Geotagging Photgraphs

[+Keith Watson]

Geotagging Photgraphs

 

For those who have never heard of this or those that want to know how to do it this may interest you.

Geotagging is simply placing latitude and longitude into a digital image to record where the image was taken. Some camera phones can do this automatically if they have a GPS built into the phone. Some high end cameras have a GPS that connects to them and records the information when the picture is taken. There are even special GPS’s that are designed for recording track logs and come with software to add the information to the images.

 

The only thing that is needed to geotag a photograph is a camera, a GPS, and software to join the two together. The software looks at the timestamp in the images and compares that to track logs downloaded from the GPS. It will take the closest coordinates in the track log to the time the photograph was taken and insert the coordinates into the image file.

 

Just after I load the images from my camera onto the computer, the first thing I do is geotag the images if I was using a GPS when I was taking the pictures. Some geotagging software doesn’t even require a GPS so if you didn’t have your GPS on, didn’t record track logs, or were in an area that the GPS wasn’t working, you can use a map to tell the software where you took the picture. The geotag information comes in handy when uploading your photographs to web sites that support it and they will automatically show a map where the picture was taken.

 

There are a few applications you can use to do this. Personally I use GeoSetter. It has an interactive map where I can adjust positions or map pictures without a track log. It can read from many GPS track log type or create a Google Earth file. The best part is the cost fits most geocachers budget. It is absolutely free to use.

 

There is a review of the GeoSetter here with screen shots of how it works. You can download it from http://www.geosetter.de/en. A sample of the results showing all my photographs that appear on Google Earth can be found here.

[+hurleyanne]

Thanks for sharing this info. I'm curious what other people use, too. I have an Oregon 550 that is supposed to automatically geotag photos. The online site suggested by Garmin didn't recognize the coordinates of my photo.

[+Keith Watson]

I have that some on-line sites have problems with the geotagging. When I upload to my flickr photo stream it works no problem. I also upload to panoramio to have my photographs show up in Google Earth and it used to work but a while back it stopped working automatically. For panoramio I open and save a copy using Picasa, another free software, and those will upload and automatically pick up the coordinates no problem. You may want to give that a try if the website you upload to does not recognize the geotagging automatically.

[+hurleyanne]

I have that some on-line sites have problems with the geotagging. When I upload to my flickr photo stream it works no problem. I also upload to panoramio to have my photographs show up in Google Earth and it used to work but a while back it stopped working automatically. For panoramio I open and save a copy using Picasa, another free software, and those will upload and automatically pick up the coordinates no problem. You may want to give that a try if the website you upload to does not recognize the geotagging automatically.

 

Picasa is the one that didn't recognize the geotag automatically. Panoramio did. I keep looking for my pic on GE, but nothing yet.

[+Knight2000]

I highly recommend this. When we used to go geocaching we would do this with our pics. I used EasyGPS to do this. I just uploaded my log and it tagged the pictures. Easy as can be. In only a minute you can have your pics tagged. Awesome!

[+rovers3]

Thanks for the info and the links, Keith.

Do you know of a similar program to use with a mac computer?

[+Keith Watson]

Thanks for the info and the links, Keith.

Do you know of a similar program to use with a mac computer?

 

You can try GPSPhotoLinker.

[+tec_64]

Garmin's free Basecamp software will tag also. Pick a tracklog file and select Geotag from the menu and it will ask you the folder where your photos are stored. It will even make a waypoint list.

 

Wayne

tec_64

Sudbury, Ontario

[+northernpenguin]

A non-free solution that I use is RoboGEO. I use that program whenever I shoot with my Nikon SLR. Helpful features include the ability to adjust the time offset if my camera and my GPS weren't in perfect sync with each other.

 

Truth be told though, these days I tend to just grab a pic with my iPhone 4 in the same spot as it automatically geotags (and gets a GPS fix a lot quicker than my Blackberry does, which also geotags automagically). The newest update (1.5) to TomTom for iPhone lets you route to a geotagged photo just like an Oregon x50 does.

[+Keith Watson]

I looked a RoboGEO and found $79.95 USD kind of steep. GeoSetter is easy to sync the camera. When you load the track logs it shows a clock. All you have to do is us the up and down arrows to set that clock to the clock on the camera and you are good to go.

