Georeferencing Problem - Image disappears when using Update Georeferencing

[JasonLamberts]

I am having problems with Georeferencing raster images. I have been using the georeferencing toolbar since version 8 and have had no issues. I recently installed a trial of 10.2 and am now having problems. My data frame is set to UTM Zone 12 Nad 83 and I have Twp\Rge layers to reference the image to. I am attempting to georeference a landowner map so I zoom roughly to the county boundary, fit to page and zoom to one corner. I add control points on 4 corners, the auto-adjust option is turned on so it automatically references to the correct location. After 4 points the RMS is low and the image appears in the correct location. When I hit the update georeferencing button the image disappears and shifts to a seemingly random location. I have tried multiple images and have the same problem each time. I tried using the Rectify option instead of the Update Georeferencing and it works fine. Same control points and same process and the Rectify works but the Update Georeferencing fails. I don't like the Rectify option because in typical ArcMap fashion it resamples the image and the resultant image is of lower resolution than the original.

help please

[RickIngle]

John,

The same thing happened to me at first, then I tried doing it by building pyramids first (the workflow which I had previously abandoned) and the "Update Display" and "Update Georeferencing" has worked ever since.

ricki on 10.5.1

[JohnBranum]

Ricki, that is SO not fair.  Here's what I'm getting:

I've set "build pyramids" by default (no prompt).  I add a new TIFF, select it in the Georeferencing window, fit to display, nail it down with two control points, Update Display, Update Georeferencing, and ZOOM!  A hundred feet in any direction, but here's the tricky part:

I remove the TIFF, then go to the folder and delete the three new TIFF support files created from georeferencing in order to start over.  I do exactly the same steps as before, but this time it sticks!  I did this exact process with eleven TIFFs yesterday without fail.  The final one I didn't even bother with control points, just Fit > Update > Update > Remove > Delete, then start over, and it stuck.

It's kind of maddening, but as long as there's one reliable, consistent process I'll take it!

John on 10.5.1

[RickIngle]

Don't know if it would help, but I always make sure that I have at least three control points before I update.

Rick

[JohnBranum]

Rick, had you always set at least three points?  That is, did you used to set at least three back when you were still cursed with this problem?

John on 10.5.1

[RickIngle]

John,

Yes, I usually added at least three points. There were times when I used two, but sometimes that didn't work, so I stuck with at least three. I often also use four.

Rick

[JohnBranum]

Thanks Rick.  I'll give that a try.  I generally default to the fewest points possible since my work doesn't require that level of accuracy, so often two is enough.

John on 10.5.1

[JamesHeaton1]

My solution is similar. After adding the .TIF raster file to the mxd, I toggle 'Auto Display' on/off > select 'Update Georeferencing' > add control points > select 'Update Georeferencing' a second time and the file sticks. This method has been successful thus far for me. Another method I found to work is assigning the coordinate system prior to adding the unreferenced .TIF raster file to the mxd. Using this method I can simply add the control points, select 'Update Georeferencing' and the file sticks.

I don't understand why either method works but after much frustration I can finally georeference files with relative ease once again.

[JohnBranum]

Thanks, James.  I don't see "Auto Display".  I'm on 10.5.1, do you think it's the same as "Auto Adjust" in the Georeferencing dropdown?  It's the only toggleable option.

John on 10.5.1

[Katie_Clark]

Wow, it's amazing the variety of solutions that have worked, and also not worked, for people having the same problem!

I have had this issue since I started doing georeferencing work in August, 2017 using ArcMap 10.5. About 70% of the time, when I hit "update georeferencing", the image would shift so that it would be right next to the georeferenced position. The inconsistency made it even more frustrating!

I looked at this thread back in 2017 and tried the solutions that people had suggested, but didn't have any real luck. My best option seemed to be to rectify everything just in case it didn't work, and then if it did, I deleted the rectified image from our server since the rectified images were much larger files. 

However, Kyle Bearden's suggestion seemed to help me. So far, clicking "update display" before "update georeferencing" seems to be helping keep things in place. Not sure why this is, but I really appreciate the solution. Thank you!!

Best of luck to anyone else out there having this issue!
(BTW, I tried georeferencing in Pro as a way to familiarize myself with the software and also hopefully avoid the issue, but my experience was that the georeferencing there was even more broken than in ArcMap. Not sure if anyone else has had the same type of experience). 

[PetronilaMandeno]

Yeah, same here: Pro had the same, shifting problem. So I just geo-reference in ArcMap since I know how to make it work there (on my machine). I plan on upgrading my computer soon, and I suspect it may change my strategy.