Every design starts with a picture of the yard. You can reach the Designer from the VisionScaper home screen in two ways.

• Have a photo ready, or be ready to use your camera.
• You do not need an account to design. Sign in if you want your designs saved to your account and available on other devices.

1. Open VisionScaper and tap Design my yard (“Add a photo, place plants, watch them grow”).
2. On the first screen, titled “Add a photo of your yard”, optionally pick which part you are designing: Front yard, Back yard, Side yard, Patio or deck, or Whole property.
3. Choose a photo source:
   – Take a photo: your phone camera with framing guides.
   – Upload a photo: a photo you already have.
   – Bird’s-eye view: aerial imagery of your address.
   – Explore in 3D: appears only when the site owner has added a Google Maps key.
   – Sample yard: a ready-made yard to practice on.
4. After the photo is chosen it is saved as a design right away. Step 2 is “Name it and say what matters”. Type a name, then optionally tap goals: Low maintenance, Privacy, Color all season, Curb appeal, Kid & pet friendly, Native plants, Room to entertain, Fix drainage.
5. Tap Open the designer →.

Tap Save and finish later at any step. The home screen then shows a “Continue your design” card so you can pick up where you left off.

You may also see a window called Start a new design (for example from My designs). It has the same source buttons, a Name (optional) box and an “Or start from…” section:

1. Tap Or start from…
2. Tap One of my designs or saved views.
3. For any design, choose Copy whole design (a copy to try a new idea), or Fresh from “[view name]” to start again from that view’s original photo.

The first time a view opens, the Designer jumps to the scale step on a photo, with a note such as “Quick setup: tell me how big something is (like your front door)”. On a bird’s-eye view it opens the Add tool instead, because aerial views are already to scale.

• Best results: stand back so the whole area, and some of the house, fits. Hold the phone sideways at eye level and keep it level.
• A default name like “My Dream Yard” followed by the date is filled in for you. Change it any time in the name box at the top of the Designer.

• Nothing happens after choosing a photo: the message under the buttons tells you why, for example that the photo format cannot be opened. Try a JPG or PNG.
• “Explore in 3D” is missing: the site owner has not added a Google Maps key.
• “This browser is blocking storage”: a private window can stop designs from saving. Use a normal window.

• Take or upload a photo of your yard
• Design on a bird's-eye (aerial) view
• Try a sample yard
• The Designer at a glance