Add locations to photos

You don’t need a GPS-enabled camera or iOS device to use Places. Adding location information in Places view is as simple as dragging photos from the Browser to the area on the Places view map where they were shot. Another option is to enter a specific location in the search field in Places view, select a location from the Results list that appears below the search field, and then click the Assign Location button. You can also designate a large geographical area, such as a city or national park, as a location and assign this general location to photos.

Assign locations to photos in the Browser manually

Select an item in the Library inspector containing photos to which you want to assign location information.
Click the Places button in the toolbar.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view. Red pins mark the locations where photos that already have location information were shot.
Position the map in Places view to display the location you want to assign to the photos by dragging and zooming in to the map.
In the Browser, select a photo or group of photos, then drag the photo selection to the appropriate location on the map in Places view.
A pin with a location label appears, marking the location where the photo or photo group was shot. The location label indicates the name of the location and the number of photos that were captured there.
A dialog also appears at the bottom of Places view, informing you that you can move the pin to change the location assigned to all photos associated with the pin.
Click Done.

The pin indicates that the location you specified has been assigned to the selected photos, and a location badge (a red pin) appears over the thumbnail images in the Browser.

Figure. Location badge on a thumbnail image in the Browser indicating that location information has been assigned to the image.

Search for a location and assign it to a photo selection

Select an item in the Library inspector containing photos to which you want to assign location information.
If the main window is not in Places view, click the Places button in the toolbar.
The Aperture main window switches to Places view. Red pins mark the locations where photos that already have location information were shot.
In the Browser, select the photos to which you want to assign a location.
Choose Metadata > Assign Location.
In the dialog that appears, enter the location you want to search for in the search field. For example, you can enter a city name or an address.
Locations whose names match the text you entered are listed below the search field.
Select the appropriate location in the search results list.
A location is plotted on the map with a purple circle surrounding it. The purple circle is used to determine the geographical area encompassed by the location.
If you wish, enter a custom name for the location, such as “Our backyard,” in the Place Name field.
Drag the resize handles on the right side of the purple circle to change the area assigned to the location.
When you are satisfied with the area assigned to the location, click the Assign button.

A red pin appears on the map in Places view, with a location label indicating the name of the location and the number of photos it’s assigned to. A purple circle indicates the area the location covers. A red location badge appears over the selected thumbnail images in the Browser, indicating that a location has been assigned.

Assign location information to photos shot with a GPS-enabled iOS device

If you have photos imported from a GPS-enabled iOS device, you can use the GPS data from the photos to automatically assign location information to them.

In the Library inspector, select a project containing photos captured with a GPS-enabled iOS device.
In Places view, choose “Import GPS from iPhone Photos” from the GPS pop-up menu.
In the dialog that appears, select the photos to which you want to assign location information, then click OK.
Aperture displays waypoints for the photos in Places view.
In the Browser, drag a photo to a waypoint in Places view to assign location information to it.