diff --git a/static/index.html b/static/index.html
index 9267423..97322b2 100644
--- a/static/index.html
+++ b/static/index.html
@@ -1794,21 +1794,18 @@
       showToast('GPS data will be extracted server-side — check EXIF info below for file details');
     }
 
-    function createAssetFromPicked() {
+    async function createAssetFromPicked() {
       if (!pickedPhotoFile) return;
-      // Switch to Manual mode and pre-load the photo
+      // Switch to Manual mode and pass the original file (preserves EXIF)
       setAddAssetMode('manual');
+
+      // Pass the original File directly — preserves EXIF for server re-embed
+      manualPhotoFile = pickedPhotoFile;
+      manualPhotoBlob = pickedPhotoFile;  // Use original file (preserves EXIF)
+
+      // Show the photo in the manual preview using FileReader
       const reader = new FileReader();
       reader.onload = function(e) {
-        // Convert data URL to blob for manualPhotoBlob
-        const arr = e.target.result.split(',');
-        const mime = arr[0].match(/:(.*?);/)[1];
-        const bstr = atob(arr[1]);
-        let n = bstr.length;
-        const u8arr = new Uint8Array(n);
-        while (n--) { u8arr[n] = bstr.charCodeAt(n); }
-        manualPhotoBlob = new Blob([u8arr], { type: mime });
-        // Show the photo in the manual preview
         const img = document.getElementById('manPhotoPreview');
         img.src = e.target.result;
         img.style.display = 'block';
@@ -1818,6 +1815,21 @@
         if (retake) retake.style.display = 'block';
       };
       reader.readAsDataURL(pickedPhotoFile);
+
+      // Try EXIF GPS from the original file
+      manualPhotoGps = await extractGpsFromPhoto(pickedPhotoFile);
+      if (manualPhotoGps) {
+        const coords = manualPhotoGps.lat.toFixed(6) + ', ' + manualPhotoGps.lng.toFixed(6);
+        const parkingEl = document.getElementById('manParkingLocation');
+        if (parkingEl && !parkingEl.value.trim()) {
+          parkingEl.value = coords;
+        }
+        const mapLinkEl = document.getElementById('manMapLink');
+        if (mapLinkEl && !mapLinkEl.value.trim()) {
+          mapLinkEl.value = `https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=${manualPhotoGps.lat}&mlon=${manualPhotoGps.lng}&zoom=17`;
+        }
+      }
+
       showToast('Photo loaded into Manual mode');
     }