Can you recommend a good OS X app that adds GPS data to your photos after they were shot with a non-GPS DSLR camera? It is unfortunate that you can't do that in the Photos app (yet, hopefully). I already gave feedback to Apple to add this ability. I have used Adobe Bridge with coordinates from Google Maps, but the GPS coordinate format in Bridge is too technical and clumsy. Also when imported to Photos, the GPS location is a bit off. I don't want to use a GPS logger while I shoot neither. Thank you!
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Best App for adding GPS data since Photo App doesn't let you
- Thread starter sampdoria
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Just came on to find out the same exact thing. Hoping this is just a feature missing because of the beta tag. For now, I'm going to import into Aperture, do my tags, export, and then import into IPL.
Aside from getting a much better photo organizer editor than Photos (hint), try some software dedicated to geocoding.
I'd suggest HoudahGeo. You can add geolocation in several ways. First, you add files...and this might be tricky because of Photos. With iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom, HoudahGeo could look inside their libraries to find photos. Not so, yet at least, in Photos. But if your photos are referenced, or if they aren't yet copied into Photos (managed), then HoudahGeo processes them. You can add geotags from HoudahGeo's map(s), from GPX logs, or from the bar code used by gps4cam, a terrific app that runs on your iPhone. The data then gets written in various ways to your photos, so upon import to Photos the geotags are there.
Again, the problem with Photos (one of anyway) is that if you manage (i.e. copy) your photos into the Photos library at the present time they are inaccessible to other applications. Even if you reference photos, you'll probably have to re-import.
I'd suggest you take the hint and use something beside Photos.
I'd suggest HoudahGeo. You can add geolocation in several ways. First, you add files...and this might be tricky because of Photos. With iPhoto, Aperture and Lightroom, HoudahGeo could look inside their libraries to find photos. Not so, yet at least, in Photos. But if your photos are referenced, or if they aren't yet copied into Photos (managed), then HoudahGeo processes them. You can add geotags from HoudahGeo's map(s), from GPX logs, or from the bar code used by gps4cam, a terrific app that runs on your iPhone. The data then gets written in various ways to your photos, so upon import to Photos the geotags are there.
Again, the problem with Photos (one of anyway) is that if you manage (i.e. copy) your photos into the Photos library at the present time they are inaccessible to other applications. Even if you reference photos, you'll probably have to re-import.
I'd suggest you take the hint and use something beside Photos.
While HoudahGeo may do the job, it's $29. There are cheaper and easier apps such as Photo GeoTag, only $4.
Everyone who wants geotagging brought back, please take 30 seconds and send feedback here:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/photos.html
Yes, this is my workflow in the meantime- importing into iPhoto with "Copy items to the iPhoto Library" unchecked (Preferences/Advanced), geotagging photos, and then exporting as JPEGs with maximum quality. When exporting from iPhoto (and so does Geotag, as read in the reviews of this app), it re-compresses the jpgs to twice the size of the original.
I hear that the Photos app will allow extensions/plugins that can be written by 3rd party developers? Is this true? If so, I hope there is a developer out there willing to add geotagging to the Photos app, and make lots of $$$!
Photo GeoTag will recompress the file, and it may make it larger if you have "lossless data compression" enabled in the preferences. Uncheck that preference to make the file smaller.
As for Photos extensions or pluggins, I've heard nothing about it. What Apple might do is port the iOS geotagging technology to OS X for 3rd party developers. I'm watching for it!
As for Photos extensions or pluggins, I've heard nothing about it. What Apple might do is port the iOS geotagging technology to OS X for 3rd party developers. I'm watching for it!
Thx. I think I can play with the exporting quality in iPhoto to achieve the same effect.
Apple should just port the iPhoto geotagging technology to Photos and call it a day! Geez, what is their problem doing this...
Seriously! I'm hoping this was just a first-version omission and that geotagging will be added in soon enough. It was such a big deal in iPhoto and Aperture - it doesn't make sense for this to be a deliberate, permanent omission. Especially now that so many photos are taken on iPhones and iPads and are therefore automatically geotagged.
I also submitted feedback multiple times, and definitely agree that we should all take a few seconds to do that. Hopefully Apple will listen.
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Apple probably did this to encourage people to use iPhones for taking pictures. The iPhone will almost always add geo location to a photo. The lack of this feature has prompted me to check out Lightroom. Lightroom comes with a plug-in which imports an iPhoto library even. I'm 50% through the process of converting a copy of my iPhoto Library in to LightRoom. I also let apple know I want the feature and that I've started to evaluate lightroom as a possible replacement to photos app.
FYI, they've fixed this in the latest El Capitan betas. You can now add or edit location metadata, either for individual pictures or batch edit it for multiple pictures at once. You can also filter it via smart albums to see which photos need geolocation tagging. I'm running it right now, and it's been working just as you'd expect. They still haven't added the ability to see all your photos on a map, as far as I can tell, which is the main drag. But I'm glad that I can at least search by location and add/edit locations I've taken on my gps-less DSLR.
boston04and07, thanks very much for letting us know! I might stick it out with Photos a bit longer then and see how it evolves. Lightroom is 90% done importing my iPhoto library as I type. Main reason I had to move away from iPhoto was it stopped syncing with my iPhone and iPad and only Photos would sync.
The El Cap Photos, at least in beta 5, does have a map view. I think you get to it by clicking the city name in the view that groups photos by location. Not great, but kinda nice. I don't recall that you could just move 'em around, and batching with GPS data etc is still lacking, so if you have more than just basic needs a dedicated application might still be useful.
I forgot to mention exiftool, if you're handy with command line or scripting.
And if you use Lightroom, look at Jeffrey Friedl's geotagging plugin. It can do a LOT of stuff if you're heavy in navigation and/or geotagging.
I forgot to mention exiftool, if you're handy with command line or scripting.
And if you use Lightroom, look at Jeffrey Friedl's geotagging plugin. It can do a LOT of stuff if you're heavy in navigation and/or geotagging.