Understanding File Formats: KML vs. KMZ
While both formats display geographic data in Google Earth, they handle your photos very differently. Choosing the right one depends on whether you want a single portable file or a lightweight file that references your local folders.
KML (Keyhole Markup Language): A .kml file is a plain-text document (standard XML). It contains the GPS coordinates and settings, but it does not contain the actual photos. Instead, it creates a "shortcut" or link to the photos on your hard drive.
KMZ (Keyhole Markup Zip): A .kmz file is a compressed archive (essentially a specialized .zip file). It contains the KML data and copies of your photos all bundled into one single file.
Which one should you choose?
Tip: If your .kmz file is too large to email, use PhotoSurveyor’s "Resize Photos" option. This keeps the file size manageable while ensuring your recipient can still see clear, crisp images in the balloon windows.
While both formats display geographic data in Google Earth, they handle your photos very differently. Choosing the right one depends on whether you want a single portable file or a lightweight file that references your local folders.
KML (Keyhole Markup Language): A .kml file is a plain-text document (standard XML). It contains the GPS coordinates and settings, but it does not contain the actual photos. Instead, it creates a "shortcut" or link to the photos on your hard drive.
- Pros:
- Extremely small file size: Since photos aren't inside the file, it is created almost instantly.
- Maintains Quality: Google Earth pulls the original full-resolution photos directly from your folder.
- Cons:
- Not Portable: If you email the .kml file to a colleague, they will see "broken image" icons because the photos are still on your computer.
- Folder Dependent: If you move or rename your photo folder, the links will break.
KMZ (Keyhole Markup Zip): A .kmz file is a compressed archive (essentially a specialized .zip file). It contains the KML data and copies of your photos all bundled into one single file.
- Pros:
- Fully Portable: You can email a single .kmz file to anyone, and they will see all the photos exactly as you do.
- Easy Management: One file per project; no need to worry about broken links or moving folders.
- Cons:
- Large File Size: Because it contains photos, the file can become several gigabytes if you have hundreds of high-res images.
- Processing Time: It takes longer to generate because the software must compress and pack the images.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose KML if: You are working alone, have limited disk space, and just want to quickly visualize your photo locations on your own machine.
- Choose KMZ if: You need to share your survey results with a client, archive the project for later, or view the photos on a different computer.
Tip: If your .kmz file is too large to email, use PhotoSurveyor’s "Resize Photos" option. This keeps the file size manageable while ensuring your recipient can still see clear, crisp images in the balloon windows.
Enter the directory path where your JPG files are stored, click the Browse... button to select a folder, or drag and drop a folder directly from Windows Explorer.
Enter the desired file name without a file extension. This name will be used for the generated .kmz or .kml file. The output file will be saved automatically within the same source folder as your JPG photos.
When you click an icon in Google Earth, a pop-up "balloon" window displays the associated photo. Use the track bar to adjust the width of this window.
- Too small: The photo may be difficult to see.
- Too large: The photo may occupy the entire screen, making Google Earth difficult to navigate.
Every photo is represented by an icon in Google Earth. Icons are set at a specific height above the ground to prevent them from being hidden by trees or buildings.
- Rural areas: Set this value lower.
- Urban areas: Set this value higher to clear tall structures.
Adjust the size of the icons to ensure they are easily visible on the map.
If you have a large number of high-resolution photos (e.g., 500 photos at 5MB each), the resulting .kmz file may be too large for Google Earth to handle efficiently.
Check this option to resize the photos based on your Balloon Window Width setting. PhotoSurveyor will include these reduced-size versions in the .kmz file, significantly reducing the final file size while leaving your original, full-resolution photos completely intact.
Note: For .kml files, photos are not resized or embedded; the width setting only controls the display size of the balloon window within Google Earth.
Check this option to display the filename next to each icon in Google Earth. If you have many photos in a small area, we recommend turning this off to avoid a cluttered view.
Automatically opens Windows Explorer and highlights the new file once generation is complete.
Automatically opens the generated file in Google Earth immediately after creation.
Starts the process of creating a .kml file. The progress of each photo is displayed in the table on the right side of the screen.
Starts the process of creating a .kmz file (an archive containing the map data and photos). Progress is tracked in the table on the right.
If you are unsure if your photos contain GPS metadata, use this button. PhotoSurveyor will scan the selected folder and display the results in the table. No output file is created during this scan.
Apple (iOS) and some Android devices use the HEIC format to save space. Since PhotoSurveyor requires JPG format, use this button to convert your HEIC files to JPG before generating your map files.
Click this button to immediately cancel any active operation (KML/KMZ generation or photo investigation).
Restores all track bars and checkboxes to their original factory settings.
View version information or enter your license key to activate the full version of the software.
Opens this online documentation.
Exits the application.
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