Geotagging with an iPhone 3G or 3GS
Earlier in the year I explained how you could use a little device to geotag photos for use with iPhoto. Last week when I upgraded my first generation iPhone to the new 3GS, I realized a much easier way to accomplish the same thing.
If you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS you can very easily geotag photos in iPhoto. Make sure you have “Location Services” turned on (iPhone settings under “general”) and then, while you’re out taking pictures, just take one with your iPhone camera. Using the built in GPS, the picture you take will be properly geotagged.
Just two simple steps. No extra software needed.
When you get back to your computer and are uploading everything into iPhoto, ⌘-click on the picture taken with your iPhone and select “Copy.” Then, select all of the picture you took with your other, non-GPS camera, and then ⌘-click and select “Paste Location.” All of your photos will be automatically geotagged and be available on the “Places” map in iPhoto.
It’s that simple.
The geotagging method you describe certainly works, but is also very labour intensive. I bought the GeoLogTag app which automates the whole process.
1. GeoLogTag tracks my location while I take my photos
2. GeoLogTag geotags my photos once they are on my Mac (over WiFi btw)
3. When I import my photos in iPhoto they automatically show up in Places
The GeoLogTag home page is at http://www.galarina.eu/GeoLogTag/Home.html
Thanks for the input Greyson. I thought about that app, but the downside to using it is it has to constantly be running on your iPhone. Using the method I describe, you can use the phone as a phone/iPod/etc while you are taking pictures. Both methods work very well when it comes to geotagging, it really comes down to user preference.
I’m the developer of the GeoLogTag iPhone app and I see a lot of visitors on my website coming from this page
I just wanted to add that there is now also a free version of GeoLogTag available that gives you the possibility to try out the app. The free version is fully functional except for the fact that logged locations are automatically deleted after 2 hours.
App Store link: http://itunes.com/apps/galarina
Greyson,
How did you make it work? I can not find the pull down menus.
Which version of iPhoto are you using. I can not get any pull down menus to look like yours. Are you perhaps in the edit process?
Wow! It really does work. You should be an APP developer. So many of these geo tagging programs are way out there. You MUST be very proud of yourself!!!
I’m far from an app developer, just someone looking for shortcuts to things I like to do. Glad you found it useful. And to answer your original question, this is using iPhoto ’09, which is the first version which supports locations through geotagged metadata.
OK Justin, let me come clean. There is no way this actually works or I am an idiot and so are thousands of others that are looking for a simple answer of iphone geo to any camera. Tell me specifically where you get these pull down menus from. I have tried everywhere and I think every other Canon owner would know about this. I tried your clicking. I sent the message to see if you are real.
Just as the post says, cmd-click in iPhoto on the picture you took with your iPhone and you’ll get the option to copy the location. Then, cmd-click on the picture(s) you want to copy it to. You must be using iPhoto ’09.