reading android jpeg EXIF metadata from picture callback

Question

Background: I am writing a camera app for a messenger program. I cannot save the captured image to persistent disk at any time. The camera must support all orientations.

Answer 1

To read metadata/EXIF from image byte[] (useful for Camera.takePicture()) using version 2.9.1 of the metadata extraction library in Java by Drew Noakes:

try
{
    // Extract metadata.
    Metadata metadata = ImageMetadataReader.readMetadata(new BufferedInputStream(new ByteArrayInputStream(imageData)), imageData.length);

    // Log each directory.
    for(Directory directory : metadata.getDirectories())
    {
        Log.d("LOG", "Directory: " + directory.getName());

        // Log all errors.
        for(String error : directory.getErrors())
        {
            Log.d("LOG", "> error: " + error);
        }

        // Log all tags.
        for(Tag tag : directory.getTags())
        {
            Log.d("LOG", "> tag: " + tag.getTagName() + " = " + tag.getDescription());
        }
    }
}
catch(Exception e)
{
    // TODO: handle exception
}

---

To read the EXIF orientation of the image (not the orientation of the thumbnail):

try
{
    // Get the EXIF orientation.
    final ExifIFD0Directory exifIFD0Directory = metadata.getFirstDirectoryOfType(ExifIFD0Directory.class);
    if(exifIFD0Directory.containsTag(ExifIFD0Directory.TAG_ORIENTATION))
    {
        final int exifOrientation = exifIFD0Directory.getInt(ExifIFD0Directory.TAG_ORIENTATION);

        /* Work on exifOrientation */
    }
    else
    {
        /* Not found */
    }
}
catch(Exception e)
{
    // TODO: handle exception
}

The orientation is from 1 to 8. See here, here, here or here.

---

To transform a bitmap based on its EXIF orientation:

try
{
    final Matrix bitmapMatrix = new Matrix();
    switch(exifOrientation)
    {
        case 1:                                                                                     break;  // top left
        case 2:                                                 bitmapMatrix.postScale(-1, 1);      break;  // top right
        case 3:         bitmapMatrix.postRotate(180);                                               break;  // bottom right
        case 4:         bitmapMatrix.postRotate(180);           bitmapMatrix.postScale(-1, 1);      break;  // bottom left
        case 5:         bitmapMatrix.postRotate(90);            bitmapMatrix.postScale(-1, 1);      break;  // left top
        case 6:         bitmapMatrix.postRotate(90);                                                break;  // right top
        case 7:         bitmapMatrix.postRotate(270);           bitmapMatrix.postScale(-1, 1);      break;  // right bottom
        case 8:         bitmapMatrix.postRotate(270);                                               break;  // left bottom
        default:                                                                                    break;  // Unknown
    }

    // Create new bitmap.
    final Bitmap transformedBitmap = Bitmap.createBitmap(imageBitmap, 0, 0, imageBitmap.getWidth(), imageBitmap.getHeight(), bitmapMatrix, false);
}
catch(Exception e)
{
    // TODO: handle exception
}