Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Adobe Lightroom Q&A => Topic started by: jljonathan on June 13, 2012, 09:58:00 pm
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Is anyone using a stand alone GPS tracker/tagger gadget for tagging their images once input into Lightroom on a Mac that they can recommend. I travel and shoot, and when I get home I would like to be able to add the gps data to the images. I don't use a cell phone, so it must be stand alone, preferably with a screen, to that I don't always have to hook up to a computer to change settings. Also, good battery life and strong sensitivity are a must.
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You could use a GPS tracker like the Wintec WBT-201 and sync tracks and images with Geosetter.
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Wintec
http://www.geosetter.de/en/
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I have a small Garmin which attaches directly to my Nikons (via the cable release). I'm not sure Canon shooters have many inexpensive choices.
Do you know Lightroom 4 lets you add GPS values by dragging images to a map or by reading a GPX track?
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Hi,
as I carry a iPhone with me all the time, I installed a great app called GeoTagg photo pro / www.tappytaps.com.
This app allows me to very simply synchronise the date and time wit the camera. After the recording of the location, it will create a gpx-file which can simply be installed ionto Lr for tagging all images. I used it for several tours now and can it it works great and without any flaws.
Robert
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I use an iphone app too (motionX GPS). The nice thing about using a phone is that you can email the track to yourself so you don't need to attach the GPS to the PC and download files. If attaching the GPS to your computer each time you want to geotag is okay with you, then any tracking GPS will work. I also use a waterproof Garmin eTrex Vista HCX. I think they are somewhat cheap now ($195) and the two aa batteries last over 12 hours in tracklog mode. This one is probably the cheapest base-GPS with an LCD screen and USB capability. http://www.rei.com/product/825490/garmin-etrex-10-gps
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iPhone and Geotag Photo Pro for me.
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I use one of those $50 knockoff devices (eBay shipped from Hong Kong) that sit atop the hot shoe and plug into the camera. Works great – although it's not OEM, it geotags all my images perfectly.
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I've used Garmin with great success. Whilst driving it sits on the dash board and tells me where to go (or where I am). When I get to where I am I change it to pedestrian mode and throw it in my backpack so that it keeps track of where I walk. When I get home I plug it into the computer using USB and run GPSbabel to convert the Garmin files to GPX and then import those with Lightroom for matching and geotagging.
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I have a Garmin eTrex Legend that I purchased several years ago, long before LR4. I set it to record a track, and toss it into my backpack. Later, I download (using Garmin's supplied software) the *.gpx file, suck it into LR, and voila! I have geotaging.
It wasn't a cheap GPS, but it seems to have pretty good sensitivity. It even works in some buildings, let alone in deep canyons.
Tom
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The garmin hiking GPSes are some of the most sensitive. I turned mine on and left it in a bag on the floor of the backseat of my car, under a bunch of stuff. It still managed to track me all day long. It's a much better GPS than my iPhone though the iPhone is much more convenient and user-friendly.
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Is the Garmin (what models?), or for that matter the knock off mentioned, Mac friendly? I'm on a Mac here and have heard about problems with the software and the files.
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I use a Qstarz QT-1000XT, small rechargeable, battery will last for several days and it uses a standard Nokia cell phone batter so it is easy to get and carry spares, very fast lock and is easy to use with Lightroom. just download and save the track file and point lightroom to it.
Alan
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i have been using a Sony GPS-CS3KA tracker - works great.
it uses rechargeable battery, put that inside my backpack, turn it on and that's it. battery last 1,5 day on average.
it generates .log file that I then convert to .gpx with a freeware called loadmytracks.
I then import pix and log file into houdah geo for geotag and reverse geocode, so that I can write gps coordinates and location name into the file.
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With the Garmin's I think they say windows only, but that is only if you want to use their mapping software. The GPS will mount its memory as a FAT32 drive when plugged in through USB2. I am nearly certain that this not dependent on OS (you don't have different memory sticks for windows and mac).
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Is the Garmin (what models?), or for that matter the knock off mentioned, Mac friendly?
If you attach the Garmin to the camera, that question isn't relevant - the GPS data is written directly into the EXIF data by the camera.
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I don't know if attaching it is possible with the Sony Nex-7. I also shoot with a Canon 1dsIII; maybe it can be attached to that. How are these usually attached to a camera?
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Once you're using 2 cameras, the idea of plugging the unit directly into the camera is not so viable. And I don't know about Sony, but Canons typically require an expensive device. You're probably in tracklog territory.
