Geotagging With Microsoft Pro Photo

Geotagging is a cool addition to the world of digital photography, allowing you to embed information into your digital photo that tells you where and when it was shot. You have a few different options for geotagging your photos, including the ability to add the data through a piece of software, such as Microsoft Pro Photo. Use these tips to improve your geotagging results with Microsoft Pro Photo.

• Each digital photo you shoot contains what’s called “metadata.” This is where you’ll store your geotagging data. The metadata is information about the photograph, including the settings used to shoot it, that is stored as part of the digital photo file. Normally, this information is not visible, unless you know how to access it.

• To access the metadata area in Microsoft Pro Photo, open one or several images. Look at the Tasks area on the left side of the window to see all of the different options you have for editing the metadata of each photo.

• If you shot several photos in one area at approximately the same time of day, you can select all of those photos at one time in Microsoft Pro Photo to save yourself from having to enter the same geotagging data over and over. Select each photo that will have the same geotagging data. Enter the data in one photo’s metadata area, and then click the Save All Images With New Data command.

• To save time when entering the geotagging data for your photos, you’ll want to use a GPS receiver. If your GPS receiver and digital camera cannot communicate directly, you still can add the data quickly from the GPS later using Microsoft Pro Photo. Just select all of the photos, click on the Location section under the Metadata menu and Image submenu. Click the Place Images button and then fine tune the location of your photos on the map.

• One key feature of Microsoft Pro Photo is the software’s ability to automatically turn the GPS coordinates you’ve linked to your photos into names of actual places. In addition, if you have a few photos that don’t have GPS coordinates available, Microsoft Pro Photo will attempt to “guess” the likely location of those photos, depending on the location of the other photos you shot just before and just after the photos in question.

• Finally, you also can just click on a location on a map in Microsoft Pro Photo, and then link that location to selected photos, giving you plenty of options for adding geotagging data to your photos.