Thread: Spectacular tips and tricks

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A couple other helpful tips for Spectacular for iPad/iPhone include...

press and hold the camera button to bring up the camera quickly.

Press and hold the comment name in the upper right to preview the full comment before adding it to the report.

Press and hold the section name to bring up the locations screen to duplicate a section. ie. add Bathroom.

Hope this helps...

Can't see the data plate behind the a/c -

- switch to the camera app on the iPad mini and take the picture. You can store photos you may not need in the report....

- use your iPhone, put the picture in the iCloud shared photos and it's now on your mini...

- use a cool pix camera. Cool pix has an app that lets you see what the camara sees on your iPad mini. Once you have it framed, take the picture from the iPad mini. Now your mini has flash capability....

- use Bluetooth capable camera and Bluetooth to the mini....

To keep a photo/video in the app but not show it in the report, tap the photo then press the options button in the upper right then press Hide From Report...

Originally Posted by Aaron Johnson

To keep a photo/video in the app but not show it in the report, tap the photo then press the options button in the upper right then press Hide From Report...

I always hide a picture of the service panel, data plates and objects that hinder my inspection (cluttered closets...). I don't ever have to go back and double-check info (max fuse....). If it is an issue, I just "show in the report").

Originally Posted by Bill Bryan

I always hide a picture of the service panel, data plates and objects that hinder my inspection (cluttered closets...). I don't ever have to go back and double-check info (max fuse....). If it is an issue, I just "show in the report").

I'm trying to figure out why one would want to "hide" a photo of anything ... if there is the possibility that it may be needed so you include it, but then "hide" it ... it would be much easier and more beneficial to the client to be able to "see" it when they look through, and hopefully read, the report.

Would say the phone call or conversation which would lead to the need to "unhide" the photo.

Or maybe I'm just old fashioned and from Missouri ... okay, I'm not from Missouri, but I still want you to "show me" what you looked and and what - and why - you did not look at something.

The only reason I can think of to have a "hide" function is to have a "hide all" function - "hide all" photos, then click a "show all" photos button ... I can see that being beneficial to some clients who are "readers", and then they can "see" and visualize what they read with the photos. I would make the default "show", with "hide" as the reader-must-taken-action option.

Inspectors hide photos just in case the job comes up in litigation. It's for safeguarding purposes and many inspectors across the country do it. Yes, with Spectacular you can generate a report with all the photos hidden then generate another with them showing...

guys

i take many photos that don't go in report--stove top burners working-etc.- broken spinkler pipes-electrical wires with cover off-attic insulation-crawl space -just in case

cvf

Originally Posted by Aaron Johnson

Inspectors hide photos just in case the job comes up in litigation.

Precisely my point.

Don't hide the photo, stop the litigation BEFORE it happens.

If an inspector is going to use a "hidden" photo to get them out of a jam ... that very same photo not having been hidden in the first place would have kept them out of that jam.

Think of it this way: if you have to "unhide" a photo to show why you did not look at something ... that entire conversation could have been avoided had that same photo been in plain sight for all to see why you did not look at that something.

Just because something CAN be done does not mean that it is a good idea to DO IT!

A redneck's last words: Hey, Bubba, watch this!

Ummm ... maybe not doing whatever it was he was getting ready to do would have resulted in a better ending ... Just sayin' ...

Originally Posted by Aaron Johnson

Inspectors hide photos just in case the job comes up in litigation.

I understand what you mean, but if its important enough to photograph and keep, it goes in my report. Packed closets, full garages, obstructed mechanical devices or components, etc.

Saving a photo so that one day you can say "Ah-hah, gotcha!" seems unnecessary to me.

Dom.

I've never used every photo that I take in a report....but I can say that I have "used" more photos than I have put in the report. It's a great option to categorize them like this app lets me do.

max fuse was 35 amps....instead of walking back to the other side of the house to re look the service panel, I looked a the photo in front of me. Too easy. 30 amp cb in the service panel.

