How to Measure Distance in a Photo

Last Updated: April 27, 2020

Did you know that you can take a picture of the layout of an object, then later get its measurements? This wikiHow will teach you how to measure distance in a photo using Adobe's Photoshop on your computer.

Steps

1
Open Photoshop. You'll find this in your Start Menu or Applications folder.
- If you don't have Photoshop, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial here. You can select a plan ranging from $9.99/mo to $52.99.mo.
2
Open your photo in Photoshop. You can either go to File > Open within Photoshop, or you can right-click the file in your file browser and select Open with > Photoshop.

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3
Select the Ruler Tool. If you don't see this in your Tools menu, click and hold down on the Eyedropper Tool.
4
Click and drag from the starting point of your measurement to the end point. You'll see the ruler between the two points you've clicked. If you want to maintain 45 degree increments, press and hold the ⇧ Shift key as you drag the ruler.
- If you want to add another measurement angle, press Alt (Windows) or ⌥ Option (Mac) and drag your cursor to the other end point. In the case that you've already un-clicked from the last end-point, you can double-click the line to pick it up again.^{[1]
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