By name: photo-gps-from-exif description: Use when you need latitude/longitude from image files (JPG, JPEG, HEIC, MOV) and want reliable metadata extraction with exiftool.
Photo GPS From EXIF
Extract geolocation coordinates from photo/video metadata using exiftool as the primary tool.
When to Use
- The user asks for coordinates from photos or videos.
- Files may include mixed formats (
.jpg,.jpeg,.heic,.mov). - You need dependable GPS parsing and consistent output.
Why exiftool First
- It supports more metadata formats than ad hoc parsing.
- It handles Apple formats (
HEIC,MOV) well. - It can print both human-readable and numeric GPS values.
Quick Workflow
- Confirm target files or directory.
- Run
scripts/extract_photo_gps.shfor batch extraction. - Report files with coordinates and files without GPS separately.
- If
exiftoolis missing, install it and re-run.
Commands
Single file:
exiftool -n -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude -GPSPosition "/path/to/file.jpg"
Directory recursive scan:
exiftool -r -ext jpg -ext jpeg -ext heic -ext mov -n -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude -GPSPosition "/path/to/photos"
Bundled Script
Use the helper script for cleaner batch output:
bash scripts/extract_photo_gps.sh "/path/to/photos"
What it does:
- scans supported extensions recursively
- prints decimal latitude/longitude when present
- lists files missing GPS tags
Install exiftool
- Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get install -y libimage-exiftool-perl - macOS (Homebrew):
brew install exiftool
Common Mistakes
- Assuming every photo has GPS metadata.
- Using tools that do not fully parse HEIC/MOV metadata.
- Returning only one file result when user asked for a folder scan.