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A PDF is not a thermal report

A thermal image flattened into a PDF loses what makes it valuable: the temperature data. Your client sees colours, not measurements — and cannot zoom, compare or verify a single reading.

Generated PDF report with a static thermal image
A PDF shows one snapshot; the client cannot measure or zoom in it.

❌ Thermal as a flat PDF

  • Colours only — no temperature behind them
  • No per-pixel readout, no measuring
  • No palette switching to reveal detail
  • No zoom, no comparison, no verification
  • The radiometric data is gone for good

✓ Thermal in DronePortal

  • Per-pixel temperature readout in the browser
  • Palette switching to bring out hotspots
  • Hotspot annotations that explain the finding
  • Zoom and compare, on any device
  • A branded PDF report beside it — not instead of it

The value was in the data you just threw away

A thermal camera doesn't capture colours — it captures temperature. The colour is only a rendering. Export to PDF and you keep the rendering and discard the measurement, which is exactly the part your client is paying for. It looks like a report, but it can't answer a single "how hot?" question.

DronePortal keeps the measurement alive. Your client hovers any point and reads the temperature, switches palettes to bring out a hotspot, and sees your annotations explaining what matters. The evidence stays verifiable instead of frozen.

You still get a PDF — you just don't lose everything else

This isn't PDF versus portal. Branded PDF reports are generated in one click, right beside the interactive viewer. Your client gets the document for their records and the live thermal for the truth. Radiometric data is preserved exactly on the Professional and Agency plans.

Read next: delivering solar panel inspections, or why one inspection deserves one link.

Frequently asked questions

What does an interactive thermal viewer add?

A per-pixel temperature readout, palette switching and hotspot annotations — the things a flattened PDF image cannot do.

Can I still give my client a PDF?

Yes. Branded PDF reports are generated in one click, next to the interactive viewer, not instead of it.

Does the client need thermal expertise?

No. Annotations and the report explain what matters, so a non-specialist understands the finding.

Is radiometric data preserved on upload?

Yes. The exact radiometric JSON is preserved on the Professional and Agency plans.

The technical background from a certified thermographer: radiometric vs an ordinary thermal image.

Ready to get started?

Keep thermal interactive

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Built by drone pilots who did this the hard way for three years.

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