Problems Uploading ID Photo

[jspittler]

When I try to upload my ID photo, I get a popup with the message:

"Only pictures may be uploaded"

The image I am trying to upload is saved as a .jpg image, has a file size of 29 kB, and is dimensioned at 427 x 640 (1.5" high by 1" wide proportions).  Interestingly, when I saved the image as a .bmp, with a size of 800 kB, it was accepted.  (I subsequently deleted it since the file size was too big.)  When I resized my image so that a bmp occupied only 30 kB, the image dimensions were only 85 x 128.

I suppose that 85 x 128 may be OK for such a small printed image, but it is frustrating that the CAP is so messed up on this:

1. The photo guidelines specify an aspect ratio of 1" x 1.25"... which is apparently wrong.  (From what I can gather it needs to be 1" x 1.5")

2. When you upload it, it forces the image to an aspect ratio of 1" x 1.33".  So if you use this as a sanity check, the image looks squished if you uploaded an image at 1" x 1.5".

3. The CAP doesn't even MENTION image resolution, which would appear to be an important specification... the specs must have been developed by someone more accustomed to film images or something.

Does anybody have a REAL set of specs for the uploaded images?  I would prefer to upload the highest quality, largest size image that CAP will accept, and of coarse at the proper aspect ratio.

If anybody has the details of this thing all figured out, I would appreciate a data dump.  Thanks.

[afgeo4]

I gave up on the whole Picture ID thing. I think NHQ assume that all CAP members are Photoshop kings/queens.

Even if I was one, I wouldn't have enough time to toy with it. I have a job, full-time school, CAP and family to deal with.

[brasda91]

I was having problems too.  I called national, they gave me the it number, I called them.  Told them my problem, they said it sounded like a problem on their end.  She took my number and said she would call me back.  A day or two later, I uploaded my picture no problem.  IT still hasn't called me back.  Since then, I've been able to upload everyones pictures.  What I do is take the picture, open it in a photo program, crop it down to just the chest and up.  I don't change anything else.  I don't try to resize it or nothing.  Just a simply cropping save it as another name, go to e-services and upload it.

[afgeo4]

I was having problems too.  I called national, they gave me the it number, I called them.  Told them my problem, they said it sounded like a problem on their end.  She took my number and said she would call me back.  A day or two later, I uploaded my picture no problem.  IT still hasn't called me back.  Since then, I've been able to upload everyones pictures.  What I do is take the picture, open it in a photo program, crop it down to just the chest and up.  I don't change anything else.  I don't try to resize it or nothing.  Just a simply cropping save it as another name, go to e-services and upload it.

Have you seen the final result? Did the pic come out fine on the ID?

[brasda91]

I was having problems too.  I called national, they gave me the it number, I called them.  Told them my problem, they said it sounded like a problem on their end.  She took my number and said she would call me back.  A day or two later, I uploaded my picture no problem.  IT still hasn't called me back.  Since then, I've been able to upload everyones pictures.  What I do is take the picture, open it in a photo program, crop it down to just the chest and up.  I don't change anything else.  I don't try to resize it or nothing.  Just a simply cropping save it as another name, go to e-services and upload it.

Have you seen the final result? Did the pic come out fine on the ID?

It hasn't come in yet.

[RogueLeader]

I was having problems too.  I called national, they gave me the it number, I called them.  Told them my problem, they said it sounded like a problem on their end.  She took my number and said she would call me back.  A day or two later, I uploaded my picture no problem.  IT still hasn't called me back.  Since then, I've been able to upload everyones pictures.  What I do is take the picture, open it in a photo program, crop it down to just the chest and up.  I don't change anything else.  I don't try to resize it or nothing.  Just a simply cropping save it as another name, go to e-services and upload it.

Have you seen the final result? Did the pic come out fine on the ID?

It hasn't come in yet.

Check your 101 card online, if it was accepted, it'll be on there.

[afgeo4]

I was having problems too.  I called national, they gave me the it number, I called them.  Told them my problem, they said it sounded like a problem on their end.  She took my number and said she would call me back.  A day or two later, I uploaded my picture no problem.  IT still hasn't called me back.  Since then, I've been able to upload everyones pictures.  What I do is take the picture, open it in a photo program, crop it down to just the chest and up.  I don't change anything else.  I don't try to resize it or nothing.  Just a simply cropping save it as another name, go to e-services and upload it.

