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Photo Requirements for AI Detection

Carlos Camacho
Updated

SuperClear AI's defect detection accuracy depends a lot on the quality of the photos you feed it. This article explains what kinds of photos work best, file size limits, supported formats, and the practical do's and don'ts that will get you the most reliable AI results.

Supported Image Formats

  • JPG / JPEG — Recommended for most photos
  • PNG
  • HEIC — Default format on newer iPhones; works fine

RAW files from DSLR cameras are not supported. If you have a RAW image, export it to JPG first.

File Size

File size Status
Up to 50 MB Recommended — uploads quickly
Over 50 MB Allowed but slower — SuperClear AI shows a warning when you select files larger than this

Most modern phone cameras produce photos in the 3-12 MB range, so you're well under the limit. Only DSLR exports or extreme high-resolution images approach the warning threshold.

Don't go bigger than you need. The AI doesn't get more accurate from a 50 MB photo than a 5 MB photo. Capturing at standard phone resolution gives you faster uploads and the same detection quality.

Photo Quality That Helps the AI

Focus

Sharp, in-focus photos give the AI the most accurate detections. A blurry photo can hide defects entirely or trigger false positives. Tap to focus on your phone before you take the shot.

Lighting

  • Natural daylight is best — early morning and late afternoon avoid harsh shadows
  • Flash is acceptable if you're indoors or in a dim area, but be aware it can wash out subtle defects
  • Avoid backlighting — the camera will expose for the bright background and your subject will be too dark

Distance and Framing

  • Get close enough to see the WRB clearly — if the area of interest is just a tiny part of the photo, the AI may miss details
  • Don't get so close that the camera can't focus or that you only see one small section
  • Aim for the WRB to fill most of the frame
  • Capture the area straight-on when possible — heavy angles can distort the appearance of seams, fasteners, and tape

Obstructions

  • Move scaffolding, tools, and people out of the frame when possible
  • If something is unavoidably in the frame, take a second photo from a different angle

What to Avoid

  • Blurry photos — slow down and let the camera focus before tapping the shutter
  • Photos taken from too far away — zooming in digitally is no substitute for getting closer
  • Heavy shadows across the WRB — wait for the sun to move or use flash
  • Photos of multiple unrelated areas — one photo per condition is much easier for the AI than a panoramic shot
  • Heavily edited photos — apply edits in SuperClear AI's editor after the AI has run, not before upload

Where Photos Come From

SuperClear AI accepts photos from three sources:

  1. Device camera — Tap Take Photo in the upload screen to open your phone or tablet's camera directly
  2. Photo gallery — Tap Select Images to pick existing photos from your device
  3. Drag and drop — On desktop, drag photos from your file explorer onto the upload area

Batch Uploads

You can upload many photos at once. SuperClear AI handles each one, runs the AI in a single batch, and shows the results when complete. There's no hard cap on the number of photos in a batch, but very large batches take longer to process.

Privacy and Photo Storage

Photos you upload are stored securely on AWS S3 in your tenant's storage bucket. Only authenticated users with access to the inspection can view the photos. SuperClear AI doesn't share your photos with third parties or use them to train models without permission.

Troubleshooting

The AI missed an obvious defect

Solutions:

  • Check the photo quality — was it in focus? Well-lit?
  • Was the defect clearly visible, or was it small or partially obscured?
  • Try lowering the confidence threshold in Photo Settings to see if the AI did detect something but at low confidence
  • Use the image editor to add your own annotation if the AI missed it

The AI flagged something that's not a defect

Solutions:

  • Raise the confidence threshold in Photo Settings to filter out lower-confidence detections
  • Use the image editor to remove the incorrect markup

My photo won't upload

Solutions:

  • Check your internet connection
  • If the file is over 50 MB, the upload will be slow but should still work — wait for it
  • If the file is in an unsupported format, convert to JPG first
  • See Troubleshooting Common Issues

Next Steps

Need help? Contact our support team at support@nxtconstruction.ai

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