I am thinking of getting lightroom but i am wondering if anyone used it for adding GPS metadata on exif files.

I am using MAc OSX 10.4.9
GArmin GPSMAP 60CSx
and GPSPhotolinker create by Jeffrey J. Early.

Jeffrey use I-view media Pro to tagged images with GPS metadata with is program that is not perfect. The main bug is that editing or saving file with I-View destroy the GPS metadata.

I am wondering if i should stick with I-View for the job but i prefer to get stardted with Lightroom if it is a good choice.

I cannot do any mistake on this because i was hired to build a database of 1,000 minimum images all GPS tagged. I also have to do the shots. It is a minimum full time 2 months contract.

Working with an Canon EOS 20D there is nothing made for GPS. Only Canon EOS 1D Mark III as the capacity with the WFT 2A device. If any add experience this let me know.

Eric

I have no problem with GPS tagged images in Lightroom (in my case, I use Breeze Downloader Pro to do the tagging job). I find that the GPS data is exported correctly in any JPEGs, and isn't lost if the images are edited in Lightroom 1.1 or Photoshop CS3.



David

David, are you working with PC ? It seem that breeze downloader pto is not a Mac friendly user...
And what camera are you using ?

Eric

Oups i think i mess with my last message,

So David,

It sem that Breeze Downloader Pro is not a Mac friendly user... May i ask you wich camera you are using ?

Eric

20D - same as you! My GPS setup is different - but that doesn't matter here.

Tag your images, import them to Lightroom and see how you get on. So long as Lightroom recognises the GPS metadata, you should be away.


The nice thing about Breeze Downloader Pro (which is Windows only) is that it will create XMP sidecars with GPS data for RAW files, which Lightroom will pick up. I use Breeze Downloader Pro to get the data onto my hard disk, then import it into Lightroom from there (I don't like Lightroom's downloader, so that's no loss to me).



David

So I could use that Breeze Downloader Pro with my 30D as well, I guess? Which GPS hardware would you suggest?

I'd like to have the possibility to add GPS meta-data to JPGs as well as CR2s.

Breeze Downloader Pro creates XMP sidecars for RAW and embeds the GPS data in the EXIF of JPEGs. If you have GPS metadata available in Photoshop or Lightroom, it gets embedded in any JPEGs you create.


For GPS hardware, I'm using what I already had and use for other things - a Pocket PC, a SiRFstar III based Bluetooth GPS and GpsGate - set to log GGA and RMC to a file every ten seconds. If you turn off the Pocket PC's backlight, the combination will happily run for six hours off its batteries, though my Pocket PC (a now discontinued model) is pretty frugal with battery life.

You can do some very neat things with GpsGate, especially if you have data connectivity on your Pocket PC such as a built in phone. You can, for example, allow users of the Windows version of GpsGate able to track your position live in Google Earth.


I set GpsGate up with two instances. The default instance opens the Bluetooth port when anything connects to either of its virtual ports - one passes through the GPS input unmodified, the other is filtered to pass GGA and RMC once every ten seconds. The logging instance I enable when I want to log - it connects to the latter of the two virtual ports in the default instance and logs it to a file with a name based on the date and start time. I can give more details of how to set up GpsGate, but I suspect most here aren't interested.

The crucial thing is that I finish up with a file containing NMEA sentences, which Breeze Downloader Pro can parse (it can also parse other formats). All I have to do is to put the memory card from my Pocket PC in a card reader, and configure Breeze Downloader Pro to look in the relevant folder on the memory card for GPS data. It handles the rest.


If you're buying a GPS specifically for photographic use, I'd consider either a "datalogging GPS" like the small Sony device sold for camera use, which records positioning data every so often (I think it's every 15 seconds on the Sony) to internal memory for later readout, or a Garmin with a built in magnetic compass so that you can record the direction you were pointing the compass as well as the GPS position. It's a question of bulk, and whether or not the extra features of the Garmin are worth it to you.



David

OK thanx David, i heard that with Mac intell processor i could use window utilities. Are you aware about this ?

Breeze downloader seem the software to get for that matter. Creating XMP file for Raw files is very neet. I will be abble to tag images on Raw files at the office PC and saved the files on an external hard disc and work it out on my home mac to edit images.

Have a nice one

Eric

Another, excellant option, for Mac users is ImageIngesterPro (IIP) from Marc Rochkind at www.basepath.com/ImageIngester, Click Link for IIP Home Page.