Edited October 18, 2010 by Keith Watson

[+northernpenguin]

I looked a RoboGEO and found $79.95 USD kind of steep. GeoSetter is easy to sync the camera. When you load the track logs it shows a clock. All you have to do is us the up and down arrows to set that clock to the clock on the camera and you are good to go.

 

Free works.

 

I initially went with RoboGEO because (at the time) it was the only product that supported Nikon RAW files directly. This enabled me to keep my RAW data, and be able to come back to it after geotagging (for stuff like HDR photos). I found it easy to geotag, and then pull the RAW data into a Lightroom catalog.

[+Chewy_06]

There are a couple of other options too... eyefi explore & geo cards.

 

http://www.eye.fi/products/geox2

 

Not GPS based geotagging though, not sure how accurate it is. Havent explored these myself.

[+Keith Watson]

GeoSetter works on raw as well. From what I understand it uses ExifTool and GPSBabel inside to do all the work for it, so it handles many track log types and many image types including Nikon RAW for a few years. For those that don't know, Exif is information that is stored inside the image like the date it was taken, the camera type, type of lens, and all sorts of information about the camera.

[+northernpenguin]

GeoSetter works on raw as well. From what I understand it uses ExifTool and GPSBabel inside to do all the work for it, so it handles many track log types and many image types including Nikon RAW for a few years. For those that don't know, Exif is information that is stored inside the image like the date it was taken, the camera type, type of lens, and all sorts of information about the camera.

 

For the record, I was responding to the request from the second poster for people to list what other methods they use. Since I now know there is only one "correct" program to use, I'll depart this thread.

[+Keith Watson]

Another thing to look for when using geotagging tools. Make sure you get the latest version and every onece and a while check for upgrades. Sometimes they make speed improvements that help a lot.

[+DanOCan]

I have been using GPicSync but will check out Geosetter since develop on GPicSync seems to have stopped. Of course, it works perfectly fine so maybe it doesn't need any more development.

[+Keith Watson]

I like the 3D map. Is that Google Earth embedded in GPicSync? How easy is it to tweak the location? GeoSetter has drag and drop tweaking.

Edited October 20, 2010 by Keith Watson

[+Westacular]

I've used a bunch of things over the years -- lately I've been using Jeffrey Friedl's GPS plugin for Lightroom. It works nicely since I tend to import photos into Lightroom first and only later do I go back and geotag them. Could be smoother, but it does what I need it to do, and it's donationware.

[+Keith Watson]

I will have to give that a try. I hate it when I remember to geotag the images after I have loaded them into Lightroom and have already made changes to the image.

[+narcissa]

Interesting thread. I have been dragging and dropping my pictures to approximate locations in Flickr, but I think I will check out some of these other options.

[+willowbrookfarm]

That is so neat. Thanks for pointing this out just in time for my vacation to BC. On my Magellan Meridian Gold, all I had to do was save the track line to the SD card, and then insert it into the notebook and the software read it find.

[+DanOCan]

I like the 3D map. Is that Google Earth embedded in GPicSync? How easy is it to tweak the location? GeoSetter has drag and drop tweaking.

 

Google Earth isn't embedded and tweaking is not very easy.

 

I finally tried Geosetter but for some reason it refused to recognize my GPX file as having any valid location data. It didn't throw an error at me when I pointed to a folder (opposed to a file) but it never found any points to geotag against. Same file worked fine with GPicSync. Very odd.

[+Westacular]

One general trick I do when I know I'm going to want to geotag the photos is to take a photo of the GPS screen at some point, with it showing the time (including seconds).

 

This lets me later go back and adjust the time for each photo, en masse, to remove the offset between the camera's time and the GPS's time. (Lightroom is once again handy for this.) It makes for more accurate geotagging, and it's also a handy way to note if you've forgotten to account for timezones or DST.

 

This isn't really necessary if you manually sync you camera clock to the time on your GPS in advance, but ... that is something I usually forget about until halfway through a trip, and I've already taken a few hundred photos with no clue as to the state of my camera's clock.

[+Keith Watson]

I like the 3D map. Is that Google Earth embedded in GPicSync? How easy is it to tweak the location? GeoSetter has drag and drop tweaking.

 

Google Earth isn't embedded and tweaking is not very easy.

 

I finally tried Geosetter but for some reason it refused to recognize my GPX file as having any valid location data. It didn't throw an error at me when I pointed to a folder (opposed to a file) but it never found any points to geotag against. Same file worked fine with GPicSync. Very odd.

