Add geotagging to any camera for free
Ever since I got my DSLR, I’ve wanted to geotag my photos. Unfortunately, the GPS module for the Nikon D7000 is expensive, bulky, and has mixed reviews. Instead of using the bulky Nikon GPS unit, you can use your cell phone. This works for any brand of camera, even point and shoot models.
Synchronize the date/time
The first step is to make sure your cell phone and camera are set to the same date, time, and time zone. Syncing the time on the two devices will ensure your photos are tagged correctly.
Log your photo shoot
Before starting your photo shoot, start a GPS recording app, such as the free My Tracks. Wait to get a good GPS signal. Leave the app running during your entire shoot. This will track where you are with your camera.
When you are done taking photos, save your GPS track to your computer. My Tracks makes this easy by syncing with your Google Drive. Sometimes this doesn’t work automatically and you need to choose the Export option. Open your Google Drive and download the file.
Convert your .kml to .gpx
My Tracks exports kml files. Most software expects a gpx file. To quickly and easily convert your kml to gpx, use the GPS Visualizer converter page.
Apply your track to your photos
I like to use Adobe Lightroom. If you don’t have Lightroom, you can use Pictomio for free.
In Lightroom, select the photos from your shoot in the Library section.
Go to the Map section, then load your gpx file by going to Map→Tracklog→Load Tracklog….
Click the tracklog icon and select Auto-Tag Selected Photo.
BAM! Your photos are now geotagged and you didn’t even have to buy anything! Yay!
A good alternative to GPS Vizualizer program is this free converter http://gpx2kml.com/ that can make gpx to kml files and the other way around, when needed. If you want to try it, upload files and see the converted files.
Another alternative is photoplace. Have a look http://www.photoplace.io
Would love to see a free lightning sensor. Would that be hard to do? Love your blog by the way!