip

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7584570/IMG_0064.MOV.zip


In DropBox is one zipped archive IMG_0064.mov, with a posit note showing the iPhone4 orientation, which shows right side up with Apple QuickTime Player but shows upside down with VLC because VLC does not look at these exif flags. The file looks right side up in the thumbnail.

0061 and 0062 are rotated 90 degrees, one clockwise, the other counterclockwise by VLC

0063 is shown by VLC correctly

Most high end video cameras certainly have exif tags, So does the iPhone 4S

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Those aren't exif, but a mp4 flag, that we don't read. Nothing new here.

[nevereven]

It seems that every release, the user interface changes so drastically that all the wonderful old walkthroughs become meaningless exercises in frustration.

I'm trying to fix a video taken of my grandmother a few days before she died. It was taken with an iPhone and needs to be rotated clockwise 90 degrees. I'm on the current verion of VLC for windows, 1.1.11

- Open a video in the VLC player
- Go to VLC > Preferences

- Go to Tools > Preferences or press Alt-P

- When the Pref window opens, click the button marked "All" instead of "Basic"

This is under show settings in the bottom left.

- Go to Video > Filters > Transformation

- Expand Videos and then Filters. Choose Transformation.

- In the Transformation drop-down, select the degree of rotation. If the video is sideways, then select "270 degrees"

Is this clockwise or counter clock wise? I think it's counter (anti-) clockwise. Wouldn't be hard to put one more word in there.

- Click save.
- With the video open, go to "Window" > Extended Controls.

Lost me here but I finally figured it out.
Open your video and pause it.
Go to Tools > Effects & Filters
which will open a pop-up called Adjustments & Effects (why not Effects & Filters?)

- In the EX popup, select "Video Filter" from the drop down. Then check "Transformation".

What is the EX popup?
In the "Adjustments & Effects" pop-up choose the "Video Effects" tab and then the Basic tab (which should be the default).
Check the transformation check box
Choose the same rotation you did previously.

- The video will close.

you need to press close button. Use Media > open file to re-open the file

- Re-open the video file. It should be rotated. If it's not rotated correctly, go back to Preferences and adjust the degree of rotation.

[/quote]
It is rotated correctly, BUT IT DIDN"T MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE FILE!
If I quit VLC and re-open the video it is back to where it was.
If I just wanted to watch the video rotated I'd set my laptop/screen on its side.

[bigneet49]

Aarrgf! This is so frustrating..I love VLC but they have GOT to have a way to SAVE A ROTATED VIDEO!!
Makes no sense and i've tried everything...I want to upload it to my facebook so I can show off my greatgrandbaby and
nobody will want to look at this video sideways! Aarrgf!

I've read all solutions and just like everyone else says, there seems to be NO WAY to save it.
HAS ANYBODY FIGURED IT OUT OR FOUND A SOLUTION??
Thanks
bigneet

[CCCP_dk]

I have worked it out this way:

1) Open the iphone generated upsidedown .mov file in Quicktime
2) export it from quicktime (I used the 1080p option, not one of the 'mac' or 'iphone' compatible options), saving it with a filename example.mov
3) Import example.mov into VLMC

It worked for me. I have a macbook ios 10.7.2

[TooTexas]

Not sure if this helps anyone, but I got stuck on it. When they say save. There is an arrow button the the right. Click it and you'll see save, and CONVERT. This is what you want. Select it and it will prompt you for a file name. The movie will convert (slowly) and you'll have it correct assuming you were able to follow the steps above on how to rotate.

[Hesadanza]

So there is no way for VLC to read the orientation mp4 flag that iOS uses? That's kinda of a bummer, if it's true.

[Henrik80]

So iOS might be using some undocumented flag in mp4 to explain the rotation they use.

But Android to?

I have a Galaxy Nexus that runs Android 4.0.2 and videos from that has the same problem.
Play it on the phone or on a mac (just tried there quick view) and it knows what way to turn the movie.
But VLC do not.

So of videos from both Android and iOS devices have this problem. Then there must be something that can be done.

Also why not ALSO add the rotate option in somethink like Right click the video -> And under Video have an rotate option?

[fkuehne]

This is no undocumented flag. It's just that VLC didn't support this flag until recently. We added support for this in the current development versions, so these files will be playing nicely (finally!) in the next major release of VLC (2.1 or something).

[pitman44]

I have VLC 2.0 and I'm trying to rotate an mp4 video. I've done the following steps:

Tools/Effect & Filters
Select the Video Effects Tab
Click Transform and select Rotate by 180 degrees
Tools/Preferences - Click on the All radio button in the lower left hand corner
Select Video/Filters/Transformation
Select Rotate by 180 degrees from the drop down box

Then to convert I go to:
Media/Convert-Save
Add a file
Click the down arrow by the Convert/Save button
Select Convert from the drop down menu
Select a Destination File
Click start.

The destination file is created, but it's upside down as is the original. Seems like I must be missing something here. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[CaptainJustice]

I use MPEG Streamclip to ACTUALLY rotate videos.

[tran]

These were the exact steps I was enable to reproduce and save in VLC media player 2.0.1 Twoflower version:

Open VLC Media player
From Media Menu – Open File
From Tools Menu – select Effects and Filters – Ctrl E
Then the Window of Adjustment and Effects opens - Select Video Effects Tab – Select Geometry Tab (within the Video Effects Tab) - Click Transform check box, select a Rotation degree from the list. Then Click a Rotate check box.

To save this new file – from Media Menu – Convert/Save to file location.

Best,

[RichieBeirach]

I have the same problem, to rotate with 2.0.3
I've tried several things :
like to put
:transform-type='90' in the place provided for, when saving, but unsuccessfully

so i tried in command line (here, only in viewing for test, there is no "sout")
"c:\Program Files (x86)\adslTV\Vlc old\vlc.exe" --vout-filter=transform --transform-type=90 IMG_0541.avi

and it works but with old VLC 0.86 version !!!
not in VLC 2.0.x

so ? I don't understand
Thanks

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Try --video-filter

[RichieBeirach]

Try --video-filter

great ! thanks

[RichieBeirach]

Try --video-filter

hum....

"c:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" --video-filter=transform --transform-type=HereYouCanPutAnythingItUsesTheLastTransformation IMG_0541.avi

[RichieBeirach]

please is it possible to have an example of syntax
for un output file (with any codec), to understand how it works
il would be nice
after I will manage myself

vlc.exe --video-filter=transform --transform-type=270 IMG_0541.avi --sout=OUTPUT_FILE

thank you

[Logicwax]

This is no undocumented flag. It's just that VLC didn't support this flag until recently. We added support for this in the current development versions, so these files will be playing nicely (finally!) in the next major release of VLC (2.1 or something).

I just downloaded vlc-2.1.0-20121016-0403 from the nightlies, for Windows x64, and ran it on my windows7 64-bit machine. I played a few vertical-orientation videos taken with my iPhone5, and sure enough VLC still played them horizontal (while Quicktime rotated them).

Is there an option in settings that needs to be enabled for VLC to automatically rotate?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No.

[Logicwax]

No.

So does this mean the feature hasn't been implemented? or there needs to be more active testing of it?