How to geotag photos from a GPS track
Cameras store when a frame was taken. A phone or logger stores where you were at that time. Photo geotagging from a GPS track (or GPX file) joins those two facts and writes coordinates into the photo files.
1. Capture a track that covers the shoot
Start recording before the first frame. Use your iPhone, a Garmin, a handheld GPS, or any device that can export a standard GPX. Sparse tracks still work if the matcher can interpolate between points; dense city walking benefits from a steadier fix rate.
2. Fix the camera clock (most failures live here)
GPS timestamps are usually trustworthy. Camera clocks drift, ignore daylight saving, or sit in the wrong timezone. Photograph your phone’s lock screen once, or note the offset, and apply it before matching. A four-minute error moves every pin along the route; a wrong timezone moves them by whole hours.
3. Match photos to the track by capture time
Load the folder of JPEG, HEIC, or RAW files and the track. Good tools show confidence for each frame and let you widen or narrow the match window. Frames that still miss can be placed by hand on the map.
4. Write metadata into the files
Confirm you are writing EXIF GPS (and place names if offered), not only a pin inside one photo library. Library-only locations can vanish on export. Prefer a backup of originals before in-place writes.
5. What this is not
A live GPS stamp camera overlays address text on new photos as you shoot. Useful for field reports — different job from batch geotagging a camera card from a GPX after the fact.
On Apple devices
EasyGeotag records a GPS track on iPhone and geotags photos on Mac or iPad, including GPX import. Product overview: easygeotag.app. Intent page: geotag photos from a GPS track. GPX: from a GPX file. Mac: geotag on Mac. App Store: View on the App Store. Clock and match help: Support.