Level 1

33 points

Portrait type photos are corrupted (grey area appear) when transferring from iPhone to PC

When using the bulk transfer from iPhone to PC (Windows 10) with "Keep Originals" settings in Photos, the imported portrait (IMG_Exxxx) photos are corrupted and they are imported as HEIC as well as the originals.

Few months ago with the above settings, the portrait photos were transferred as IMG_Exxxx.JPG instead of HEIC format. There is no any other issue with the normal HEIC photos, only with the portrait type photos.

If I change to the "Automatic" setting when transferring to PC in the Photos application, the portrait images are transferred properly in IMG_E.jpg, but in this scenario all other HEIC photos are not rotated properly and the EXIF data can be lost.

I prefer using the "Keep Originals" settings when transferring from iPhone to PC, but it seems that there is a bug when you are importing the Portrait type of photos that should be copied as JPG and rotated properly regardless of the "Keep Originals" settings.

Thank you,

Peter

iPhone 11, iOS 14

Posted on Nov 1, 2020 1:52 AM

Top-ranking reply

AussieLyndal

Level 1

18 points

Posted on Feb 20, 2022 12:43 PM

@Ryder_del_Fin, Refer my answer on the other post about this issue in Apple Communities: Portrait Mode Photos Corrupted (Gray Bar) - Apple Community

To summarise though:

yes, I'm using the Windows iCloud app, not a web browser (although there's a partial workaround to the download size for unedited photos in a web browser, it doesn't help us with the grey bar issue).
you can change the name of the folder where iCloud saves photos. I've called mine "Download" in the location you saw in my screenshot.
no, using an external drive doesn't help. Not sure why you are seeing a difference?
The only workarounds I found were to use a 3rd party cloud backup tool (I tested OneDrive, Dropbox and iDrive and both work to get the full resolution edited photo)

Other important points to note:

the issue is not just "Portrait" mode photos. Can't remember what setting I used for the below landscape photo, but clearly the grey bar occurred.

The issue doesn't only occur on Windows. It happens in certain circumstances on Mac too - see: Portrait Mode Photos Corrupted (Gray Bar) - Apple Community . I've seen another post from someone saying they saw it on Linux.

Note: My reason for mentioning the HEIF extension was that I was just adding to @davidg82's post to explain which extension on MS Store to use. It's not really relevant to the grey bar issue - just friendly advice because someone was saying they didn't know how to display (valid) .heic files on Windows. FWIW, I have Windows 10 and it certainly didn't recognize .heic files by default. I needed to install the extensions to be able to display the photo in an .heic file. Based on my Google'ing, WIndows 11 doesn't support .heic out of the box either - you need to install the extension for it too. If you don't have the extension installed, you can still open the file with 3rd party tools that support .heic, or you can open it to examine it at byte level with an editor that supports doing so. As you're adamant photos with a grey bar are just mis-named jpeg files, it sounds like you've probably done that.

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141 replies

scalius

Level 1

13 points

Dec 4, 2021 10:56 AM in response to TheLittles

@waltereleven MS has squat to do with an issue related to transferring photos from an Apple device. Same thing if you have an issue with a Sony camcorder, MS will tell you to contact the manufacturer of the device. Apple should work on the issue and if there they find it has to do with a bug with the MS operating system then they should be the one filing the bug. The consumer should not be chasing who is responsible for resolving the bug. You own an Apple device and it does not work the way it is intended so Apple must be the one running with the ball.

By the way this issue not only happens for portrait photos but some landscape pictures as well unless taking photos of mountains far far away triggers the portrait mode...

ymgve

Level 1

8 points

Dec 5, 2021 6:55 AM in response to S314-EsPi

Same issue here, but not portrait mode, but pictures edited with a 90 degree rotation. IMG_xxxx.HEIC is fine when transferred, but is the unaltered original. All IMG_Exxxx.HEIC images have a grey area at the bottom.

Dec 8, 2021 12:46 AM in response to lencastre

Update from 8 DEC 2021. I've updated iOS to iOS 15.1, and took some photos in Portrait mode. And unsurprisingly the issue remains.

I'm running an up to date Windows 11, as well as the most recent versions of the Microsoft HEIC and HVEC codecs from the Windows App Store.

Dec 12, 2021 8:41 AM in response to S314-EsPi

The issue with the grey areas seems to be of a more general nature - and it seems still unsolved.

