Photoshop Matchline Tutorial for Agtek/Takeoff Users

Photoshop Match-line Tutorial for use with Agtek and similar Takeoff software

By Elizabeth H. Thompson

Are you tired of inserting and aligning multiple match sheets into your takeoff software over and over? Wouldn’t it be nice to view your entire project as you work?

Try this technique using Photoshop, or the more affordable Photoshop Elements. Photoshop is an Adobe product commonly used by graphic artists and photographers to manipulate image files. For this project, I’ll be using Photoshop Elements 5.0.

To begin, assemble the pdf files needed. Often, pdfs that are supplied by others arrive with obscure numerical names. To help speed the process, it helps to rename the pdfs, adding a description to help identify the sheets. For example, a pdf of the first match sheet of the site plan might have the original name 12345.pdf. It may be renamed to 12345 site1.pdf. Once you have your pdfs arranged and named so that you can grab them quickly you are ready to begin.

Open Photoshop Elements, then select edit and enhance photos. Select FILE, OPEN, and browse for the first pdf match sheet. The Import PDF dialogue box will appear. In this example we will boost the resolution to 100 pixels/inch. Be sure that the anti-aliased box is checked. Click OK.

From the top toolbar, select IMAGE, then CROP. A box will appear that can be stretched at the corners and side, or moved by placing the crosshairs in the image and dragging. Watch the cursors to see how it changes as you move around the image. It is possible to rotate the crop box as well. Use the wheel on your mouse to zoom in and out to position the box directly on the match line. If your “match sheets” do not have actual match lines, aim for the edges of the design image as shown in the example here. It’s ok if your sheets overlap each other.

When you are satisfied with your selection, select the GREEN ARROW at the edge of the crop box.

 Select FILE, SAVEAS and change the file type to save as a Photoshop file (.psd). Do not close the file. Go ahead and open another match sheet and repeat the process. 

Be sure to leave a graphic scale or some known distance line on at least one match sheets so that it will be possible to verify the scale when the final pdf is inserted into a takeoff program.

When you have opened all of your match pdfs and have cropped and saved them as Photoshop files, it’s time to combine them.

Select FILE, then NEW, then BLANK FILE. Set the width and height as needed. In this case we will begin with 100 x 100 inches. Much of this will be cropped away later. Set the resolution to 100. Check to see that the background contents are set to white.

You may wish to play with the resolution numbers. It is ok to use the default 75 psi. The higher 100 psi resolution creates a clearer pdf and a substantially larger file. Your computer resources may influence the resolution you choose. Lower resolutions can make the final pdf fuzzy but if the original drawing is very clear to start with that may not be a problem. If you are going to be putting a lot of sheets together you might want to keep the resolution down.

It’s time to put it all together. Select FILE, then PLACE, then browse for the first match sheet psd file. Place the psd on the page. Keep in mind that you need to leave room to place the other match sheets. In most cases you would be placing the upper left hand corner match sheet first. 

 It is important to NOT resize any of the placed files by pulling on the corners. If the images are resized during insertion they will not scale properly when inserted into your takeoff software. 

Select the GREEN ARROW to accept the placement.

Again, select FILE, then PLACE to browse for your second psd. Place the psd on the page, but this time zoom in with the mouse wheel and carefully line it up with the previous match sheet. Check all corresponding lines and corners before accepting the placement by clicking the green arrow. 

Continue on until you have placed all of your match sheets together.

Select LAYER, then FLATTEN IMAGE. This will put all of the image layers on one layer, thus reducing the final file size.

Select IMAGE, then CROP. Place the crop rectangle as needed, resizing it until you have your image in the frame, then click the green arrow to accept. Notice that in the example at the lower right hand corner I have left a graphic scale on the image.

Select FILE then SAVEAS. Choose a name and an appropriate folder for your pdf. Change the file format to Photoshop pdf. Select SAVE, then when prompted choose medium-high image quality, then OK and you’re done. You may want to give the file a name identifying it as a compilation of pdfs such as “jobname combo.pdf”.

There are limits to how large a pdf Agtek will accept. In some cases it’s possible to use as many as 8 match sheets combined together into a rectangular layout. When putting highway sheets together try to stick to no more than 4 at a time. This technique can be used successfully using the combined pdf files in Carlson Takeoff, Agtek Materials 3D , Agtek Grademodel programs and others. After a few projects you will find that it’s well worth taking the time to snap the match sheets together.

Thanks for checking out my blog. Please feel free to contact me with feedback, questions or suggestions about the Photoshop Match-line Technique.