PhotoKML is a small (<300K download) Java application (PC and Mac) that takes a folder full of geotagged photos, and creates a KML file with points linked to moderate-sized thumbnails of those photos. Interface is simple; select a folder containing georeferenced photos, and a folder where you want to save the KMZ file:
Make sure the “Yes” button is selected at the top. While the program says it’s able to georeference photos using a GPS file, the only format it accepts is the “.trk” format. If you have your track in a more standard format like GPX, good luck finding a program that can convert it to the “trk” format (I couldn’t even get GPSBabel to work). If you want the point icons in Google Earth to be mini-versions of the pictures instead of pushpins, check the box at the bottom.
Click “Generate KML”, and you’ll have your KMZ file in a few seconds; you’ll have to open it manually in Google Earth:
Nothing fancy, but PhotoKML does the job quickly and easily.
Other posts in the Photo GeoTagging series
- Geotagging Photos With iTag
- Using GPS Data To Geotag Photos: The Basics
- GPS Photo GeoTagging I - Two Simple Solutions
- Photo GeoTagging II - Locr
- A GUI For Fixing the GPSVersionID EXIF Tag
- Photo GeoTagging III - WMMX Location Stamper
- Photo GeoTagging IV - GPicSync
- Prune - Java-Based GPS Track Visualization And Photo GeoTagging
- Labeling Geotagged Photos With Coordinates and Time
- Geographic Photo Albums With Picopolo
- Modifying EXIF Headers (Including Geocoding) With TagMyJPGs
- GeoSetter: The Best Free Photo Geotagging App?
- Stamping Geotagged Photos With XMP Location And Coordinates
- Prune Updated: Now With Automated Photo Geotagging For Windows, Mac, And Linux
- Geotagging Photos With GPSed
- Microsoft’s New Photo Geotagging Tool
- Two Photo Geotagging Briefs
- Simple Geotagged Photo KML File Creator For PC/Mac
- The Simplest Windows Photo GeoTagging Tool
It doesn’t seem to work for me on Mac OS 10.5.3. :(
When I try to load photos I know are 100% geotagged, it doesn’t let me open them.
It’s a shame, as I don’t always want to export to KML/KMZ from iPhoto all the time.
Anybody else had this problem?
Sorbus
Don’t have a Mac, so I’m not able to answer your question about why PhotoKML doesn’t work for you. Have you tried Prune:
http://freegeographytools.com/2008/prune-updated-now-with-automated-photo-geotagging-for-windows-mac-and-linux
or GPicSync:
http://freegeographytools.com/2007/photo-geotagging-iv-gpicsync
Supposedly, both are Mac OS X compatible.
I got a bit confused with the interface, because it doesn’t like my geotagged images… It does indeed load the files, but the export function appears broken. I tagged them with GPS-PhotoLinker as it has the easiest and Mac friendliest interface: http://oregonstate.edu/~earlyj/gpsphotolinker/
Somehow PhotoKML doesn’t detect the geotag in the EXIF stamps, even though iPhoto, Preview and several Windows geotagging programs read them okay. It will still create a KMZ file, but when decompressed as a ZIP, there’s no KML file inside – Google Earth therefore won’t show anything. Having Googled this, it seems as though this is a common problem.
Thanks for the other links, I’ll see if they work well with my other programs!