Platform
From damage photos to line items
The estimate is only as good as what the camera actually captured. This page is about that, because it is the part nobody explains.
The workflow
Up to ten photographs, taken at the vehicle rather than at a desk. Overall shots to establish the panel and the impact point, then closer frames on each damaged area. The estimate comes back as operations and hours you can edit line by line.
What photographs can and cannot establish
A photograph establishes what is visible: which panels are affected, the direction of impact, whether a part is creased or scuffed, whether a lamp or sensor sits in the damaged zone. It cannot establish what is behind the panel. Structural damage, mounting-point deformation and bracket damage are teardown findings, and any tool that claims otherwise from a photograph is selling something.
Why the photographs decide the supplement
A first write built from thin photographs comes back as a supplement. That is not an AI problem, it is the same thing that happens when an adjuster writes from three pictures. The craft pages under /estimating cover how to shoot damage so the estimate holds up, which is the highest-leverage thing a shop can change.
The vehicle side matters
The workflow runs on a phone at the car, not on a desktop after the fact. VIN and odometer are read by camera and the check digit is validated on the phone before anything is sent, so a mistyped VIN is caught at the vehicle rather than three days later.
Before you ask
How many photos does it need?
Up to ten. Fewer works, and produces a thinner estimate. Overall shots plus a close frame on each damaged area is the pattern that produces the most usable first write.
Will it find hidden damage?
No. Nothing that works from photographs can. It writes what is visible and the teardown finds the rest, which is what supplements are for.
Can I use photos a customer sent me?
Yes, though customer photographs are usually the thin case. They tend to be taken from too far back and miss the close frames that decide operations.
Run it on damage you have already written
Accounts are created by hand, usually within a business day. Bring your own photographs and a repair order you have already closed, so you can see how close it lands before you decide. No card, no trial timer.