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Measuring from a photo with a sheet of A4

How the photo helper on the configurator size step works, how to take a usable photo, how accurate it is, and why you still check with a tape.

Written by the SW Glass team · Last updated

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The photo helper gives you a rough size from a phone photo taken with a sheet of A4 paper in shot. You tap the edges of the sheet and of the opening, and it works out the width and height. Allow plus or minus 5 mm even on a good photo, and more if the camera was at an angle. Use it to start an order, then confirm the size with a tape before you order.

Where is the photo helper?

It lives on the size step of the cut-to-size configurator, as "measure from a photo". It opens the helper, and the result comes back into the size step with the width and height filled in. It is a starting point for a rough price, not a measurement to cut from.

How do I measure from a photo?

  1. Step 1: Place a sheet of A4

    Put a sheet of A4 paper flat against the wall or frame, in the same plane as the opening. Do not put it on the floor in front of the opening. A4 is 210 mm by 297 mm, and the helper scales the photo from it.

  2. Step 2: Take the photo straight on

    Stand square to the opening, at its middle, with the phone upright. Get the whole opening and the whole sheet in frame.

  3. Step 3: Mark the sheet

    Tap both ends of one edge of the sheet, so the helper knows the scale.

  4. Step 4: Mark the opening

    Tap both ends of the opening's width, then both ends of its height.

  5. Step 5: Carry on to the configurator

    Continue and the size is filled in on the size step.

  6. Step 6: Check it with a tape

    Measure on site before you order and correct the size if it differs.

What makes a good photo?

DoAvoid
Shoot square on, at the middle of the opening.Shooting from an angle or from one side.
Keep the A4 sheet flat and fully visible.A curled or folded sheet, or one on a different plane.
Use daylight or bright, even light.Wide-angle (0.5x) lenses, which bend straight edges.
Include all four edges of the opening.Cropping an edge of the opening out of the frame.

How accurate is it?

Allow plus or minus 5 mm on a good, straight-on photo, and more if the camera was at an angle. We cut to plus or minus 2 mm, so a photo estimate is not accurate enough to cut from. That is why every order still goes through a dimensioned drawing that you check before we make anything. See drawings and checks.

What happens to my photo?

It stays on your phone. The helper reads it in your browser to work out the size, and nothing is uploaded or kept. Only two numbers, the width and the height, go to the configurator in the link. If you want us to look at a photo, send it with a quote request instead.

When should I not rely on it?

On anything that fits inside an opening with small gaps, such as a shower screen, a door or a shelf in an alcove, measure with a tape at three points. A photo cannot see a bowed wall or a sloping tray. Read measuring an opening for the tape method, or have us measure it.

Where to go next

Questions we get asked

Can I order from a photo measurement alone?

You can start the order from it, but measure on site with a tape and correct the size before you order.

Why A4 paper?

Its size is fixed at 210 mm by 297 mm, so the helper can scale everything else in the photo from it.

Is my photo sent to you?

No. It is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Only the width and height go to the configurator.

How far out can a photo be?

Allow plus or minus 5 mm even on a good photo, and more if it was taken at an angle.

Contact the team with your order reference and the step you need help with, or search all help topics.

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