GeoSetter is a freeware tool for Windows for showing and changing geo data of image files (e.g. images taken by digital cameras). It is a very powerful and easy to use tool for adding all sorts of metadata to your digital images. It is the next step to the earlier Exifer program, also developed by Friedemann Schmidt.

Features Include:

• Reads and writes the formats JPEG and TIFF as well as camera RAW formats DNG (Adobe), CRW and CR2 (Canon), NEF (Nikon), MRW (Konica Minolta), PEF (Pentax), ORF (Olympus), ARW, SR2, SRF (Sony) and RAF (Fujifilm)
• Uses ExifTool from Phil Harvey for writing data
• Shows existing geo coordinates and tracks on embedded Google Maps map (requires internet connection)
• Setting geo data by using embedded Google Maps map (requires internet connection) or by entering known values for coordinates and altitude directly
• Automatic filling of location IPTC fields and altitude values (requires internet connection)
• Editable IPTC data (IPTC-NAA/XMP)
• Possibility to change taken date of images
• Synchronization with track files (NMEA, GPX, PLT, Sony LOG and others)
• Synchronization with already geo tagged images with buddy images (e.g. between RAW images and their corresponding JPEG images)
• Localizable user interface – English, German, French, Italian, Swedish, Czech, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Russian and Norwegian language is available at the moment

I have found GeoSetter to be one of the easiest and most reliable freeware programs out there for this sort of thing. Here is my quick and lazy bulleted review:

Strengths

• Images are easy to navigate.
• Editing geo data is simple and fast using the familiar Google Maps interface.
• Free.
• Still alive and being updated.
• Can add Flickr geo data tags.
• Allows saving of common GeoData locations.

Weaknesses

• Sometimes assigning the map position to an image fails.
• No batch processes for renaming or rotating.
• Saving the edited images is slow.
• Requires internet connection for some features.

Download GeoSetter via http://www.geosetter.de/

GeoSetter is copyrighted by Friedemann Schmidt and I make no claim that I have anything to do with it or want any money because of it. I just think it is a great program and you should use it.

Marc Johns @ Flickr

I just discovered this fellow through a bookmark over at vi.sualize.us. Interesting and nonsensical watercolors that work well enough by themselves, but when you add the captions he comes up for them, you can’t help but chortle.

Artwork by Marc Johns.

From his profile:

Marc Johns creates whimsical drawings filled with dry wit and humour. Whether it’s a man with branches growing out of his head that need pruning, or a pipe that’s trying to quit smoking, his characters are simply, sparsely drawn, yet speak volumes with just a few strokes of the pen. He’s been drawing since he was tiny. He’s not tiny anymore, but he’s not exactly big either. Marc is not sure why he’s talking about himself in the third person…

I generally aim to say as much as possible with as few elements as possible. My work often leans toward humour. Finding the humour in things often leads to finding the truth.

I like to create absurd situations, by combining things together that don’t belong, or imagine what inanimate objects would say if they could speak. For instance, the pen I am using to write this draft would probably say: “I’m tired. Can we stop for a bit?” Or perhaps it would say: “I can’t believe you’re making me write this. This is rubbish. Signing cheques would be more inspiring than this.” These are the things I think about. I think about alot of things. I think about thinking. Don’t try it though, it’s not worth it.

I use watercolours in ways you shouldn’t. I make my own sketchbooks. If I smoked, I’d roll my own. I’d rather draw than rent a movie. Don’t try to start a conversation with me about recent films. I haven’t seen any. I play the guitar. If I was a hobo, I’d learn to play the ukulele, because you could fit one in your duffle bag. My artwork and the materials I use are quite compact. You could fit my studio in a large suitcase. I hope you like my drawings, or at least some of them.

Pen

The cats have revolted. Which side are you on?

Pen, Photoshop

Christmas time again! Santa does not look forward to Christmas, no sir.

Pen

No one is exempt from the rules. No one.

You can zoom all open windows in Photoshop at the same time by having this option checked.

Autodesk VIZ has different sets of keyboard shortcuts depending on what you are doing. There are the main set of hotkeys, as well of unique hotkeys for areas such as the Material Editor, NURBS, etc…

Hitting “B” in the main GUI will give the bottom view, while “B” in the Material Editor toggles the background. This is only if the Keyboard Shortcut Override toggle is turned on.

To ensure that it is on (it is by default) Make sure the T key icon is down. This icon can be found in the Extras toolbar, which can be toggled by right clicking anywhere on the toolbars.

This is one of those simple things that you stress out over and wish there was some easier way to handle the problem and you spend time coming up with alternate solutions, only to realize there is a very simple solution right in front of you, almost.

Many a times I have brought a texture into Cinema 4D and applied it to a wall or some such object, and it has been upside down. My solution has been to just go back into Photoshop and mirror the texture there and reimport it. I got fed up with this today, and went looking for a solution within Cinema itself. Turns out it is really easy to do.

In the Objects Manager, select the texture. Under the Texture menu, you have the option to mirror either horizontally or vertically. Very simple, yet not so simple to find. At least for a goober like myself, since it seems like these functions would be in the Attributes Manager for the texture… But hey, what do I know?

If you are getting Windows Defender Error Message 0×800106ba when starting XP, try opening your services (select Run in the Start Menu and type services.msc) and starting Windows Defender manually.

If this does not work, you might get Error 0×80071b90. If this is the case, you can fix this by downloading the newest version from Microsoft. This should fix everything up nicely. Microsoft Update.

This (hopefully) helpful item was learned here.

Pen

An assortment of eyes. Some are drawn from a magazine, others from a Batman comic, and one from a mirror.