Map module Geotagging, new possibility.

[Martin van Gog]

Lightroom Version Number

Lightroom Classic : version 11.1

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I want to share a, for me, new possibility to geo-tag foto's. I don't remember which year it was, but suddenly the Google Maps API stopped working with other software applications, including LightRoom - Map module in Version 6.4.
But today it is nice to experience that the API from Google Maps and the Lightroom Map Module of Lightroom Classic (folder-based, subscription) works fine together.

I've found a solution that allows me to geotag my photos without spending a lot of money on a new camera with a built-in GPS or a GPS logger. Which by the way are available for few brands of camera's.

There is an app available for your smartphone (Android and iOS). The only condition is, of course, that your smartphone has a GPS function.
https://www.geotagphotos.net/

Here is a quick link to user guide;
https://www.geotagphotos.net/user-guide
The guide is comprehensive. So it takes quite some time to study it.

The app costs €11.99 in the Netherlands. (That includes a free desktop version; available for Windows, Mac and Linux).
That desktop version is a necessary intermediate station between the data of the app & Lightroom CC.

To be clear, I have no affiliation with the developer(s) of this software.
I just want to let the community know about this solution.

Greetings, Martin.
the Netherlands.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

The desktop version is not necessary at all. Such apps can create a tracklog (.gpx) file. Lightroom can read the tracklog and then tag the photos that you took while the log was created.

 

[Paul_DS256]

Thanks Martin. I use Geotagging as well for a couple of reasons:

• GPS, on a least older Nikon cameras, was a power hog and didn't always sync.
• GPS is not always available especially in dense woods.
• Apps like Geotagging will use both GPS and GSM. GSM is based on cell tower information. Not as accurate as GPS but gets the job done.

 

[Paul_DS256]

The desktop version is not necessary at all. Such apps can create a tracklog (.gpx) file.

Agreed. There is an option on the app for sending the GPX a number of ways. I usually email it to myself.

Also, here's a tip. Occasionally I forget that I've left Geotagging on and don't turn it off till long after I've completed my trek. The GPX is a text/tag format file and easily edited to remove those entries that are erroneous.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

The one I prefer for iOS is called ‘Arc’. It is not a special geotagging app, but an activity tracker that can generate a .gpx tracklog as well. The advantage of Arc is that it is very well designed and does not drain your phone battery, so you can keep it running indefinitely and let it make a daily tracklog. That means you can never forget to turn it on before you go out shooting, something that happened to me every now and then when I was using GeotagPhotos.

 

[Martin van Gog]

The app I mentioned. Geotag Photos Pro 2, does not need a data connection during operation, So the location will not be based on GSM data.
Quate userguide:
"GPS’s traditionally cause extreme battery drain. In fact, most apps which use a GPS can completely drain your phone battery in just a few hours; but, this isn’t the case with Geotag Photos Pro as we’ve implemented a number of power saving mechanisms that enable you to use the app for an entire day.

Geotag Photos Pro doesn’t use the GPS module continuously. It needs to be running in the background to work, but it uses the GPS only when the position needs to be recorded. Of course, you can choose the interval of how often the app records your position and in-between these times, it reverts to minimal power. This freedom means you can adjust the logging interval to your exact needs and it allows you to achieve a perfect balance between accuracy (a shorter logging interval) and battery life (a longer logging interval).

When you’re inside a building the GPS signal is usually blocked. Geotag Photos Pro recognizes this and, in such situations, doesn’t constantly try and obtain a fix and hasten your battery drain; instead, it switches into power-saving mode and then starts logging once again when you move outside."

Is there in your bag no room for a (solar) powerbank?

The same userguide describes a specific Lightroom workflow,
For other programs the desktop version can be used to write the GPS data into EXIF of a file or create a XMP sidecard.

Martin.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Yes, Geotag Photos Pro 2 also does not drain your battery too much, so it can run most of the day. I have used it for some time and I liked it a lot. But you do need to start and stop it to record a tracklog, and that was my problem. I sometimes simply forgot to start it, so I would find out too late that for at least part of my day I was missing a tracklog.

That’s what I like about Arc. It runs 24/7 and automatically saves daily or monthly tracklogs. You can never forget to do anything, because you don’t need to do anything. I do not think there is an Android version, however.

 

[Paul_DS256]

The app I mentioned. Geotag Photos Pro 2, does not need a data connection during operation, So the location will not be based on GSM data.

You don't need a data connection for GSM. I don't have a data plan on my iPhone and it can grab the cell tower info.