I save every photo with the report but I only include a portion of the 200-300 I usually take. Most don't make it to the finished product, only the ones I deem pertinent. I take some photos just as a CYA but they would be meaningless to the client, then some are out of focus or a different angle is used in the report. I take a photo of pretty much everything I inspect but I don't see the need to clutter the report needlessly.
Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

I save every photo with the report but I only include a portion of the 200-300 I usually take. Most don't make it to the finished product, only the ones I deem pertinent. I take some photos just as a CYA but they would be meaningless to the client, then some are out of focus or a different angle is used in the report. I take a photo of pretty much everything I inspect but I don't see the need to clutter the report needlessly.
Just my opinion.

I used to take more photos than that, each photo I took which was not of any use (out of focus, flash washed it out, not showing what I wanted it to show so I took another photo, etc.) were all deleted as not being any good - all other photos went into the report.

No client ever thought that any of my photos cluttered the report needlessly as each represented something I wanted them to see - and they all "got it".

There was no need to keep a CYA photo hidden to pull out and go GOTCHA ... because my clients already saw and knew what I saw and what and why I could not see something.

But I've already said the above, so I'll stop saying it and let you guys keep coming up with reasons to hide some photos from the people who paid you to take them ... oh ... yeah ... did you return some of the fee they paid you ... you know ... for hiding some of the report from them?

I can see becoming a sticky wicket when you reveal to your clients that, oh, by the way, I hide some of what you paid me for from you ... just in case ... I can see a large class action lawsuit filed against users of that reporting software for hiding and not giving the client what they paid for ...

Hahaha Jerry, if Jim took 300 photos on an inspection, I'm sure it's safe to say not a single buyer would want to look at all those photos on the report. That's way too much redundancy. They'd appreciate Jim for filtering the report. Also, it's not the software that's filtering the pics, it's the inspector telling the software to filter them... Which software do you use again Jerry?

Originally Posted by Aaron Johnson

Hahaha Jerry, if Jim took 300 photos on an inspection, I'm sure it's safe to say not a single buyer would want to look at all those photos on the report. That's way too much redundancy. They'd appreciate Jim for filtering the report. Also, it's not the software that's filtering the pics, it's the inspector telling the software to filter them... Which software do you use again Jerry?

I had intended to leave this thread to you guys, but, being as your referred your question to me ...

I used my own software program. I started using a notebook computer in the field in 1994, as a WordPerfect user, I wrote my own program using WordPerfect macros and my reporting system did things back then which not other software did for a decade or two (is there any software today which allows the inspector to inspect geographically (room/location) and the report is created: a) geographically; b) systematically (by system); c) either/or or using both?

My client could peruse the report by room/location and it was all there. The contractors could take the electrical section, plumbing section, mechanical section, etc., and all those items were in each section at the end of the geographical report section.

And all photos were at the end of the report at 4 photos per page (sometimes I would do 6 photos per page, my software system allowed me to select which I wanted and then automatically inserted all the photos ... however many I had taken), with typed in comments stating what was in the photos.

My report was NOT anything like the average inspector's report - and not a single client considered the photos and knowledge provided as being redundant. My clients were my referral base, and my clients referred my to their friends BECAUSE of my inspections and my reports.

Being as you have not been around here long ... you are not aware of the types of inspections I did.

Jim is a seasoned good inspector, I have no doubts that he could create a similar market in his area in his area of Texas. Some (only a few) elect to go for the top of the market, some (many) go for the middle of the market, others (most) are willing to sit back and accept the bottom of the market that the agents will refer to them.

Yes, there are exceptional agents here and there, I had several of them in my market, but most agents are not interested in their client first and the deal last ... most are interested in the deal first and their client last. I have had agents, after asking me what I had found part through an inspection, tell their clients that they need to run from that deal ... and the agent was dead on the money. Very few agents put the best interests of their client before their commission check - and I'm not talking about measly $18,000 commission checks (6% of $300.000), I'm talking about $300,000 commission checks - yes, that is the commission which gets split).

I no longer do inspections, I retired in 2006.

I then went into code inspections for 9 years.

I am now retired again, except that I am back to consulting and litigation work - so being retired does not (and likely will never) mean that I am not working.

While Jerry said that no client ever thought that photos cluttered the report, I'm pretty sure that he did not ask each and every client that specific question regarding their thoughts on the amount of photos used in his report.

