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To geotag photos from a GPX track, match each photo’s capture time to the track’s time-stamped GPS positions, correct any camera-clock or time-zone difference, then write and verify the coordinates. Keep an untouched copy of your images and test a few before processing a whole folder.

What you need before geotagging

A GPX file does not identify which location belongs to each photo on its own. The matching depends on time: the software compares a photo’s capture timestamp with the track’s recorded times and assigns the corresponding position. If the photo time is missing or wrong, the resulting location can also be missing or wrong.

  • A GPX track containing time-stamped GPS fixes from the same trip.
  • Photos with accurate capture times, commonly stored as EXIF Date/Time Original or GPS Date/Time.
  • A geotagging tool that can read the track and write GPS metadata.
  • An untouched copy of the original photos before any batch metadata changes.

GPX is a widely used exchange format; Mapillary’s guidance calls it the most standard option and recommends checking that the recording device can export GPX. A phone app that records a track can be enough, so a dedicated GPS logger is not required.

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Sources: Mapillary, “Using a separate GPS device with your camera,” updated December 10, 2024; Mapillary Tools README.

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Choose a workflow that fits your photos

Option Best suited to What to consider
ExifTool Batch updates, automation, and varied track formats It is command-line software. Its documentation covers GPX and other track formats, interpolation, time correction, and file rewrite behavior.
Lightroom Classic Map module Photographers who already organize their images in Lightroom Classic A specialist guide describes loading a GPX track and tagging selected photos. Interface details may vary by version; consult Adobe’s current documentation for exact steps.
Mapillary Tools Preparing images for Mapillary GPX matching uses capture-time metadata and supports a time-offset option. This is a platform-oriented workflow rather than a general photo-library catalog.

ExifTool’s official documentation says its geotagging feature adds GPS tags to images using data from a GPS track log or another supported file containing GPS information. For any tool, check whether it writes coordinates into the image files or only into a catalog, how it handles backups, and how it treats time differences.

Sources: ExifTool, “Geotagging with ExifTool”; Mapillary Tools README; ShutterRoute, “Geotag photos from GPX: Lightroom, ExifTool”.

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Geotag a batch with ExifTool

ExifTool can use an image’s CreateDate as the matching time. Substitute your GPX filename and image path in this example:

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exiftool -geotag track.gpx "-geotime<createdate" -P image.jpg

You can provide a directory instead of a single image path to process a folder. ExifTool matches image times to track times and linearly interpolates positions between fixes when appropriate. Its documented default maximum distance is one half hour; the option can be configured. A photo outside the usable time span or beyond the allowed gap may not receive coordinates.

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  1. Make a working copy. Keep original files unchanged so you can recover if the wrong time field, offset, or track was used.
  2. Check the capture-time field. Confirm the photos contain correct timestamps. The command above uses CreateDate; if your images rely on another field, configure the match time accordingly rather than assuming all timestamp fields are interchangeable.
  3. Match a small sample first. Include photos from the start and end of the track and from any point where the camera clock was changed or a time-zone transition occurred.
  4. Apply a known time correction if needed. GPS track times are UTC, while camera timestamps may be local. ExifTool supports explicit time-zone values and Geosync for clock correction.
  5. Run the batch and inspect results. Check GPS metadata on representative images and confirm their plotted locations on a map before trusting the full set.

The -P option preserves the original file modification date when ExifTool rewrites a file. Without it, ExifTool notes that the modification time is updated.

Source: ExifTool, “Geotagging with ExifTool”.

Get the time match right

Time alignment is the most important part of the process. A consistent offset between camera and GPS times can shift every photo’s assigned position along the route. Compare the GPX timestamps with the photo metadata and determine the actual offset before writing coordinates; do not guess based on where a photo should appear.

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  • Time zone: GPS times are UTC; camera timestamps may be local. Confirm how the camera recorded time and how the selected software interprets it.
  • Clock error or drift: A camera clock may be consistently fast or slow, or may drift during a long outing. Use a known correction where possible.
  • Track coverage: Photos need to fall within a usable portion of the track. Missing fixes or long gaps can leave a position unavailable or make interpolation unsuitable.
  • Date rollover: Check the date as well as the hour, especially if camera and track timestamps appear to fall on different days.

Mapillary Tools documents --interpolation_offset_time in seconds for adjusting its GPX matching. It requires image capture-time metadata, with Date/Time Original or GPS Date/Time documented as minimum options. For Mapillary’s JPG/JPEG uploader, GPS longitude and latitude are also required.

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Source: Mapillary Tools README.

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Verify the coordinates before relying on them

After writing tags, inspect a few images from different points in the route. Confirm that the metadata contains latitude and longitude and that the mapped positions make sense for the trip. Pay particular attention to photos near track boundaries, long gaps between fixes, and any time correction. If you are preparing images for upload, verify the target service’s metadata requirements as well.

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Troubleshoot common mismatches

All photos appear shifted by a similar amount

Check the camera’s time zone and clock offset first. Compare a photo timestamp with the GPX time at a recognizable point in the trip, then apply the known difference using the tool’s time-correction setting.

Only some photos receive coordinates

Check for missing capture times, images outside the recorded track interval, and gaps between GPS fixes that exceed the tool’s permitted interpolation distance. ExifTool’s documented default maximum time distance is one half hour, and it can be changed through its options.

Photos have coordinates, but the locations are far off

Verify that the GPX belongs to the same trip and date. Then compare track and image timestamps for a clock drift, date rollover, or time-zone mismatch before running the write again.

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File modification dates changed

ExifTool updates the file modification time when rewriting unless you use -P to preserve it.

Source: ExifTool, “Geotagging with ExifTool”.

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