 

Can you send me a copy of the GPX file along with a photo that should work? I might be able to see what is wrong.

[+geojibby]

On the Mac front, you can use iPhoto's "Places" feature by simply attaching the .gpx file from your GPSr. Also, the more pro-grade software Aperture that I use has the same feature, providing you with a cool map with pins from all over the world where you nabbed your geotagged pics. Cool stuff!

[+Keith Watson]

My uncle uses a Mac, I will have to let him know.

[+DanOCan]

I like the 3D map. Is that Google Earth embedded in GPicSync? How easy is it to tweak the location? GeoSetter has drag and drop tweaking.

Google Earth isn't embedded and tweaking is not very easy.

 

I finally tried Geosetter but for some reason it refused to recognize my GPX file as having any valid location data. It didn't throw an error at me when I pointed to a folder (opposed to a file) but it never found any points to geotag against. Same file worked fine with GPicSync. Very odd.

 

Can you send me a copy of the GPX file along with a photo that should work? I might be able to see what is wrong.

 

Hate to bump an old thread, but I finally had a chance to sit down with GeoSetter and work on why it didn't like my GPX files. It was a very simple problem -- if I put my 60CSx into USB Storage Mode and try and read the GPX file directly from the GPSr then GeoSetter doesn't like it. If I copy the GPX file to my local hard drive I have no problems and GeoSetter works perfectly.

[+Keith Watson]

Strange, but good to know, thanks.

[lenongeo]

All those are somewhat complicated. I use Easytag which can geotag directly into the exif of the photo I take. So all I have to do is upload the photo to Flickr or google Earth.

[+Keith Watson]

All those are somewhat complicated. I use Easytag which can geotag directly into the exif of the photo I take. So all I have to do is upload the photo to Flickr or google Earth.

 

Does that put the information directly into the camera when you take the picture?

[+northernpenguin]

For the Mac users out there:

 

Try GPSPhotoLinker (Free) or PhotoLinker ($50).

 

Both programs will let you easily geotag photos, and mass load some ITPC info as well. Drag the photos to tag onto the app window (or import from iPhoto), then drag your GPX files onto the window. Takes about 5 minutes to tag 1,000 photos I find on my 2011 MacBook Pro. Handles JPG and Nikon RAW easily, other formats too. You can adjust the time if the camera was out of sync and the $50 one will show you the photos on a Google Map before committing the tags which makes it a lot easier to see if you've got the time shift correct. It'll update the ITPC City,State,Country flags from the Lat/Long info as well.

 

I have had a lot smoother time with the pay version than the free one, but YMMV.

[+northernpenguin]

All those are somewhat complicated. I use Easytag which can geotag directly into the exif of the photo I take. So all I have to do is upload the photo to Flickr or google Earth.

 

Does that put the information directly into the camera when you take the picture?

 

Yes. If you have their hardware product. Works with the Nikon data port, and they have a version for your D90 too.

[lenongeo]

That is right. that is a simple, neat hardware solution. Not the best, not the cheapest. But it works.

[+northernpenguin]

That is right. that is a simple, neat hardware solution. Not the best, not the cheapest. But it works.

 

Heck if *cheapest* is your motiviation, build your own eh

 

My challenge is different. I have a 6 day backpacking trip coming up so I want to geotag the photos, and use as little battery as possible. Especially that Nikon battery.

I am looking into an external data logger like this little fellow, so I can take photos and also keep a tracklog.

 

My Colorado just isn't up to the task of keeping an accurate track log for 6 days of hiking. It should be, but it isn't. Besides, there is only one cache on the route and it's at the start.

I may use my old eTrex instead to have longer battery runtime.

[+Nazanne]

I've been using my Colorado on backpacking trips as long as 8 days. I use lithium batteries and it does OK, but I like to have it on all the time while I'm hiking anyway so I carry a supply of extra batteries. The lithiums aren't as heavy as rechargeable or alkaline batteries and last a lot longer.

 

For the record I use PhotoLinker for geotagging.

[+Keith Watson]

My Colorado recorded over 5,000 km of flight and over 5,000 km of driving and walking for two weeks out West last summer and had plenty of room to record more. I had the GPS on when ever I was flying, driving, walking, and even on ferry's and whale watching.

