Three things help most: a plain surface, pieces spread out so none are touching, and good, even light. The scanner is not always right, but a clear photo gives it the best chance.
Setting up a tray scan
- Use a plain surface. Not patterned, and not wood grain.
- Spread the pieces out so none are touching. Pieces that touch can be read as one.
- Keep to one layer. No piles, and no piece on top of another.
- Hold the phone flat above the tray, with the whole tray inside the dashed outline.
- Use even light, and avoid hard shadows across the tray.
- Think about the surface colour. A piece the same colour as the surface is hard to see. A white surface hides white, light grey and clear pieces.
- Scan a handful at a time. Between 20 and 60 pieces is a good tray.
- Hold still until the app says Finding pieces….
The grey strip
The scan screen mentions a grey strip, and a result may suggest adding one for better colours. You do not need one. It is a printed reference card that the scanner can use to judge colour. The scanner works without it, though it is less sure of colours.
Scanning one brick
- Scan one piece at a time.
- Hold the piece inside the square. If it is not recognised, move closer and try again.
What the scanner cannot do
- It only knows the pieces your tubs still need. It does not name pieces from other sets.
- Pieces that look alike are hard to tell apart. Expect question marks on those.
- It cannot judge transparent, chrome, pearl or metallic colours well.
- It cannot read a pile. Overlapping pieces are out of its reach.
If the result is still poor
Try a different surface first. That makes the biggest difference. Then spread the pieces further apart and scan fewer at a time.
Anything the scanner misses can be sorted by hand. For what the marks on a result mean, see When the scanner is not sure. For error messages, see A scan failed or found nothing. The steps are in Scanning a whole tray.