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The one I use is a standalone device nothing is attached to the camera, after the trip or on each day download the log file and let lightroom apply the coordinates, that works well, just make sure your camera time is accurate.
Alan
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What are you using, and is it and the logs Mac friendly?
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It generates standard nmea log files, the software that comes with it looks to be Windows only, make it will work under Parallels or something like that, I don't use Macs so it is not an issue for me, but this is the model:
http://www.qstarz.com/Products/GPS%20Products/BT-Q1000XT-F.htm
Alan
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It generates standard nmea log files,
I am pretty sure that Lightroom 4 only reads *.gpx files, but there are a number of freely available...and free...routines to convert nmea logs to gpx logs. Not a biggie, but one more step to take into account.
Tom Frerichs
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I've been using a Garmin Etrex Legend for a few years now and it's been perfect in all terrain. I bought a little strap that attaches it to my backpack; turn it on at the trailhead, mark my car's position (in case I get lost!) and forget about it. Later I just connect via USB, download the tracklog, import to Lightroom 4 and the rest takes seconds. The only other thing I do is sync my camera clock to the Mac with EOS Utility before each trip to keep the log coordinates accurate -- My Canon 5DmkII loses about 4 seconds/wk. The Garmin cost about $125.
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We are making this much harder than it needs to be.
ANY TRACKING GPS will work. Almost all will output .gpx files. Yes, you can convert between formats.
The tricky part of geotagging is getting your gpx file onto the computer and then having a utility to synchronize the tracklog times with the timestamps in the exif data. Nikon has an accessory that does this in-camera. Most other SLRs don't have a similar acccessory. I think Canon just announced one but neither the canon nor the nikon one is reasonably priced. LR4 or 5 will geotag. Breeze systems Downloader Pro will also. Nice thing about downloader pro is that if you forget to sync times between GPS and camera, you can set a time zone offset or a seconds offset. Very useful when traveling. Finally, Robogeo is a nice utility for tagging images after you are done processing them.
Another note: RAW files cannot be tagged by third party utilities (LR, downloader, robogeo, etc...) These get tagged in an xmp sidecar file. Jpegs on the other hand can have geotagging info added to exif without problems or lossy recompression.
Get a gps and start messing aronud.
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I've been using gps4cam on iPhone (also available for android) with great success:
http://thejohnha.blogspot.com/2012/05/gps4cam-iphone-and-android-app.html
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Are you using a Mac? This seems to be somewhat of a problem as to getting the files onto the computer with many of these units. Also, if shooting RAW, you are saying that a sidecar file must be generated in LR, and just how does one get the data into the sidecar file?
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iPhone and Geotag Photo Pro for me.
Ditto for me.
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Lightroom 4 will read the GPX file that all the GPS unit generate and apply the data to the sidecar files, you will see them show in Lightoom. It will also show the track on a map on the map screen and indicate where your photos were taken. Just synch you camera to the current accurate time and the software will figure it out from there. Before Lightroom 4 I used to use Breezebrowser or a free utility called GeoTag.
Alan
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How do you get the gpx file into lightroom on a Mac? As I mentioned, some were saying the getting the data onto a Mac was their biggest problem.
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How do you get the gpx file into lightroom on a Mac? As I mentioned, some were saying the getting the data onto a Mac was their biggest problem.
I am not a mac person, so I can't comment directly, but most of the GPSs have a USB mode that mounts them as a FAT32 drive. Some have internal micro SD cards that could be removed and read in a card reader. I think Mac can handle those scenarios. I think where the confusion comes is if you want to setup your device's software to interface it's GPS signal through a serial port to do active map tracking on the computer. THIS isn't supported by Mac.
Furthermore, if you use a GPS with an iPhone or Android device, you can email or dropbox the GPX file to you machine.
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I haven't tried importing a gpx file directly into Lightroom, but the gps4cam solution embeds the gps data into the raw files directly, which I like. Cleaner than having a bunch of sidecar files for this.
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I haven't tried importing a gpx file directly into Lightroom, but the gps4cam solution embeds the gps data into the raw files directly, which I like. Cleaner than having a bunch of sidecar files for this.
Are you sure about this? I didn't think that was possible given the proprietary nature of raw formats. I was under the impression that all metadata that was part of an adobe product (LR, Bridge, etc...) (aside from shot data recorded by the camera) was in either the LR catalog or in XMP sidecar files.
JPG, on the other hand, has a standards-based metadata field that can be written by any app.
