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Upload & Calibrate Scale

To draw to real scale on top of a survey or aerial image, you upload the file and then calibrate by telling the app the real distance between two points. After that, all measurements and shapes use feet (and inches).

Supported files

You can use:

  • PDF — survey or site plan (first page is used)
  • PNG, JPG, WEBP — aerial photos, screenshots, or scanned surveys

The image is placed on the Survey / Background layer. You can adjust opacity and lock it so it doesn’t move when you pan.

Uploading

In the Designer toolbar, use “Upload survey” (or the equivalent in your setup flow). Choose your PDF or image file. Once loaded, the background appears on the canvas. Use “Fit to Background” to see the whole image. If you need to move the background itself (e.g. to align with a grid), switch to the Survey layer, unlock it, and drag on empty space.

Calibrating scale

Calibration sets the ratio of pixels to feet:

  1. Click “Calibrate scale” (or open the calibration step in setup).
  2. Click the first point on the image (e.g. one end of a known distance).
  3. Click the second point (e.g. the other end of that distance).
  4. Enter the real distance in feet (e.g. 20 for 20 ft, or 20.5 for 20 ft 6 in).
  5. Confirm. The app computes “pixels per foot” and uses it for all drawing and measurements.

Pick two points that are clearly visible and whose distance you know from the survey (e.g. property line, scale bar, or dimension). The longer and more accurate that distance, the better the calibration.

Working without a background

You don’t have to upload anything. Use “Set area size” to define a work area in feet (e.g. 50 × 50). You get a scaled canvas and can draw shapes and dimensions directly. Useful for concept sketches or when you don’t have a survey yet. See Edge Cases for more situations.