AI Photo Captions

nSpec can write photo captions for you. After you add photos to an inspection, the AI reads each image — and, in Compliance-aware mode, your project documents and specifications — and writes a caption that lands in the photo log. You stay in control: every AI caption can be edited afterward, and editing one marks it as human-written. This article explains the two ways to generate captions, the two caption modes, what you see while generation runs, and the AI badge.

Online only. AI caption generation needs a live connection. When you're in offline mode the controls are disabled with the hint "Online required for AI captions." Photos still upload normally offline — you just generate captions once you're back online.

What AI Captions Do

Instead of typing a caption for every photo, you let nSpec draft them in a batch. The AI:

• Generates captions for one photo or many at once
• Writes the result straight into each photo's caption on the photo log
• Marks every AI-written caption with a small AI badge so you can tell at a glance which captions still need a human review
• Steps aside when you edit a caption — your edit is saved as human-written, and the AI badge clears

Captions are written when generation completes, not instantly. A short batch of descriptive captions finishes in seconds; a compliance-aware batch takes longer because it reads your project documents for each photo.

Caption Modes

Every time you generate captions you pick a mode. The mode you used last is remembered for your session, and Compliance-aware is the default.

• Compliance-aware (recommended) — Cites your project documents and specifications and includes a brief compliance read in the caption. This is the richer option and the default. It takes roughly 10–15 seconds per photo because it looks up the relevant project documents for each image.
• Descriptive — A plain visual description of what the photo shows, with no citations. Faster — roughly 5 seconds per photo. Use it when you just want a quick first-pass caption and don't need the compliance context.

Compliance-aware works best with project documents uploaded. Mode reads your project's documents and specifications to ground the caption. If a project has no documents, the captions still generate but lean on the image alone — much like Descriptive mode.

Two Ways to Generate Captions

There are two entry points, and they share the same modes and options:

• In Quick Capture — turn on AI captions as you upload a batch of photos, so the captions are drafted the moment the upload finishes.
• From the Photos tab — select photos that are already on the inspection and generate captions for them in bulk.

Generating Captions in Quick Capture

Quick Capture has a Use AI captions toggle in the photo details. When it's on, the manual Caption field is hidden and nSpec drafts the captions for you after the photos upload.

1. Open an inspection and go to the Photos tab
2. Open Quick Capture (the camera floating button) and add your photos
3. Expand the photo details and turn on Use AI captions. The hint changes to "Captions will be generated by AI after upload."
4. Choose a mode — Compliance-aware or Descriptive
5. (Optional) Add Custom instructions — see below
6. Finish the rest of the Quick Capture flow as usual and click Save
7. The photos upload, then caption generation starts automatically for the new photos. A toast confirms it kicked off.

The toggle remembers your choice. Whether you keep AI captions on or off carries over to your next Quick Capture session, so you don't have to flip it every time.

Generating Captions for Existing Photos

For photos that are already on the inspection, use the bulk action on the Photos tab:

1. Open the inspection's Photos tab
2. Select the photos you want captions for (use the checkbox on each photo, or Select All)
3. Click Generate AI Captions in the bulk actions bar
4. In the Generate AI captions dialog, choose a mode and optionally add custom instructions
5. Click Generate

The dialog header tells you how many photos are in the batch — for example, "Generate AI captions for 8 photos?"

Generate in batches of up to about 50 photos at a time; if you've selected more, split it into a couple of runs. Running it on photos that already have captions replaces those captions (and re-marks them as AI), so select only the photos you actually want regenerated.

The bulk actions bar is hidden in offline mode. You'll only see Generate AI Captions (and the other bulk actions) when you're online and have edit access to the inspection — it's hidden in read-only views.

Custom Instructions

Both entry points include an optional Custom instructions field. Use it to steer the wording across the whole batch — for example:

• "Prefix every caption with Building 3 -"
• "Keep captions under 10 words"
• "Note the elevation when it's visible"

Instructions are limited to 500 characters and are remembered for your session, so a prefix you set once carries to your next batch until you change it. Leave the field blank if you don't need it.