I was using Downloader Pro for geotagging and I liked it but I recently made a change from Windows to Macs and was forced to look around for a new program to do geotagging. Marc has a version of IIP both for Windows and Macs and he recently added geotagging to his beta versions for both platforms. I used it extensively on a recent trip to Iceland and had great success tagging my Canon 5D raw files. Which I then imported into Lightroom.

The equipment I use is a Canon 5D and a Garmin 60csx and a MacBook Pro. The software I use is, GPSBabel, IIP and Lightroom.

A quick version of my workflow is:

1. Shoot all day.

2. In the evening, download track files from GPS as a GPX file using GPSBabel (although now you can do this directly with IIP).

3. Download images from CF card to my prefered directory structure on my laptop and external drive (for backup) including renaming the files using IIP. During this process IIP makes a backup copy of each image and geotagges each primary image from the track log downloaded in step 2.

4. Import images into Lightroom leaving the files where IIP put them.

IIP does not create XMP sidecars for the GPS data, it uses exiftools to write directly to the Raw file metadata. There are pluses and minuses to both methods but I have never had a problem and the backup copy IIP makes does not get written to so you can always recover if the unforseen happens. Just like your image files you should also keep a backup of your GPS track files.

-Steve

[quote=Steve Ginn,Jul, 03:02 PM]
Another, excellant option, for Mac users is ImageIngesterPro (IIP) from Marc Rochkind at www.basepath.com/ImageIngester, Click Link for IIP Home Page.

I was using Downloader Pro for geotagging and I liked it but I recently made a change from Windows to Macs and was forced to look around for a new program to do geotagging. Marc has a version of IIP both for Windows and Macs and he recently added geotagging to his beta versions for both platforms. I used it extensively on a recent trip to Iceland and had great success tagging my Canon 5D raw files. Which I then imported into Lightroom.

The equipment I use is a Canon 5D and a Garmin 60csx and a MacBook Pro. The software I use is, GPSBabel, IIP and Lightroom.

A quick version of my workflow is:

1. Shoot all day.

2. In the evening, download track files from GPS as a GPX file using GPSBabel (although now you can do this directly with IIP).

3. Download images from CF card to my prefered directory structure on my laptop and external drive (for backup) including renaming the files using IIP. During this process IIP makes a backup copy of each image and geotagges each primary image from the track log downloaded in step 2.

4. Import images into Lightroom leaving the files where IIP put them.

IIP does not create XMP sidecars for the GPS data, it uses exiftools to write directly to the Raw file metadata. There are pluses and minuses to both methods but I have never had a problem and the backup copy IIP makes does not get written to so you can always recover if the unforseen happens. Just like your image files you should also keep a backup of your GPS track files.

-Steve

Hi,

I have the same situation, but have not bought anything but the 5D. From what you are saying you can skip using GPSBabel, correct? The software IIP automatically embeds the info into the raw file after download? Does the IIP try to make them DNG files? I have iView but it sounds like you need Lightroom, correct? Any information would be so helpful, I am technology impaired but I try. Do you like your Garmin 60csx?

Thanks,

MS

(Marc Rochkind here, developer of ImageIngester.)

IIP does tagging and ingestion all in one step. It doesn't run GPSBabel if it's reading a GPX file, but it can also access Garmin devices via USB, for which it invokes GPSBabel behind-the-scenes. You don't have to install GPSBabel or otherwise fiddle with it.

GPS data is written directly into the ingested raw file. IIP can convert to DNG or not, as you prefer--it's an option.

There's lots more about IIP's GPS features on the the IIP web site (ImageIngester.com). Be sure to read the blog, where most of the info is.

(The Garmin 60CSx is an amazing device... highly recommended.)

--Marc

Got a Wintec WBT-201 data logger:
http://www.semsons.com/wiwbmu3gpsre2.html
http://www.skybert.de/hardware/reviews/wintec201.htm (in german)
http://www.wintec.com.tw/en/support_detail...1&support_id=65

Nice, very small and lightweight gadget.
You can write GPS data with the program Time Machine X into jpg files or there is a workaround with OziPhotoTool to write data into Canon raw files:
http://www.oziphototool.com/smf/index.php?topic=124.0

However, Canon digital photo professional seems to have problems to read the processed raw files.

Can anyone point me to any decent websites on Geotagging photos. Main thing is I am confused about what hardware I need, will a basic Garmin device be suitable. I will be tagging RAW files from a Canon 30D.

Thanks