Barcode Tagging with Entagged - Names List Feature

Instead of using QR cards for tagging your photos, you can also apply barcode tagging.

Entagged is a small device offered by Foolography that you connect to your camera, and it embeds barcodes in your photos' metadata.

Currently, only Canon and Nikon cameras are supported. You can find Foolography's compatibility list here.

The Entagged device can be either purchased on our website, or, you can order it directly through Foolography, they are located in Germany, and also ship to the US.

The Entagged offers three ways to handle your workflow

You can scan the barcodes created by GotPhoto with the free Entagged App (available for IOS and Android devices). Here, you need to print the Barcode list in GotPhoto, and scan the codes from that list on picture day. Learn more here: Barcode Tagging With GotPhoto: Workflow with Entagged App & Barcode Scanner. We also recommend Foolography's video and Step-By-Step Guide.
You can use a Bluetooth Scanner to scan the barcodes created by GotPhoto (more info on the required scanner can be found here.) In the Entagged App, you can verify the selected subject, before you take their pictures. Here, you also need to print out either the barcode sheet that can be exported once you have imported your names list, or you include the barcode on your QR cards, and scan the cards. Here's a video that shows you how to pair your scanner with the Entagged app. If you would like to look further into options 1. and 2, we recommend this article as well as this playlist.
You can subscribe to Foolography's Names List feature that allows you to import either a CSV, or to import a names list directly from GotPhoto to the Entagged App, so that you just need to tap the subject's name to embed their barcode in the metadata of their pictures. This option is completely paperless, time efficient, and even allows you to add and edit subject names on the spot. In the Entagged app, the information will then also update in your GotPhoto names list.

In this article, we will focus on the Names List feature, especially on the names list import from GotPhoto. In case you want to learn more about the CSV upload to the Entagged app, please check this guide and video.

You don't have an Entagged device, but you'd like to test the app functionality? You can download the app, and use the Virtual Entagged device so that you get an idea how it works. The Virtual Entagged is shown by default, if no Entagged is connected to the app. It works in the App exactly as as real Entagged device, but, the difference is, it won't embed barcode to your photos

How does the Names List subscription work, and where can you sign up for it?

1. On Foolography's website, scroll to the bottom of this page.

It shows you the monthly, and yearly subscription option. Select one of the three options.

2. After you have signed up, you will be asked to share your Entagged serial number.

If you already have the Entagged app, make sure you have the most recent version, if it needs an update, the app will remind you under your firmware settings in the App, after you have paired your Entagged device with the app.

If you don't have the Entagged app yet, you can download it in the Google Play Store or Apple App store.

3. Pair your Entagged device with your phone, instructions can be found here.

4. Open the Settings in the Entagged App

Tab the name of your Entagged device.

Under Firmware, you can check if your Entagged app is up-to-date. If not, tap the update button.

5. On the same page, you find your Entagged Serial number, that you will need to share with Foolography, once you have signed up for a subscription. Please follow the instructions on their end after the purchase.

I. Picture Day Preparation: Job Set-Up in GotPhoto

Under the Photo-Jobs tab, you create a new job, and select the job type QR Tagging with list of names. You will now see the option to upload your spreadsheet. Learn more about the Gotphoto names list structure here: Uploading Student Data into a Photo Job

1. For a school job, enter the grade information in the group column, and the teacher or homeroom information in the teacher column. For a sports job, the group column would show the team name +the Coach name in case of multiple teams within a division (e.g, U12-14 Fernandez or Wildcats) .

If you set up a batch shipping job, we recommend adding both the grade and teacher / team and coach information into the group column. Only the information that is listed in the group column will be transferred to your lab, hence, it will facilitate the distribution of the orders later.

After importing the names list, the system has created a unique access code and barcode for each subject on the list.

"Blank" barcodes

In case you expect more students or staff members on picture day that are not on the names list, you can simply add "spare" entries in the Entagged app, when you import the names list from GotPhoto. We will explain this further below in this article. This means, you don't need to add spare names (e.g. Spare 1, Spare 2, …) to your names list. In the past, it was necessary, but you don't need to do this any longer.

Upload your names list, review it, and, if everything looks correct, hit the Import button.

2. Picture Day Preparation: Import your Names List from GotPhoto: Step-by-Step Guide & Video

In the Entagged app,

1. Tap on the Folder with a + icon.

2.Tap on Add from account …

3. Enter your GotPhoto username and password.

Now, you will now see a list of your jobs that are either set to planning, selling or prepay.

4 Tap the job you want to import.

5. You have now the option to adjust the Project name in the Entagged name if necessary, otherwise the job name will be used. In addition to that, you can adjust the grouping, per default, the grouping it set to Group > Teacher. Meaning, you will have main folders for the group (e.g. grade 9), and subfolders for the teacher (e.g. Mr Miller)

6. Now, tap the back arrow when done.

The job is now listed under Projects and is available offline to use on picture day.

This video shows the whole process:

2. Picture Day Workflow Step-By-Step Guide & Video

1. On picture day, open the Entagged app, and make sure your Entagged device is connected to your App. If connected, it shows a turquoise dot next to your device type.

Tap the project you have imported for this shoot.

