Google identify edited images as low resolution

Google Maps contribution stories
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I take a spheric photo:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/o5aPQwd53KQbU3jB6

it is 7.3 MB
14848x2382 pixel = 35 MP

I edited it obfuscating plates:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dsste9X7iiMGhrvY8

it is still 7.3 MB
14848x2382 pixel = 35 MP

but the last is identified by Google Photo as

2.3 MB

9986 × 1602 pixel = 16 MP
and Google Street view, probably for the same reason,
does not import it saying “Impossible to import spheric photo”

What is the problem here?

4 Likes
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@efa Google Street View requirements for photo (high level) can be read here

https://www.google.com/streetview/contributors/#!/

One of the requirements is 2:1 aspect ratio. Your photo is not. You can increase the size of the canvas to 2:1, and then run it through a exif fixer or xml data injector to identify it as a 360 photo. It should work after that. I have tried and done it before.

Regarding why a photo copy be downscaled to 16MP, this could be due to Google Photo’s high quality setting vs original quality setting. That could be a separate discussion you may need to do in the Google Photos forum.

2 Likes
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@StephenAbraham the original spherical photo is made by Street view app and is not 2:1, while it is accepted by Streetview import both via:

  1. copying from PC to Phone in ‘panoramas’ directory and then import it

  2. uploading from PC to Google Photo and import in Street view from there

The edited photo is same form factor, I edited only the plates, but is not accepted by Streetview import in both method above.

There should be something in exif data that identify it as 360 photo.

Can you please suggest me an exif fixer that work for that?

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I tried ‘exiftool’, a command line Linux tool and it show:

Use Panorama Viewer : True
Projection Type : equirectangular

only in original photo, I will try to add it to the edited one and report here if work

5

Hi @efa ,

I hope you won’t mind if I move your post to the Photography section of the community, as your questions are related to image resolutions. Your discussion will be visible to the other people who are following similar topics.

Please follow the link provided by @StephenAbraham to read more about the instructions for the image quality

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@KatyaL I posted in wrong section, and don’t knew how to move.

thank you for your work :slight_smile:

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Hi @efa ,

You’re more than welcome! I’m happy to help :slight_smile:

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@StephenAbraham the proposed solution does not resolve the trouble.

Also my test till now with EXIF fixing, let import the edited image in Street view, but seems lost the GPS position.

So testing is still ongoing, sure not solved

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importing all EXIF data from the un-edited photo

using exiftool:
$ exiftool -tagsFromFile PANO_orig.jpg -all:all PANO_edited.jpg

and then copy it to ‘panoramas’ directory on the phone, let import the edited photo in Streetview retaining all the informations, GPS coordinates too.

The edited photo is identical the original, but has simply the plates obfuscated as required for privacy.

SOLVED

1 Like
10

@efa good news. Just also check if the photo is publicly viewable from Maps. Ie when you are not logged in, just to be sure.