[+northernpenguin]

My Colorado recorded over 5,000 km of flight and over 5,000 km of driving and walking for two weeks out West last summer and had plenty of room to record more. I had the GPS on when ever I was flying, driving, walking, and even on ferry's and whale watching.

 

The issue with my Colorado is that it tends to lock up after about 4km of walking or drift 300M out from time to time. I'm sure there are hundreds of happy people out there but my particular, out of warranty, Colorado has proven unreliable for track logs. This isn't about storage space.

 

I had to battery pull it twice on the 20km Hilton Falls loop hike and battery pull it 3 times at COG Spring Fling over 21km of hiking. Since I don't stare at my GPS the whole time I typically lose about 1-2km of tracklog before I notice the unit locked up. I've factory reset the unit, dropped all the maps and waypoints for a hike and taken other steps. I just can't trust it to maintain a track for the entire hike. If I can't trust it to go 20km you better believe I don't trust it to go 76km.

 

Other reason for the tracklogger on the hike - 6 AA batteries will cover the entire week vs 4AA batteries per day for the Colorado.

[+Nazanne]

That locking up issue sounds bad. I've had my Colorado get off track and start giving incorrect track locations a few times when it is having trouble picking up satellites. I need better reliability so I've been trying to figure out what to replace it with. But I'm not trying too hard and your issues sound much worse.

 

With lithium batteries I'll get one and a half or two days out of a set of batteries. Alkaline batteries only last a few hours.

[+DanOCan]

I hadn't realized how much geotagging photos had become second nature for me until the other day. We were checking out a National Historic site and, since there were no caches, I left my GPSr in the truck. We were halfway through our tour when I remembered I wouldn't be able to tag my photos and I was mad at myself.

 

Something that, not long ago, I considered a novelty is now a pretty standard part of my photo work. Sure glad I evolved from my original method of "snap a waypoint everytime I stop to take a photo" method!

[+mrcanoehead224]

Sure glad I evolved from my original method of "snap a waypoint everytime I stop to take a photo" method!

Haha, sounds familiar. I still haven't done anything with the software (I've been saving the tracks I want to keep) but the other day when I did Mount Allan, I made sure that my camera was closely synched with my GPSr.

[GCEnthusiast]

GeoSetter is the very best geotagger for Windows, in my opinion. And sometime I need an opposite thing -- to remove location from geotagged photos. I use this EXIF remover for that, applying it before posting pictures -- to keep my online privacy.

[+northernpenguin]

I have changed my workflow and now I'm using Aperture on my Mac.

Aperture supports geotagging directly so I just toss my GPX files from my Garmin in there and then drag the photos onto the track.

[+eTom22]

One thing to watch when geotagging your photos (or even uploading photos that have been automatically tagged) is on mystery caches. For some of those really tough ones that only get found a handful of times it could really spoil the fun (and schadenfreude)if a log got posted with the coordinates embedded in it!

[+dfx]

My choice of tool: http://freefoote.dview.net/linux_gpscorr.html

[+Keith Watson]

I have changed my workflow and now I'm using Aperture on my Mac.

Aperture supports geotagging directly so I just toss my GPX files from my Garmin in there and then drag the photos onto the track.

It doesn't position them automatically?

[+northernpenguin]

I have changed my workflow and now I'm using Aperture on my Mac.

Aperture supports geotagging directly so I just toss my GPX files from my Garmin in there and then drag the photos onto the track.

It doesn't position them automatically?

 

It positions them automatically, once you drag the photos you want geotagged onto the track.

Privacy stuff, it doesn't just auto-tag everything. Also you can load multiple tracks at once. Location data is just another form of metadata to the app and it can be edited, removed per a selection or batch processed.

 

There is a lot of room for improvement, they just added the feature in Aperture 3 - but hey, if I get a geotagger for free in my image cataloging software then I'll take it.

[+Keith Watson]

Ah, OK. In Geosetter, you select the images you want, point it to the track logs, and then say go. So I can tell it which specific images I want tagged, and it supports multiple track logs.

[+northernpenguin]

Ah, OK. In Geosetter, you select the images you want, point it to the track logs, and then say go. So I can tell it which specific images I want tagged, and it supports multiple track logs.

 

Yep, I totally get that. For me, geotagging is a bonus feature in my image cataloging software.