2. Names are grouped by grade and teacher, unless you have changed it before the names list import.

3. Just tap the name next up.

4. The code gets now sent to camera. For Nikon cameras, the barcode is saved in the user comment field, for Canon cameras, it is stored in the Copyright field.

5. The name will first appear in yellow, this indicates that the code is sent to your camera.

Once the name is highlighted in turquoise, the app confirms that the code was successfully saved.

6. The name (code) that is currently saved in the camera is now displayed at the top of your screen, you also see a checkmark next to the name.

7. Now, you take the subject's photos, all of their photos will now have this barcode saved in the metadata of each photo

8. Once you have taken all images for this student, tap the back arrow to go up one level to shoot the next class. You will repeat this workflow for all following subjects.

This video guides you through the process:

9. How to search for a specific Subject

You can search by dragging the list down or tapping the magnifying glass icon. All names in the current groups (e.g. Grades) and subgroups (e.g. Teachers) are displayed and can be tapped on, you can search within the group, subgroup or even withing all the projects you have imported to the names list

10. How to replace spare entries with correct data and how to add new subjects.

If there is a subject that was not initially on the names list, you can easily add him, by overwriting one of the Spare names that you can find in the "No group" folder.

Important: The barcode needs to be a GotPhoto barcode, the app won't allow you to type in a custom one, the galleries won't be activated in GotPhoto.

If you are connected to the internet, you can also add a completely new student to the names list within the Entagged app, hit the pencil icon then tab the "Add" option on the album overview, or within an album.

Also: If you know that won't be connected to the internet during your shoot (for the above feature, you will need either cell service or Wifi), add some "spare" names upfront, before you upload your names list. On picture day, when you use the pre-created spare codes, note down the names of the subjects, e.g. "Spare1 Tom Bennning", so that you can adjust the names list entries later on the GotPhoto names list, before or after you upload the photos.

Also worth mentioning:

Be careful not to tap the "+" icon next to the subject that is already selected, as it will turn yellow, and add all following subjects that you select afterwards to the selection, on the following screen

Here's a video that displays the behavior, and shows you how you can correct it, if you spot it early enough.

If you did not notice that multiple barcodes have been stored for multiple subjects. You would later need to remove the wrong barcodes in the photos' metadata, this can be done in any photo editing software that allows you to edit the pictures' metadata.

13. Troubleshooting:

If you select a subject, and the name is highlighted in red, the app will indicate the reason, so that you can correct the settings and try it again.

3. Picture Day Workflow After The Shoot

1. Clear the code that is currently saved in the camera by hitting the delete icon next to the name on the top of your screen. Alternatively, delete the barcode from the copyright field of your camera (Canon cameras) or the user comment field (Nikon). That's especially important, if your next job that you photograph is a QR tagging job.

If you want to delete projects from the Entagged app, select the project, tap the pencil icon, and select the trash icon on the bottom left of your screen.

2. If you extract the background, make sure the metadata is kept in your files.

It's best to test it ahead with a sample image, as not all software types keep the metadata. If you use GotPhoto's extraction service, you don't have to worry about that. The barcodes will still be stored in the metadata.

3. Upload to GotPhoto

Use one of our faster upload methods to upload your pictures to GotPhoto. Please find a detailed overview on these three upload methods under the Upload Your Photos section in this article.

When you upload the images to GotPhoto, the system automatically activates the galleries. The images will first be in one single album.

Within this Album, you can then press the option Individuals Actions > Resort photos to albums, and select you preferred sorting scheme, e.g. Group > Teacher

Each class / team will then have their own album in Photo Management, the upload album will remain empty, and can be deleted afterwards.

The following video shows the full Upload and Sorting workflow:

In case you have for some reason used both tagging methods, QR Tagging, and barcode tagging, on picture day, please upload the images separately (in two different folders instead of just one) to GotPhoto to prevent any tagging isues.

4. Additional Ressources & FAQ:

*Please note that this webinar was recorded in July 2022, some of the features that are available now, were not yet available at the time of the recording.

Q: I have already imported my names to the Entagged app, but I needed to update / adjust my names list or add additional subjects in GotPhoto. How can I update the names list afterwards in the Entagged app?

A: Simply delete the existing project from the Entagged app, and import the names list again.

Q: Is the subcription fee based on device? We have multiple devices.

A: Yes, it is based on device. However, the same Entagged can be paired by multiple users via the Entagged app on their individual devices. E.g. photographer A uses the Entagged on Monday, photographer B uses the same device with a different smartphone or tablet on Tuesday.

Q: Can I select multiple subject in the Entagges names list, so that I can tag photos of siblings or buddies?

A: The functionality is already available in the Entagged app, but not yet supported in GotPhoto. For now, it' s not recommended to select multiple students, as the tagged images won't be tagged in GotPhoto, once there is more than one access code.

Q: When I shoot group images, or some event photos,in between photographing the individual galleries, is there an option to take a picture without adding metadata to the photos when I use the Names List feature?

A: Yes, simply delete the last name that was saved in the app, by tapping the "x" next to the name on the top of the screen, this way, all following images won't be tagged.

Q: How can I verify that the barcode is stored in a photo's metadata?

A: Access the image's properties in your photo editing app. Under the User Comment field (Nikon cameras), or Copyright field (Canon cameras), you can find the stored barcode.