Geotagging Photos

Geotagging allows you store the location where a photo was taken right in the photo itself. JPEG files, the format used by most digital cameras, store a wide range of information about the picture (shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed) and the camera that created it. This information is called metadata. Your digital camera has a clock, and the time that the photo was taken is stored in the JPEG file as part of the metadata. Your GPS also stores timestamps with each trackpoint in the tracklog. By matching the timestamp from the photo with the timestamps in your GPS tracklogs, ExpertGPS is able to automatically determine exactly where you were standing when you snapped each picture.

Geotagging in ExpertGPS has the following requirements:

Your digital camera must have a clock, set to the correct local time.
Your photos must be stored in JPEG format, not BMP or RAW.
Some image editing programs destroy metadata. You must geotag your photos before cropping or rotating in older image editing programs.
Your GPS receiver must be capable of recording tracklogs with timestamps. Garmin users must use the ACTIVE LOG - saved tracks do not have timestamps.

Tips

For best results, you should synchonize your digital camera's clock to GPS time prior to taking photos. Check the camera's clock time every few months for drift.
Set your GPS to record track points on a frequent basis. The more trackpoints you record, the better your geotagging results will be.
The most common mistake is having the wrong date set on your digital camera. Triple-check the date - especially the year!

To geotag your photos, do the following:

Confirm that your camera's clock is synchronized to the time displayed on your GPS.
Turn on your GPS receiver, wait for a solid lock on 4 or more satellites, and ensure that it continues to maintain good satellite reception while you take photos. You can place your GPS in a jacket pocket or backpack - you will not need it in hand while photographing.
Take your photos. There is no need to mark a waypoint or do anything special with your GPS at each photo location, other than confirm that your GPS is recording a continuous tracklog.
When you return to your computer, receive the tracklog from your GPS and save it in GPX format.
Move the photos from your digital camera to a folder on your computer. ExpertGPS will be writing geotagging information into the photos. Make a back-up copy of your photos before proceeding.
On the Photo menu, click Add Photos. (Hold Shift to select multiple photos)
The photos will be listed in the Photo List on the left side of the screen, and the Geotag Photos dialog will appear.
Select the time zone that the photos were taken in. As you make changes in the Geotag Photos dialog, the photo icons on the map will automatically jump to their new geographic locations.
Once you are satisfied that the photos are positioned correctly, click OK to finish the geotagging process.

Didn't work? Try these tips:

Select the Aperture and Shutter Speed columns in the Photo list. If nothing is displayed, your camera isn't storing metadata, or it was stripped out by an image editing program.
Select the Geotagging Status and Time Photo Taken (Local) columns in the Photo list. Compare the times displayed in the Photo List with trackpoint timestamps in the Trackpoint List.

ExpertGPS works with hundreds of GPS receivers, including all Garmin Drive, nüvi, eTrex, Colorado, Dakota, echoMAP, GPSMAP, Edge, Forerunner, Montana, Oregon, and Rino models, Magellan eXplorist GPS receivers, and Lowrance HDS, Elite, and HOOK GPS chartplotters and fishfinders. Download ExpertGPS

Find your GPS on the ExpertGPS compatibility list.