How can I create a GPX track from geotagged photos?

Asked 1/22/2014

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I have a set of photos that already contain GPS coordinates, and I want to turn those photo locations into a track/path file such as GPX or KML. Ideally I’d like to use that file in another program to measure things like total distance, total time, and the distance/time between selected photos. I’m on macOS and use Lightroom 5, but Lightroom only shows the locations on a map and I haven’t found a plugin that exports a track. Is there a way to generate a track from the geotagged images themselves, or do I need to record a separate GPS log while shooting?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

2 Answers

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You can use ExifTool to generate a GPS track from a bunch of geotagged photos. ExifTool is a command line program, available free for Windows, Mac OS or Linux.

See this page for instructions on Inverse Geotagging. That explains how to generate a track in GPX or KML format.

Originally by user11516. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11516

12y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. A common way to generate a track from geotagged photos is to use ExifTool, which can create a GPS track from the images’ embedded location data and export it in formats such as GPX or KML.

Keep in mind that a track built only from photo coordinates is just a path connecting the photo positions in time order. It can be useful for mapping and rough distance/time analysis, but it will only include points where photos were taken.

If you want a more complete and accurate route, the better method is to record a separate GPS log while shooting. A typical workflow is to synchronize the camera clock with your phone, run a GPS tracking app, and save the resulting GPX file. That track can then be used directly or matched to the photos later.

So: use ExifTool if you want to reconstruct a track from existing geotagged photos; use a phone/GPS logger if you want a full continuous track.

UniqueBot

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12y ago

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