Have you seen the final result? Did the pic come out fine on the ID?

It hasn't come in yet.

Check your 101 card online, if it was accepted, it'll be on there.

I meant (and said) on the ID.

[RogueLeader]

The way it shows up on the photo ID is the same as on the CAPF 101.  I use the 101 as a preview of the ID.

[brasda91]

Already ahead of you on the 101.  Already have it printed.  So, yeah I guess it's ok.

[jspittler]

What image file format are you folks sending it in as?

I tried jpg (didn't work), and BMP (worked, but file size vs. image resolution is terrible).  Thanks.

[brasda91]

What image file format are you folks sending it in as?

I tried jpg (didn't work), and BMP (worked, but file size vs. image resolution is terrible).  Thanks.

.JPG at 59.8 KB

[jspittler]

.JPG at 59.8 KB

Very interesting...

That led me to some experiments.

1. I figured maybe some jpeg options were not accepted so I tried some of the different jpeg options allowed in Paint Shop Pro... no difference.

2. Then I figured that maybe Paint Shop Pro was somehow a problem, so I saved a jpeg from some other image software I have on my computer... still won't accept it.

3. This was the dumbest thing I could possibly try... I saved as a jpeg image as before... then... I simply changed the file name so that instead of .jpg, it now said .bmp at the end.  Obviously the image was still a jpeg... but now it was misnamed as being a .bmp file... BINGO, the file was accepted and the preview photo appears on the page.  Hmmmm, strange... sigh.

[a2capt]

All of a sudden .. every photo I upload is showing up in landscape orientation. Yes, even if opening with any photo viewing method shows it properly. So I rotate them to be "wrong", and they still show when (continue) to crop, as landscape. I image the 101 cards would look a bit amusing if I just said to heck with it and submitted it, as the purpose right now is to get exactly that for an upcoming activity. (!!!!!!) ...

[Eclipse]

What are you using to take the photos?

A lot of smartphones, as well as iPhones, have an issue where the preview is "corrected" - turn the image and the preview stays corrected.  Really annoying.

In a lot of cases I've had to pull an image into PS or similar in order to get the preview to match the actual image.

[N Harmon]

A lot of smartphones, as well as iPhones, have an issue where the preview is "corrected" - turn the image and the preview stays corrected.  Really annoying.

I have run into this as well and it typically is the result of the camera applying the rotation by setting the "orientation" EXIF tag, rather than doing an actual rotational translation of the picture. Obviously the first is much less processor intensive than the later, which is why smart phones and some digital cameras do it.

[a2capt]

The original iPhone, just like I've used for the past several years. When photos import, Preview or Quicklook always show them at the orientation that the camera put them at, when I have problems with orientation and the iPhone is usually when shooting something flat on a table. But standing against the whiteboard is darn near straight-up-forward.  Plus the photos show at the proper orientation on the device, again, at import, and just plain old viewing. When the device "corrects" it, I always see it. Trust me, I have many that are wrong, and they're stuff that I did with the phone parallel to the ground. But holding it perpendicular so far has been a dead on predictable.

As I should have mentioned, I even used one of the photos I used previously as a test on another upload it it placed it sideways too.

[a2capt]

Okay, so- in this example, you can see that the photo is reporting as 1200x1600, orientated as a photo. Opening it shows it the right way, the folder full of them shows most of them the same way, as imported from the device, the first one is in landscape mode, as evidenced by the icon.

If the eServices applet is simply assuming that the widest dimension is the width .. 

What the heck is wrong with whoever contracts IT for CAP? Who writes the RFQs, who accepts the job as done? Where are the SQA people?

Ugh!

EDIT: So I decided to just view the photo, screen capture less of it, so that it's wider than tall, and when I go to upload that it tells me .. "Please select a different file of Filetype (.jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png)."

I selected a PNG.  What a piece of work.

[Eclipse]

Your best bet is to always scale them manually to an exact 1" x 1".

[Spaceman3750]

What are you using to take the photos?

A lot of smartphones, as well as iPhones, have an issue where the preview is "corrected" - turn the image and the preview stays corrected.  Really annoying.

In a lot of cases I've had to pull an image into PS or similar in order to get the preview to match the actual image.

You're going through a lot of work to keep up this smartphone vs iPhone thing

[Eclipse]

I do what I can...