Geotagging Pictures under Linux

How to batch geotag photos on Linux machine?
Firs you need to get the track log from your GPS device. I use "gpsbabel" with GUI (gpsbabel -t -i garmin -f usb: -o gpx -F /home/your_login/your_path/route.gpx).
Than I use "gpscorrelate-gui". Only you need is pick the track (in .gpx format) and pictures you need to geotag. Don't forget entering correct time-offset (based on timezone) and calculate day-light-saving! And push "Correlate Photos".
Easy like that.

XnView Pocket - The Best Picture Viewer

In my opinion the XnView Pocket is the best picture viewer for Windows Mobile 6. I run it on my HTC Artemis. If anyone need some help or have a suggestion here is forum.

Compact Digital Camera Under $200

I'm looking for a compact digital camera for daily use with full manual modes.
I found Canon PowerShot A570 IS good solution. 
Basic features:

• 7.1 MPix Resolution
  
• 4 x optical zoom (35-140mm equivalent of 35mm film)
  
• Manual mode, Aperture Priority mode, Shutter Priority mode
  
• Image Stabilization
  
• SD card, 2 AA Bateries
  
• dimensions 90x64x43mm 
  
• approx. price $180
  

Digital Camera Resolution - Is Higher Always Better?

Todays compact digital cameras have 6MPix resolution and higher (up to 12MPix). Even some cell phones have 3MPix cameras. So when you buy a digital camera is the resolution the main feature what we should look for? Absolutely NOT!
Let's count what resolution we really need. The printer resolution is enough from 200 to 300DPI (Dots Per Inch) - let's count 300DPI. The most common used format is 4x6'' (10x15cm). So if you plan to shoot (and later print!) mostly on this format the picture size should be 1200x1800 pixels. That is 21600000Pix = 2,16 MPix. So the 3MPix digital camera is just fine even for 4.5x7'' (12x18cm)
Bottom line is that when you look for a digital camera more than the physical resolution focus on modes and functions you really need. Ask about the lenses, focal length, "zoom", etc. Consider the size and ergonomics.

How Do I Store My Pictures

I have three copies on three physically separated medias. The chance that all of them crash at the same time is almost zero. It's important not to use the same disk and different partitions because if the disk would e.g. be physically damaged you loose all your data at once.
I do not trust optical medias like CDs or DVDs so I use three external hard drives (USB and Fire Wire). They became really cheap these days.
I sort the pictures out into folder named by year and then subfolders yyyy_mm_dd_description.
My idea is to mirror all my pictures in some kind of "thumbnails" in monitor-resolution-size on my laptop internal hard drive.
All this work I do manually.

What Software for converting RAW pictures?

It's very clever to shoot to RAW image format. It takes much more space on card but the potential is much higher. It's because there is much more information in RAW (5.5MB - Canon EOS 300D) compare to JPEG (2.5MB).
Because we can not work with RAW pictures directly we need to transform them into some common image format (TIFF, jpeg, HDR, etc.).
I found RawShooter Essentials 2006 the best solution for me. It's powerful and has almost all I need. And it's free. 

• What do I really like: Simplicity, Speed (it's very FAST), Highlights/Shadows clipping, Comparison of various image corrections, 16bit TIFF output. 
  
• And what I'm missing: Levels and Curves, Crop tool, Picture Rotation.
  

Other software options is e.g. Canon DPP raw converter or some commercial programs like Adobe Lightroom ($299).

Paint.NET - Free Image Editing Software

I heard good references about Paint.NET. I just downloaded  (1.5MB) it and I'm gonna test it soon.

What Do I Need from Picture Browser?

The basic functions like thumbnail view, copy, move, full screen view, slideshow, 90 degrees rotate, crop, and others are obvious.
And what I need additionally?
Histogram (all three channels) - it's very useful and powerful tool to study and evaluate a picture. I often use the logarithmic histogram instead of linear histogram in GIMP. Unfortunately I haven't find this option in any picture viewer. I appreciate highlights/shadows clipping.
I also need to be able to grade pictures (five star system) and assign metadata like keywords, etc. (see Which MetaData Fields I Fill Out to Describe My Photos? and Compatibility of Star Rating).

Is it time to change GIMP for some other photo editing Software?

I have been using GIMP for a long time. Since I have DSLR camera
(Canon Digital Rebel XT/EOS 350D) and I have been shooting to RAW format time to time I'm seriously thinking about more sophisticated picture editing software. The reason? Simple, 16bit support!
The only freeware alternative I found is CinePaint (AKA FilmGIMP) but I wasn't able to install it correctly and run yet. The other alternative I'm thinking about is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom . I tested the Beta version some time ago. It's very powerful tool. Only I didn't like was the speed and RAM memory consumption. If I choose the LightRoom I definitely need to upgrade my memory (I have to do that anyway...).
Finally I must say that GIMP is a great tool and I would use it probably forever if there is a 16bit support.

Which MetaData Fields I Fill Out to Describe My Photos?

MetaData is an information about the picture carried with the digital picture in the same file (e.g. picture.jpg). There are more standards of MetaData (XMP, IPCT, and others)
Unfortunately there are not the only one title for various fields used in MetaData. I write all I know separated by slash. 
So now what I really need and because of compatibility between different software I use: 

• Headline - just headline
  
• Object Name/Title - the same as above
  
• Caption/Description - one sentence or paragraph describing the picture
  
• Keywords/Tags - probably the most important part, later I can search through my pictures and catalog them
  
• Byline/Creators/Author - author of the picture
  
• Copyright - copyrights...
  
• Contact - multiple fields value, like e-mail, WWW, tel., etc.
  
• City and Country - where the picture were shoot
  

The others fields I'm leaving empty for now.
I use XnView or Photo Info to fill the MetaData out.

Compatibility of Star Rating

I have been testing compatibility between Windows Photo Gallery (Microsoft Windows Vista) "Star Rating" and the other software. 
Tested software:

• XnView
  
• IDimager Lite
  
• Photo Info (add-in for Microsoft Windows)
  

The only Photo Info rating shows up in Windows Photo Gallery. 
At least the Keywords (Tags) are compatible. 
If you edit any metadata in IDimager you won't be able to open/edit the picture in Photo Info ever.