Measuring
Measuring with a body scan
The body scan turns three photos, front, side and back, into a silhouette you can measure. Here is what the scan needs, how the capture runs, and how to check the result.
A body scan photographs a person three times, removes the background, and finds the joints of the body in each photo. On iPhone that work is done by Apple Vision and on Android by ML Kit, both on the phone itself. The result is a set of silhouettes you can measure without a tape.
What does the scan need to work?
Three photos and a height. The height comes from the profile and is what converts the photos into real measurements, so the scan asks for it before the first capture if the profile does not have one yet. The screen where you set it also lists what the photos themselves need.
- Wear form-fitting clothes.
- Stand 6 to 8 feet, or 2 to 2.5 metres, from the camera.
- Keep the whole body in the frame.
- Use good lighting.
You also need a way to hold the phone. Either someone takes the photos for you, or you prop the phone up, turn on the 5s Timer and step back into the outline yourself.
How do I take the three photos?
Open the profile, tap the body scan icon in the bar at the bottom, or Body Scan in the sidebar on iPad, and pick Camera under How do you want to measure this profile. The camera opens on the front photo, labelled 1 of 3, and moves to the next pose on its own after each shot. Take them in this order.
- Front: face the camera, stand inside the outline shown on screen, and tap the round shutter button.
- Side: turn ninety degrees to the right with your arms at your sides, then tap the shutter again.
- Back: turn to face away from the camera and take the last photo, using the timer if you are on your own.
Each photo is processed before the next one, so give it a moment. When all three are done the Body Scan tab shows the finished scan with the date it was captured.
How do I check that the scan came out right?
Swipe across the photo to move between the front, side and back poses, then use the two switches under it. Skeleton draws the joints the app found, so you can see whether it read the pose correctly. Mask replaces the photo with the outline it cut away from the background, which is the shape every measurement is taken from.
If either overlay looks wrong, the photo is usually the problem: a busy background, a loose garment or a cramped frame. Retake, under the photo, names the pose you are looking at and replaces only that one, leaving the other two alone.
How do I turn a scan into measurements?
With the scan finished and the mode still set to Camera, tap any measurement label on the profile. Instead of the number pad, the scan photos open and you draw the measurement on them, then accept the value the app works out. In Tape Measure mode the same label opens the number pad, so check the mode if you get one when you wanted the other.
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