My clients pay me for my inspection and report. My pay is not based on how many photos I take, or include in the report. I am not obligated to use any or all the photos I took. My obligation is to provide a report based on the inspection. My pay is not based on what tools I may use doing said inspection, or the tools I did not use.

Sorry Jerry, I just had to give a little back. I've been away from IN for a while, and have to say I have missed your contentious ways.

Re the original topic of hiding photos. I do use the hide feature in Spectacular. I may take 5 photos of the crowded garage, but only use one in the report where I tell them I can't see everything because of the owners belongings. I take photos of the cabinets under sinks, but don't include all of them either, especially if the client is with me and has seen it for themselves. The photos I take are more of a reminder for me, in case a question comes up later. While you might call it a 'Gotcha" moment, I'm more inclined to call it a CYA, or memory refresher tool.

I'm sure Jerry with have a retort that will involve an imaginary courtroom situation.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

While Jerry said that no client ever thought that photos cluttered the report, I'm pretty sure that he did not ask each and every client that specific question regarding their thoughts on the amount of photos used in his report.

My clients pay me for my inspection and report. My pay is not based on how many photos I take, or include in the report. I am not obligated to use any or all the photos I took. My obligation is to provide a report based on the inspection. My pay is not based on what tools I may use doing said inspection, or the tools I did not use.

Sorry Jerry, I just had to give a little back. I've been away from IN for a while, and have to say I have missed your contentious ways.

Re the original topic of hiding photos. I do use the hide feature in Spectacular. I may take 5 photos of the crowded garage, but only use one in the report where I tell them I can't see everything because of the owners belongings. I take photos of the cabinets under sinks, but don't include all of them either, especially if the client is with me and has seen it for themselves. The photos I take are more of a reminder for me, in case a question comes up later. While you might call it a 'Gotcha" moment, I'm more inclined to call it a CYA, or memory refresher tool.

I'm sure Jerry with have a retort that will involve an imaginary courtroom situation.

Well put Jack. I will take all 5 garage pictures with the iPad mini (straight to Spectacular). I could save the 4 pictures, that I don't use, to the mini or just push the "hide " button and they are saved in the report. I find saving them with the report is the fastest way. I also think it uses less space/memory.....I'll have to ask Aaron. Would like to hear how others do it....I'm sure someone has a good technique.

as a side note about this forum: We had a saying in the Army, "it's OK to disagree, it's not OK to be disagreeable." Another good reminder is - on the Internet, type as though you are standing in front of the people you are talking to. You will find that it's very hard to get back the respect that you lose due to a lack of self-discipline.

Originally Posted by Jack Feldmann

I'm sure Jerry with have a retort that will involve an imaginary courtroom situation.

Sorry to disappoint you, Jack, in your welcome back post, but I'm responding different than you expected.

It is interesting, though, to see your first post back as trying to beat up on someone else while implying that beating up on someone else is not the way to do things - interesting concept you have there, I will have to follow your lead.

I never had a client say anything to the effect that there were too many photos, and that can be taken as "My report was NOT anything like the average inspector's report - and not a single client considered the photos and knowledge provided as being redundant."

That may be because, as I stated:

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

My report was NOT anything like the average inspector's report - and not a single client considered the photos and knowledge provided as being redundant.

Here are some simple facts of life:

• My clients were different than most inspector's clients.
• My market was different than most inspector's markets.
• My inspections were different than most inspector's inspections.
• My reports were different than most inspector's reports.
• My fees were different than most inspector's fees.

Just having fun with you Jerry. Obviously you were in a rarified market and did abnormal inspections and reports. I got that.
Please don't take my post as trying to beat you up, I was just pointing out a small detail in your post that I thought was ......... (can't think of the word), that you would usually jump on someone if they posted.
Its almost always a flag when someone uses terms like: always, none, every, never, etc., in a post.

Hey Spectacular users... iOS 9 comes out on Wednesday the 16th.. Don't update your iPads/iPhones right away. Although we did release a preliminary update that should make it okay, you never know. You may run into unexpected defects. Let the other uninformed people be the guinea pigs. Follow us on Twitter at @SpectacularHIS and we'll let you know when it's safe.