Timberline Employee Blog

Microsoft recently released Pro Photo Tools for XP and Vista as a free download.

MS Pro Photo Tools is an easy way to edit your photos meta-data information. You photos already have several items stamped on them from your camera but they probably do not have longitude and latitude in the photo.

“Why would I want that?”, you ask?

Latitude and Longitude is how we mark a spot on the map. Say you are looking at your photos and you can’t remember where they were taken then this, or a similar program, is for you.

You will need a GPS so you can download a track log to your computer. Many hand-held GPS units will allow you to do this. I have had great luck with Garmin hand-held units. You will need to take your GPS with you and have it on while you are taking your photos.

For best luck synchronize the time on your camera and gps before shooting.

After you do a test photo shoot you will need to get your data to your computer. Copy your photos to a working directory on your pc. Then you can use a program like EasyGPS to download your track log as a gpx file. The makers of EasyGPS are the same people who have pushed the gpx format and made it popular.

Open up Pro Photo Tools and open your images. Load up your track log and now you can attach latitude and longitude info to your photos.

If you don’t want automated location information you can even skip the GPS and add this information using the built-in Microsoft Virtual Earth to select your location.

When you are done save your work.

Now how do I view the locations?

Version 1 of MS Pro Photo Tool’s will let you view photos on a map but it doesn’t auto center on a selected photo which makes it difficult to use to view already tagged photos. I had to resort to a third party program to view geotagged photos. Google’s Picasa/Google Earth combination work nicely. You can also click through to a Google map using Apple’s Leopard operating system on geotagged photos.

Timberline Dealerships main website has had a face-lift. Many direct to employee email forms have been added. Click through links to google maps have been added on every listed address. Google provides (usually) great turn by turn driving directions. If you happen to have an iPhone, or a Shoretel with a slight modification, phone numbers are click through links too.

I’ve finally found something that I don’t like about the Windows Live Writer. The only maps it supports by default are maps from Microsoft’s website. Birds Eye View on Microsoft’s website is a lot of fun except it doesn’t work on Safari. So what I really don’t like is that the bird’s eye doesn’t work on Safari. I changed all the links on my sites that  had linked to Microsoft maps over to Google maps which has better support for more browsers.

I’m testing out Windows Live Writer. I think it is a great tool and here are a few reasons why:

works with WordPress
allows me edit multiple blogs without logging into each blog
allows easy insertion of maps, pictures, and video (drag and drop anybody?)

However, I did not see any tag suggestion tool that works on WordPress 2.3.

So here we go again. Another whole day o’ natterin’ like a pirate wit’ only a single glance instead th’ th’ double glance that happens th’ rest o’ th’ year.

See yer:

Online Pirate Translator.
Pirate Translator fer yer website.