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Are you sure about this? I didn't think that was possible given the proprietary nature of raw formats. I was under the impression that all metadata that was part of an adobe product (LR, Bridge, etc...) (aside from shot data recorded by the camera) was in either the LR catalog or in XMP sidecar files.
JPG, on the other hand, has a standards-based metadata field that can be written by any app.
I'm pretty sure. The software has two components, a mobile app and a desktop app. The mobile app creates a QR code that you photograph with your camera. Then the desktop app processes all of the raw files. I import these raw files into Lightroom and the gps data is there. I could be missing something, but it appears that it changes the raw files directly.
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Are you sure about this? I didn't think that was possible given the proprietary nature of raw formats.
It's perfectly possible. Adobe (and others) just don't think it's a good idea.
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Hi,
I myself use an i-blue 747 pro S with a MTK II chipset (more or less identical to the Qstarz bt-Q1000). It has no Mac support.
To use this device with my mac I use BT747 (http://www.bt747.org/fr), a java crossplatform program.
The problem with these devices on mac is, if I understand correctly, the interfacing of the chipset. A serial interface is expected, which has to be emulated over usb or bluetooth.
You have to download a special driver (https://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/Pages/USBtoUARTBridgeVCPDrivers.aspx) to do this.
The program is very feature-rich but you need to delve into some intricacies of GPS positioning, AGPS, precision, frequency etc. Very interesting to learn though.
BT747 can address more features than the manufacturer claims the device has. Also like gpsbabel, it outputs many file types like .gpx needed for Lr.
Even altitude shows up in Lr (I thought GPS coordinates in Lr were only horizontal, but I could be wrong). In the Netherlands we have many places with negative altitude (below sea level), but have to test it as my lowest recorded value yet is 5 metres.
Jaap
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Another vote for the 747 from here.
If you can get software that will generate gpx files from it for your Mac, it's a great logger. Fast to lock on, very accurate, small and cheap too.
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How do you get the gpx file into lightroom on a Mac? As I mentioned, some were saying the getting the data onto a Mac was their biggest problem.
I can get the gpx file from a very old Garmin etrex vista into my Mac but cannot get LR to read the file. It throws up an "error loading track log" message. These track logs work perfectly with the Anquet mapping on the Mac so I do not understand why LR will not read them.
My Garmin has a serial output so I need a converter.
This is how I go about the process:
Record a tracklog on the Garmin.
Use a Triplite (Keyspan) USA-19HS adaptor which enables me to connect the serial port to the Mac with a USB connection to the Mac.
Use GPSBabel to translate the Garmin output into a GPX file. See attached screen shot. It can be downloaded free from http://www.gpsbabel.org/ donations are appreciated.
So I get a GPX file on the Mac but the snag is LR refuses to read it. You may have better luck.
Can anyone explain why these GPX files may not work?
Peter
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[Note, what I have done doesn't appear to help the OP as a mac user, but I'm throwing it out for others....]
When LR4 arrived with the Map module I was very stoked about adding this capability. I currently have three bodies and none of them natively support GPS.
I ended up selecting this one:
http://www.amazon.com/i-gotU-USB-Travel-Sports-Logger/dp/B0035VESMC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1341963235&sr=8-3&keywords=i-got+gps
Mainly because it is so small (1.25x1.25x.5 in), and also because it only uses battery when you are moving. The battery has lasted me 4 days at one point.
I use the software that comes with it to create a GPX file which then loads easily into LR. It's magic! Just love this mapping capability.
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I can get the gpx file from a very old Garmin etrex vista into my Mac but cannot get LR to read the file. It throws up an "error loading track log" message. These track logs work perfectly with the Anquet mapping on the Mac so I do not understand why LR will not read them.
My Garmin has a serial output so I need a converter.
This is how I go about the process:
Record a tracklog on the Garmin.
Use a Triplite (Keyspan) USA-19HS adaptor which enables me to connect the serial port to the Mac with a USB connection to the Mac.
Use GPSBabel to translate the Garmin output into a GPX file. See attached screen shot. It can be downloaded free from http://www.gpsbabel.org/ donations are appreciated.
So I get a GPX file on the Mac but the snag is LR refuses to read it. You may have better luck.
Can anyone explain why these GPX files may not work?
Peter
You could try to open a .gpx file that works fine with Lightroom and the one that won't load with a text editor (TextEdit, TextWrangler or any other) and see what's different.
I've attached a screen copy of a working .gpx file.
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Take a look here (http://www.validome.org/xml/validate/).You can upload your gpx (XML) to see if it passes a validity check.
