A photo scope is what you get when you start from the roof instead of the paperwork. Rather than waiting on the carrier's PDF, you photograph the damage, let AI read it, and end up with a draft Xactimate scope you can confirm and export. It is a different way into the same estimate, and it helps most in the gaps where no document exists yet.
I work the claim side of this at ESXPress. Here is what a photo scope actually is, how the AI reads a roof photo, where photos are enough, and where you still need a document.
What photo scope for Xactimate means
A photo scope for Xactimate means starting from roof photographs rather than a carrier document. AI reads the damage, grades severity per facet, and drafts a scope with Xactimate SEL codes and quantities for a trained inspector to confirm. The output is a draft you review, not a finished estimate that files itself.
People come to it for two reasons. Sometimes there is no scope yet, because you are documenting a loss before the adjuster writes one. Sometimes the carrier's scope is thin, and you want a second read of the roof to compare against it.
How Photo-Scope turns photos into a Xactimate scope
The flow has four steps, and none of them ask you to stop working the roof. Photo-Scope is where this runs.
- Shoot the roof. Photograph the damage the way you would document it for the carrier anyway: one context photo per facet, then close-ups of each damage type.
- Upload the set. Photo-Scope reads the images and identifies hail and wind damage, grading severity for each finding.
- Get a draft scope. The AI returns a draft with the damage findings, Xactimate SEL codes, and quantities.
- Confirm and export. A trained inspector confirms each finding, then you export the scope as an import-ready ESX file.
A full set of roof photos runs through the analysis in roughly 30 seconds, so the bottleneck is your trip up the ladder, not the software.
What the AI reads in a roof photo
Vision is looking for the physical signatures of a loss, the same things a trained eye checks. On a hail claim that means bruising and mat damage. On a wind claim it means creases, lifted or missing shingles, and fastener pull-through. The pass also reads overall condition per facet, which is how it arrives at a severity grade instead of a simple hit or miss.
The results are strongest on clear, well-lit close-ups and weakest on dark, shadowed, or debris-covered shingles. Treat the output as a first pass rather than a verdict.
From damage findings to SEL codes
A finding by itself does not pay a claim. A hail bruise on a field shingle turns into a shingle replacement line with the right SEL code and a measured quantity. Photo-Scope keeps the map from finding to code, so the draft scope reads like an estimate rather than a list of photos. If you want to see what the codes mean, the Xactimate code lookup is free.
Are photographs alone enough?
Not for everything, and any tool that tells you otherwise is overselling. A photograph can show a hail bruise or a missing shingle. It usually cannot establish every dimension or confirm what is hidden under the surface. Photo-Scope drafts from what the photo shows and flags what it cannot settle as a question instead of guessing a quantity. The photo damage analysis guide goes deeper on what a camera can and cannot prove.
How many photos and which angles work best
More is not better. Coverage is. Shoot one context photo per facet so the reader can orient itself, then step in to 3 to 5 feet for close-ups of each damage type. A typical roof set lands between 15 and 30 images. The AI grades consistently across every frame, so a set shot the same way on every job tends to read cleaner than a scattered one.
Photo scope versus converting a carrier PDF
These are two ways into the same platform, and the choice depends on what you have. If a carrier has already written a scope, convert it: the PDF to Xactimate path pulls the line items into structure, and the PDF to ESX converter turns the scope into a file you can import. If you are on the roof before any document exists, start with photos. Then validate the exported file with the free ESX validator before it goes anywhere.
One honest note on scope. Competitors convert what is already on the PDF. ESXPress starts from the roof itself when there is no document, and where the carrier's scope is missing items, the supplement workflow is how you restore them. The satellite estimates guide and the missing line items explainer cover that side.
Want to try it on a real roof? Upload a photo set at Photo-Scope and read the draft scope. The free plan includes 5 conversions a month, no card required.