While Captions Are Generating

Generation runs in the background — you don't have to wait on a single screen. Two things show you the progress:

• A progress banner appears at the top of the Photos tab: "AI captions in progress — 3 of 8 done." If any photo fails, the banner adds the count (for example, "(1 failed)"). When a single job is running, the banner has a Cancel button.
• Each photo that's still generating shows "Generating Mode B caption…" (or Mode A) in place of its caption box, with a spinner.

While a photo is generating, its caption field is locked. This is on purpose: if you typed a caption mid-generation, the AI's result would overwrite it a moment later and your text would be lost. The field unlocks automatically the moment the AI caption lands.

While a job runs you can switch tabs or move around the app, and a brief connection drop is fine — the progress keeps going. A full page reload is different: it stops the live progress, so the banner and the per-photo spinners won't come back. The captions still finish on the server, so they'll appear on those photos the next time the photo log refreshes.

The AI Badge

Every caption the AI writes gets a small AI badge next to it. Hover over it for the reminder: "Caption written by AI. Edit to mark as human-written."

The badge is there so you can review AI captions before the report goes out — it tells you which captions a person hasn't touched yet. When you edit an AI caption and save it, the caption becomes human-written; the AI badge clears once the photo log refreshes, so it may not disappear the instant you click away.

Why the AI / human distinction matters. AI-written captions are kept out of nSpec's caption training data, while captions a person wrote or corrected are treated as trusted examples. Editing an AI caption — even lightly — is what flips it to human-written, so a quick pass over your captions both improves the report and feeds better training data.

Best Practices

• Generate first, review second. Let AI draft the whole batch, then read down the photo log and fix anything that's off. It's faster than typing every caption from scratch.
• Feed it clear construction photos. The AI captions the building, conditions, and work in progress. Sharp, well-lit shots of the actual condition produce the best captions; staging shots or unrelated images may come back without one.
• Use Compliance-aware for report-bound photos. The citations and compliance read add real value on findings that go in front of a client. Save Descriptive for quick reference shots.
• Set a custom-instructions prefix per area. A short "Building 3 -" prefix keeps captions consistent across a batch with one setting.
• Edit the captions that matter. Editing clears the AI badge and marks the caption human-written — do it on anything client-facing so nothing un-reviewed ships in the report.
• Generate online, before you head out. Since it's online-only, run your batches while you still have a connection rather than waiting until you're back in the field.

Troubleshooting

The AI caption controls are disabled or missing

Solutions:

• You're in offline mode. AI captions are online-only — the Quick Capture toggle shows "Online required for AI captions." and the Photos tab bulk actions bar (including Generate AI Captions) is hidden until you reconnect.
• On the Photos tab, make sure you've selected at least one photo before clicking Generate AI Captions.

I can't type in a photo's caption box

Solutions:

• That photo has a caption job in progress — the box shows "Generating Mode … caption…" and is locked so the AI result doesn't overwrite your text. It unlocks automatically when the caption lands.
• To stop generation, use Cancel on the progress banner.

It says the inspection is checked out by another inspector

Solutions:

• Someone else holds the inspection lock. Captions can only be generated by the person who has it checked out. Wait until they're done, or have the lock released, then try again.

The AI badge is still showing after I edited a caption

Solutions:

• The badge clears once your edit is saved and the photo log refreshes — it may not disappear the instant you click away. Make sure the edit saved (it saves when you click out of the box), then refresh the photo log if the badge is still showing.

Some photos in the batch didn't get a caption

Solutions:

• The photo may not be a usable construction image. The AI captions the building, conditions, and construction work. A photo that isn't a clear construction image — an interior staging shot, a screenshot, or a blurry or unrelated picture — can come back without a caption. Replace it with a clear shot of the condition, or write that caption by hand.
• The banner shows the failed count (for example, "(2 failed)"). Those photos keep their existing caption and stay editable — generate again for just those photos, or caption them by hand.
• If the whole batch failed, check your connection and that the AI service is reachable, then retry.

Related Articles

• Quick Capture and Batch Photos
• Photo Organization and Tagging
• Working with Inspections in nSpec
• Annotating Photos with the Image Editor
• Photo Upload Issues

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