Furthermore there is gpx 1.0 and 1.1. I am not sure if Lr supports gpx 1.1, it does support 1.0 so make sure your file is written in gpx 1.0 if your software allows you to choose. AFAIK 1.1 is not necessarily better.
Hope this helps.
Jaap
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Hi,
as I carry a iPhone with me all the time, I installed a great app called GeoTagg photo pro / www.tappytaps.com.
This app allows me to very simply synchronise the date and time wit the camera. After the recording of the location, it will create a gpx-file which can simply be installed ionto Lr for tagging all images. I used it for several tours now and can it it works great and without any flaws.
Robert
This works for me too. I downloaded it last night and tested it on a walk today.
It is worth looking at the user guide http://www.geotagphotos.net/docs/geotagphotos-userguide-2011-01.pdf
I used iTunes to transfer the gpx file to my Mac as is described on page12 (I think!) under GPX Export of Trips.
Loaded this into LR and it worked perfectly.
Good solution for Mac users.
Take a look here (http://www.validome.org/xml/validate/).You can upload your gpx (XML) to see if it passes a validity check.
Furthermore there is gpx 1.0 and 1.1. I am not sure if Lr supports gpx 1.1, it does support 1.0 so make sure your file is written in gpx 1.0 if your software allows you to choose. AFAIK 1.1 is not necessarily better.
Hope this helps.
Jaap
I looked at my file from the Babel translation using the Garmin and it is indeed in the 1.1 format. I will see if I can find a way of changing this to 1.0.
The Geotag PhotoPro file is 1.0.
Geotag allows the user to select the frequency at which new points are plotted and I found at 5 minute intervals my iPhone battery drain was quite low. Far lower than it is using my previous Tracklogs with Anquet mapping.
Peter
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Just in case this helps someone:
I searched this thread and see no mention of the free Garmin program called LoadMy Tracks (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/loadmytracks/id402469463?mt=12) which I use to pull tracks from my Garmin eTrex to my Mac. LR4 reads this and tags all the images in a few seconds. Prior to LR4 I had to use GPS Babel and all kinds of cumbersome methods and needed to tag the RAW files before importing. LR4 Map Module is the best solution yet, saves a great deal of time and I can tag the images whenever I want. It literally takes about 15 seconds from connecting the eTrex via USB. Hope this helps.
David
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Just in case this helps someone:
I searched this thread and see no mention of the free Garmin program called LoadMy Tracks (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/loadmytracks/id402469463?mt=12) which I use to pull tracks from my Garmin eTrex to my Mac. LR4 reads this and tags all the images in a few seconds. Prior to LR4 I had to use GPS Babel and all kinds of cumbersome methods and needed to tag the RAW files before importing. LR4 Map Module is the best solution yet, saves a great deal of time and I can tag the images whenever I want. It literally takes about 15 seconds from connecting the eTrex via USB. Hope this helps.
David
Helped me David, thanks. Much simpler than going through Babel as you say.
I have a lot of old routes on my mapping system that consist of numerous waypoints. I can turn these into gpx files but Lightroom will not read them. I think I need to convert them into tracks rather than routes. Does anyone know if this is possible? It seems the only way I can geotag my older photos.
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Can yuo tell us the name of it, or post a link, or PM it to me, I'd like to try one but don't want to spend $$$$
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Helped me David, thanks. Much simpler than going through Babel as you say.
I have a lot of old routes on my mapping system that consist of numerous waypoints. I can turn these into gpx files but Lightroom will not read them. I think I need to convert them into tracks rather than routes. Does anyone know if this is possible? It seems the only way I can geotag my older photos.
I'm thinking Babel would be your best bet to convert the data. I just did a search at the GPS Babel site (http://www.gpsbabel.org/htmldoc-development/filter_transform.html) with just the keywords 'convert, route, track' and found something close to what you're talking about. You might have to do some research, dig into the command line etc. Make a pot of coffee. Good Luck!
David
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I'm thinking Babel would be your best bet to convert the data. I just did a search at the GPS Babel site (http://www.gpsbabel.org/htmldoc-development/filter_transform.html) with just the keywords 'convert, route, track' and found something close to what you're talking about. You might have to do some research, dig into the command line etc. Make a pot of coffee. Good Luck!
David
Thanks David but I'm afraid all this command line stuff is a bit beyond me. I'm a retired mechanical engineer and computing is not my forté. I will however enjoy the coffee. I was hoping I could just tick a few boxes in Babel.