Below I have highlighted additions to your entry in CAPITAL letters:

When using the INDIVIDUAL OR bulk transfer from iPhone to PC (Windows 10) with "Keep Originals" settings in Photos, the imported PHOTOS - BE IT ORDINARY PHOTOS OR portraits (IMG_Exxxx) are corrupted and they are imported as HEIC as well as the originals. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT EXCEPTION WITH ALL PHOTOS THAT HAVE BEEN EDITED WITH THE EDITING PROGRAM INTEGRATED IN THE PHOTO APP OF THE IPHONE.

If I change to the "Automatic" setting when transferring to PC in the Photos application, the portrait images are transferred properly in IMG_E.jpgTHIS HAPPENS WITHOUT EXCEPTION WITH ALL PHOTOS THAT HAVE BEEN EDITED WITH THE EDITING PROGRAM INTEGRATED IN THE PHOTO APP OF THE IPHONE.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Dec 12, 2021 9:28 AM in response to lesterw

Thank you lesterw, for shading some mor light at the issue.

Oddly, on a photo that I had only trimmed but not otherwise edited, the workaround with the two system settings changed on the iPhone worked.

On the two test exported photos that had colors reworked, the bottom edge was still truncated.

So it doesn't seem to be some insignificant color information that is affected, but the edits that turn a dull, highly mediocre photo into an acceptable photo.

scalius

Level 1

13 points

Dec 12, 2021 9:30 AM in response to Contemporary7

Issue I have found with automatic is the transfer of large quantity of photos will most likely make the windows Photo application to fail mid process. Same things occur if I transfer files from file explorer. So something bad happens when iPhone converts the photo from heic to jpg. For this reason, I have no choice but to have Keep Original option checked.

F41R

Level 1

21 points

Jan 13, 2022 5:57 AM in response to S314-EsPi

Tried it again today transferring the photo's from my Iphone12 with the latest IOS 15.2.1 and my Windows 10 notebook. Still nothing's changed. IMG_EXXXX files yet again corrupted in windows file explorer. Looked at some older pictures I imported in the past from my previous Iphone (Phone-XS) and the IMG_EXXXX files were fine then.

F41R

Level 1

21 points

Feb 2, 2022 7:29 AM in response to Ryder_del_Fin

For your work around to work I would need an Icloud subscription, since the free 5GB free Icloud storage won't cut it for all the photo's on my iPhone. But I understand when using Icloud for Windows to transfer the pictures to an external disk the picture quality and exif data aren't altered/changed? And the portrait type photo's (img_e files) are available without the grey bars?

Feb 2, 2022 7:45 AM in response to F41R

Yes, the pictures are full quality and the portrait photos are not corrupted. However where as you were getting the _E photos (portrait mode effect and corrupted) and an original version of the photos, with this method, I’m pretty sure you only get the portrait mode photo. But it’s fully quality and no grey bar. I don’t believe they have the _E name any longer. Yes, you would need a subscription if you’re over the 5GB.

Feb 20, 2022 2:24 PM in response to AussieLyndal

Hi, I responded to the other thread. That's interesting it's not just the portrait mode photos. I knew the issue occurred in MAC too. I'm running Windows 11, and I did not knowingly download anything to open HIEC files. I don't think I was the one saying the corrupted photos were jpegs. I pulled up an old one and it says this. Looks like HEIC to me.

Mar 27, 2022 5:18 AM in response to S314-EsPi

Bad news, using an iPhone11Pro with iOS15.4 and transferring brand new photos (taken today) to my Windows 11 machine, I still see the grey corruption, grey block, or whatever you want to call it on all "Portrait Mode" IMG_Exxxx.HEIC files.

Dec 21, 2020 4:25 PM in response to waltereleven

Below you'll find an example coming from an iPhone 11 Pro Max with iOS 14.3, original untoched nor processed with any software, HEIC file extracted via USB cable.

lyn482

Level 1

10 points

Jan 5, 2021 10:56 AM in response to S314-EsPi

I have this exact same issue.

d2mags

Level 1

4 points

Jan 24, 2021 7:32 AM in response to nbhatia_911

Hi eveyone,

Any update on the bug?

I have the same issue on an iPhone 12 Pro Max (iOS 14.2.1).

Thanks a lot!!

Mar 27, 2021 3:37 AM in response to S314-EsPi

Exactly same issue over here with portrait photos IMG_Exxxx.HEIC under iPhone 12 Mini, iOS 14.4.1., Win10 20H2

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Portrait type photos are corrupted (grey area appear) when transferring from iPhone to PC