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`What's the best Web site for
`geotagged photos?
`
`Photo-sharing Web sites are getting better at handling
`pictures based on where they were taken. My top pick
`is Flickr, with SmugMug and Google's Picasa tied for
`second.
`
`Stephen Shankland March 18, 2009 11:56 a.m. PT
`
`3
`
`Readers of this blog will have inferred I'm a fan of geotagging--in fact, I'm
`trying to label all my photos with the tags that show where the picture
`was taken, even though the geotagging process is complicated.
`
`I'm betting that much of the value of geotagging lies in the future, for
`example, when I might have a harder time remembering which hike a
`particular picture came from. But can anything useful be done with those
`geotagged photos today?
`
`Based on my scrutiny of a handful of sites--Google's Picasa, Yahoo's
`Flickr, SmugMug (the only fee-required site), Locr, and Everytrail--the
`answer is yes.
`
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`https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/whats-the-best-web-site-for-geotagged-photos/
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`What's the best Web site for geotagged photos? - CNET
`
`Google's Picasa site can show a map sprinkled with thumbnails of a photo
`album's pictures.
`
`Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks
`
`But as with other aspects of geotagging, today's cartographically clever
`Web sites are likely to appeal chiefly to enthusiasts who have some
`patience and technical abilities. Just like we're not at the stage where
`most cameras can add a location stamp as easily as they can add a
`timestamp, we're not yet at the stage where most folks are going to start
`with an online map when they want to share their photos or reminisce.
`
`Collectively, the sites I checked show the potential of geotagging--but
`also the rough spots. My top pick is Flickr, with Picasa and SmugMug
`tied for second place. But each site has different strengths and
`weaknesses, so look carefully before you make any commitments.
`
`One of the main reasons I picked Flickr as tops is because the Flickr
`maps interface can sift data better. For example, you can see a high-
`level view of all your geotagged photos, and you can filter that view with
`parameters such as your photos, your friends' or contacts' photos,
`anyone's photos, and most important in my opinion, specific tags. That's
`a handy interface when trying to find photos of, say, Yosemite National
`Park, but you can't remember which of several trips a particular photo is
`associated with.
`
`https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/whats-the-best-web-site-for-geotagged-photos/
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`What's the best Web site for geotagged photos? - CNET
`
`Flickr displays pictures as unevocative pink dots, but the photos themselves
`are shown on a strip below.
`
`Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks
`
`In contrast, Picasa and SmugMug draw maps that only reflect the
`contents of a particular group of photos--called galleries at SmugMug,
`albums at Picasa, and sets at Flickr. (Google Maps can show Picasa
`images of a particular area to Google account holders who install a
`Mapplet application, though.)
`
`Flickr also lets you take a set-based view of a map, with a scattering of
`pink dots representing your pictures. Indeed, it's probably the most likely
`way somebody might want to use a map to show off pictures of a recent
`trip, for example.
`
`SmugMug, though, has what I found to be the slickest geotagging
`feature out there: fly-through slideshows of a gallery. With this ability, the
`site automatically shows a gallery's sequence of photos, displaying
`thumbnails along the way on a map and a red line connecting them.
`
`https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/whats-the-best-web-site-for-geotagged-photos/
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`What's the best Web site for geotagged photos? - CNET
`It's a bit rough around the edges--I'm guessing because the technical
`difficulties of combining external Google Maps data with its own
`thumbnails--so it can be herky-jerky at times and with missing map
`elements. And for slideshows, thumbnails are hardly the best way to
`showcase sweeping vistas. But there's no question in my mind that the
`feature imparts a sense of traveling through a place, a sensation that
`regular slideshows completely lack.
`
`Where Picasa has the edge over Flickr and SmugMug is in showing
`thumbnails of each image on the map, not just a dot or pushpin, which I
`like better even though thumbnails can get pretty crowded. It also shows
`larger pop-up versions than Flickr does. And for people who are
`geotagging their photos through the Web site, I think Picasa's interface
`is the best.
`
`I also like the way Picasa, on an individual photo's page, includes a map
`showing where it was taken. But in part that's because there's a big
`panel of verbiage to the right of the screen on which that kind of real
`estate is available. A more photo-oriented site might not have that space
`to spare.
`
`SmugMug lets you tour a gallery of photos on a map--a cool if still rough-
`around-the-edges feature.
`
`Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks
`
`Another major advantage of Flickr is its handling of location privacy--
`geoprivacy in Flickr parlance. Naturally you might not want to share with
`the world the location of your living room, and your pernickety aunt
`might be even touchier. Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield prohibited
`geotagging of images of a party at his house.
`
`Happily, Flickr lets you set the geoprivacy of each image, though doing
`so is awkward. I'm glad the Organizr lets me change this setting, but why
`
`https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/whats-the-best-web-site-for-geotagged-photos/
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`What's the best Web site for geotagged photos? - CNET
`isn't there a geoprivacy option in a photo's privacy settings window or in
`the map that's shown when you click the photo?
`
`There are some other options out there that deserve a look. Google's
`Panoramio has a reasonable approach to virtual tourism if not
`necessarily the best interface for storing your photos--it seems like a ripe
`candidate for some integration with Picasa.
`
`Loc.alize.us likewise is an entertaining way to browse geotagged
`photos; it's a glitzy interface built on top of Flickr photos and Google
`Maps.
`
`Like Panoramio, Locr, a German company, lets you upload your own
`photos. Like SmugMug, it's got a slideshow ability, though its photos are
`large and its map, a strip on the left edge with pushpin locations, is more
`an afterthought. That makes for a nicer slideshow than SmugMug's
`thumbnails, but there's not too much of a sense of place to it. And I can't
`help thinking when I see sites like Locr, though, that it must be tough
`building a critical mass of members when there are bigger photo-sharing
`sites already with major momentum.
`
`For a journey-oriented site Everytrail lets people upload whole GPS track
`logs and label them with points of interest and photos. It's also got a
`handy feature that can show others' Panoramio pictures. It's a good way
`to look at trips people have taken in a particular area.
`
`Locr shows individual photos fine, but doesn't handle groups with much
`aplomb.
`
`Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks
`
`I found Everytrail's interface a bit difficult and unintuitive at times, but it
`does have the advantage of being able to piggyback on Flickr: I
`successfully imported my bike trip Flickr set into an Everytrail map--
`though the klunkiness of the process was evident by the fact that I have
`three copies of each photo, and I can't figure out how to get rid of the
`duplicates. Also, when I inadvertently uploaded the wrong day's track
`log for a batch of photos, I had a hard time figuring out my error.
`
`In the months that I've been trying this out, though, geotagging has been
`improving. I'm certain that these sites will improve as geotagging photos
`in the first place gets easier, more people try it, and programmers
`hammer away at the computational and user-interface challenges.
`
`Another area with potential is software to deal with geotagging on
`computers. Mostly that's limited today just to utilities to marry
`geographic data with image files. But the rudimentary geotagging
`support in Adobe Systems' Lightroom and Apple's Mac OS X 10.5, which
`both can show a photo's location on a map, is a harbinger of things to
`come. Better geotagging abilities on people's computers will fuel
`improvements on the Web and vice-versa
`
`https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/whats-the-best-web-site-for-geotagged-photos/
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`What's the best Web site for geotagged photos? - CNET
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`https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/whats-the-best-web-site-for-geotagged-photos/
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