Peter
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Thanks David but I'm afraid all this command line stuff is a bit beyond me. I'm a retired mechanical engineer and computing is not my forté. I will however enjoy the coffee. I was hoping I could just tick a few boxes in Babel.
Peter
Peter,
I understand. I did a Google search and quickly found this free mac program (http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Utilities/RouteConverter.shtml) that looks promising. I haven't tried it but it can't hurt to have a look... There are probably numerous solutions out there. If this one doesn't pan out you could post on a GPS forum. There are lots of folks out there that are seriously into GPS, well beyond the simple needs of photographers.
Then again if you've already lost interest I understand that too :)
David
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Peter,
I understand. I did a Google search and quickly found this free mac program (http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Utilities/RouteConverter.shtml) that looks promising. I haven't tried it but it can't hurt to have a look... There are probably numerous solutions out there. If this one doesn't pan out you could post on a GPS forum. There are lots of folks out there that are seriously into GPS, well beyond the simple needs of photographers.
Then again if you've already lost interest I understand that too :)
David
I'll keep at it for a while. I hate to give up but looking at the Babel site I'm not sure if it is possible to use the command line options on a Mac. But as I said I don't understand this stuff too well. I have had a go at asking the Babel community so it will be interesting to see if they reply as quickly as folk do here on LuLa.
Peter
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I use one of these with reasonable success....
http://www.holux.com/JCore/en/products/products_content.jsp?pno=394
Read the track from device using the supplied software, point it at a folder of images and they will be geotaged based on the capture time. It's important to make sure the camera time is good. It uses Google Maps to view the tracks.
Rechargable battery lasts all day and it is small enough clip onto clothing/rucsac/belt.
Mine is very fast to find satellites and is very sensitive.
Only drawback is that the software only works with jpegs - so I now shoot with RAW + tiny Jpeg.
Attached are some images of the interface and details of a recent shoot for the Round the Island Race!
RzB
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Just in case this helps someone:
I searched this thread and see no mention of the free Garmin program called LoadMy Tracks (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/loadmytracks/id402469463?mt=12) which I use to pull tracks from my Garmin eTrex to my Mac.
David
Can you let me know which model eTrex you're using, and does it need a special adapter to connect to the Mac USB? I read that it has a serial output and needs something to connect. Do you have the problem? And, can you describe the series of steps you use to load into lightroom and sync with the import.
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Can you let me know which model eTrex you're using, and does it need a special adapter to connect to the Mac USB? I read that it has a serial output and needs something to connect. Do you have the problem? And, can you describe the series of steps you use to load into lightroom and sync with the import.
My LR4 Geotagging Workflow:
1. Garmin eTrex Legened HCX (hanging off photo-pack) turned on at location
2. Load photos into LR4
3. Connect Garmin eTrex to Mac via USB to Mini-USB cable.
4. Launch free Garmin 'LoadMy Tracks' application - select 'Tracks' and click on 'Acquire' button (I created a folder called 'GPS Tracks' in 'Documents' which it now remembers each time)
5. In LR4 Map Module click on the track icon and select 'Load Tracklog...' - direct it to the directory/file you chose above.
6. Select all your images - click on the track icon and select 'Auto-Tag Photos' - it will complete this in a few seconds as opposed to the 20 minutes it used to take with all the 3rd party solutions I tried before.
That's it!
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Thanks for the very complete explanation. I just might try one of those Garmins, and follow your instructions. Do you think that one of the less costly eTrex models would work as well; like the venture hc? $230 was a little more than I wanted to spend.
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Thanks for the very complete explanation. I just might try one of those Garmins, and follow your instructions. Do you think that one of the less costly eTrex models would work as well; like the venture hc? $230 was a little more than I wanted to spend.
In short I'd say the answer is yes. I paid $130US in 2008 for my Garmin eTrex Legened HCX. It just hangs on my pack and I've never had a problem with it. I don't navigate with it other than to mark my car when I'm in unfamiliar wilderness. It's helped me a couple times. I believe the fancy hand-held models are popular with folks into Geocaching.
One last thing worth mentioning: When you use a GPS for geotagging it's a good idea to synchronize your camera clock to a time-server (which these days is every computer connected to the internet) regularly. The closer the camera clock is to the satellites the more accurate the coordinates. I do this with my Canons before each trip using EOS Utility. It only takes a few seconds. It's extremely important for what I'm shooting but for landscape or general photography maybe not so much. Just be aware of the variable:-)