Photo-assisted · Known reference

One known measurement.
A reviewable estimate.

Import a plan-like site photograph, calibrate from a reliable visible edge, and trace approximate areas, lengths, and counts without pretending the image is a survey.

Get Takeoff — $79 once See the image example

Local-first · Works offline after installation · Field verification required

CalibratedKnown dimension sets scale

TraceableGeometry stays on the image

EstimatedAssumptions stay visible

Choose the right kind of image

Use images that behave like plans.

Overhead or straight-on images work best when the known dimension sits in the same plane as the quantity. Angled views, height changes, lens distortion, hidden edges, and old imagery make the result less reliable.

Overhead practice image of a courtyard with a labeled 100-foot edge — Practice image with a defined 100-foot north edge. It is not a customer site or survey.

A careful way to estimate from an image

Calibrate, trace, label, verify.

The result keeps the source image, traced shape, and scale assumption together. It is not automatic image recognition and it does not replace a plan, field measurement, or professional survey.

1. Choose the reference

Use a visible distance you know independently. Prefer an edge in the same plane as the quantity you will trace.

2. Set image scale

Pick the two endpoints, enter the known length, and record where that dimension came from.

3. Keep review labels

Name quantities as approximate, preserve source geometry, and add field-verification notes before pricing.

Import the image as a drawing sheet and preserve its original file.
Calibrate from the known visible edge; do not infer scale from image pixels alone.
Trace only boundaries you can see and identify counts individually.
Compare totals with any available plan, property record, or field measurement.
Leave uncertain quantities unpriced or carried as explicit allowances until verified.

Worked image example

Known 100-foot edge. Measured 6,094 SF.

This overhead practice image includes a defined 100-foot north edge. After calibration, the courtyard trace measured approximately 6,094 SF against the designed 6,000 SF area—a 1.57% difference on this image.

Known edge: 100 ft
Scale: 0.069252 ft/px
Designed area: 6,000 SF
Measured area: 6,094 SF
Difference on this image: 1.57%
Visible trees: 9

This result applies only to this practice image; it is not a general accuracy rate. The building and walkway were also traced, but every image-derived quantity remained unpriced until scope and field conditions could be checked.

Overhead courtyard practice image used for measurement from a known 100-foot edge — A known dimension makes calibration possible. Perspective, hidden edges, terrain, and image age still require judgment.

Know when to stop

Useful for early scoping. Not survey-grade.

Good candidatesOverhead site imagery, room photos taken square to a wall, facade images with a verified same-plane dimension, and sketches with one reliable dimension.

Stop and verifyOblique drone views, rolling terrain, fisheye lenses, hidden boundaries, different elevation planes, stitched panoramas, or dimensions inferred only from a familiar object.

Never describe it asA boundary survey, engineered measurement, guaranteed field accuracy, automatic AI takeoff, or proof that an old image matches current conditions.

One known measurement.A reviewable estimate.