Using Metadata Templates to fill in GPS coordinates

[JohnZeman]

I found something that doesn't seem quite right to me.

I often use a metadata template to fill in latitude and longitude for images that were taken in certain specific locations and I'm filling in the following tags (which I believe are the correct ones to use).

Code Select Expand

{File.MD.XMP::exif\GPSLatitude\GPSLatitude\0}
{File.MD.XMP::exif\GPSLongitude\GPSLongitude\0}


I use digital coordinates, that is something like 40.12345 and -90.12345 instead of degrees, minutes and seconds.

In the metadata panel configuration if I have the option for the above tags enabled to Use Raw Value, when I apply the metadata template no coordinates are visible in the metadata panel until I writeback the metadata to the files.  At which time they do become visible.

However if I uncheck the use raw value option for those tags then my digital coordinates become visible as soon as I apply the metadata template.

With the Use Raw Value option enabled if I manually type in my digital coordinates then they show as soon as I tab to the next tag, but not when I fill the tags in from a metadata template.

Is this the way it's supposed to work Mario?

Thanks

[Mario]

This is how ExifTool works. For many tags, ExifTool has a "formatted" and a "raw" value. It creates these when importing file data.
When you use ExifTool on the command line, you can decide whether you use formatted or raw values.

One example for this are GPS coordinates. By default, ExifTool uses formatted values with degrees, minutes and seconds. On import, it reads the raw data and fills the formatted value from this. IMatch offers you both for display.

Functions like the MD panel or the Map panel have been designed to be aware of this, and, when setting the raw value, they re-create the formatted value. But that's not the case for all IMatch features everywhere. Sometimes I don't even know the logic ExifTool is applying. In these cases you only see the updated raw data after IMatch has written back the file, and ExifTool has re-created the formatted value when IMatch re-imports the file afterwards.

The generic metadata template feature is one example for this. It does not know if and how to map the formatted value you are filling back to the raw value.

Did you consider using locations for this purpose. If you create a location in the Map panel and enable the option for your template, it will automatically find all images within that location and assign the GPS coordinates. This should also fill both the raw and formatted value.

[JohnZeman]

Ah, ok thanks for this Mario.  I wondered if it didn't have something to do with the way ExifTool works.

I have played with Locations but not much.  I'll take a longer look at them to see if they'd work better for my needs than the way I've been doing it.

Thanks again!

[Mario]

They should cover your use case prefectly.

If you take photos regularly at the same location (+/- nnn meters), create a location.
When you then run your MD template it fills in the data and checks which location matches the GPS coordinates of the image. If a location is found, the data of the location is filled in. Very comfortable.