Photos
“This photo has no DJI flight data”
Why: Line by Air needs the position, altitude and heading the drone saves inside each photo. Edited photos work as long as that metadata is kept, but some export settings and sharing apps strip it out.
What to do:
- Use the original JPEG from the drone's memory card, or re-export your edit with all metadata included. In Photoshop and Lightroom, that's the default; avoid "Save for Web" and "Copyright only" metadata settings.
- Only DJI drones are supported for now. Photos from other drones won't work yet.
“…taken on a flight that launched about N m higher (or lower) than this one”
Why: Every DJI photo records the height its flight took off from, so Line by Air can tell when photos come from flights launched at different heights. All photos in a project share one takeoff spot. On sloped terrain, the takeoff sets the ground height the drone's altitude is measured from. A photo from a flight that launched somewhere else, especially at a different elevation, is projected from the wrong height, and the lines drift. The further the photo looks from the drone, the more they drift.
What to do:
- Both flights launched from the same spot? Nothing to do. The shared takeoff is correct for both.
- Different launch spots? Put each flight in its own project. Choose File → New Project (⌘ N), add that flight's photos, and set its takeoff. Its flight log gives the exact point.
- Flat terrain? The takeoff isn't used, so mixing flights is fine.
Nudging the Align tab can hide a small mismatch, but it won't fix a wrong takeoff height across the whole photo.
Lines in the wrong place
Lines are off on hills or slopes
Why: On uneven ground, Line by Air needs to know the terrain and exactly where the drone took off. Small GPS or compass errors from the drone also add up, especially far from the drone.
What to do:
- Make sure the terrain is set to Sloped, using the button at the top of the window.
- Check the green Takeoff marker is where you actually launched. Click the map to move it.
- Better still, set the takeoff with Use the flight log. See the guide.
- Use Auto Align on the Align tab with 4 point pairs spread across the photo.
- Prefer higher, more downward-looking shots. Low, shallow angles are the hardest to get right.
If lines are often off by a similar amount, calibrate your drone's compass before the next flight, away from metal and power lines.
Lines are shifted, rotated or the wrong size
Why: Usually small GPS or compass drift in the drone. If the photo was cropped, straightened or lens-corrected before importing, the lines will be off too: the metadata still describes the full camera view.
For an edited photo, use a version that hasn't been cropped or straightened, and crop the exported image instead.
What to do: On the Align tab, nudge the lines with X offset, Y offset and Rotate. If you get lost, click Reset alignment to start again.
Auto Align couldn't find a match
Why: The point pairs are too close together, in a straight line, or one of them doesn't match.
What to do: Click Clear picks, then place 4 pairs on clear features near the corners of the photo. After Solve, a large average error means at least one pair is off.
Finding the lot
“No lots found” or the wrong lot
Why: Parcel data comes from public records. It can be a few months old, new subdivisions may not be in it yet, and an address can match a neighboring parcel.
What to do:
- Try Auto-detect and click the right lot on the map.
- Click a different spot on the map. The lot you want may be the one next door.
- Import a KMZ, KML or GeoJSON from your county GIS site or surveyor.
- Draw the lot yourself on the map or the photo.
Import and Draw always work, even when lookups don't.
“Today's parcel lookup limit has been reached”
Why: There's a fair-use daily limit on address lookups and auto-detect.
What to do: Try again tomorrow. In the meantime, Import and Draw still work.
Internet and services
“Couldn't reach …” or no internet
Why: Line by Air needs the internet for:
- satellite imagery on the map
- address lookup and auto-detect
- ground elevation for sloped terrain
- licence checks when you export
- unlocking DJI flight logs the first time
What to do: Check your connection and try again. If you're on a work or hotel network, a firewall may be blocking it.
On Pro and Studio plans, you can keep exporting offline for 7 days after the last successful licence check. On pay as you go, you can re-export properties you've already paid for in the last 30 days, but a new property needs the internet. Trial exports work offline, with the watermark.
“Couldn't get elevation data”
Why: Sloped terrain needs ground heights from an online elevation service, and it couldn't be reached.
What to do: Check your connection and try again. If you need to keep working, switch to Flat for now. Lines on hills will be less accurate until you switch back.
“Satellite imagery is unavailable”
Why: The map can't load. Usually this is the internet connection. Sometimes the message says the copy of Line by Air needs updating.
What to do: Check your connection. If it's fine, choose Help → Check for Updates… and install the latest version.
Flight logs
“None of these flight logs match this photo”
Why: Line by Air matches the photo to a flight by the time it was taken. None of the logs you picked cover that moment.
What to do:
- Choose the log from the same day and the same flight. If you're not sure which, select all the logs from that day.
- Check the photo still has its capture time. The original always does; some edited exports drop it.
- Or click Pick it on the map and set the takeoff by hand.
“Too many flight logs were unlocked at once”
Why: DJI logs are encrypted, and there's a short limit on how many can be unlocked in a row.
What to do: Wait a minute and try again. Once a log is unlocked, Line by Air remembers it, so it won't count again.
Licence and trial
“This licence is already in use on … Macs”
Why: Each plan works on a set number of Macs.
What to do: On a Mac you no longer use, choose Help → Licence… and click Deactivate This Mac. Then enter the key again on this one. If you can't get to the old Mac, email [[email protected]].
“Your free trial has ended”
Why: The trial lasts 14 days or 3 properties, whichever comes first.
What to do: Buy a licence, then enter the key in Help → Licence… Your saved projects are still there.
“No property credits are left”
Why: On pay as you go, each new property uses one credit.
What to do: Buy more credits. Re-exporting a property you've already paid for is free for 30 days.
The trial watermark is still showing
What to do:
- Open Help → Licence… and check it shows your plan, not the free trial. If it doesn't, enter your key.
- Make sure you're online and export again. Each export checks your licence, so a fresh export picks up the change.
Exporting
Video export is slow or fails
Why: Videos take much more work and disk space than photos, especially at 4K.
What to do:
- Choose a smaller Resolution, such as HD (1080p).
- Check you have plenty of free disk space.
- Close other heavy apps while exporting.
Installing and opening
The app won't open, or macOS shows a security warning
Why: Line by Air is signed and notarized by Apple, so macOS should open it normally. A warning usually means the download was incomplete or came from somewhere else.
What to do:
- Download it again from linebyair.com/download.
- Make sure you picked the right version: Apple Silicon or Intel.
- Check your Mac runs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Getting help
If none of this helps, we're glad to take a look.
- Choose Help → Report a Problem….
- Say what you were doing and what happened, and add your email so we can reply.
- If the problem is with a particular photo, tick Include the current project and its photos. Then we can see exactly what you see.
- Click Send Report. You'll get a reference number, like R-1042.
The app's log and a screenshot of the window are included. Reports are kept privately for 90 days, then deleted. We usually reply within one business day.
If Line by Air closes unexpectedly, it offers to send a report the next time you open it.
Rather use email? Choose Help → Show Log Files and send the linebyair.log file to [[email protected]], with a screenshot and the .lba project file if you can.