How to identify rocks with useful photos

Use one identification for one physical specimen. If several rocks appear in one photo, the result cannot reliably tell which texture or color belongs to which object. Start with the general identifier when you do not have a likely material in mind, or choose a focused tool when the specimen clearly fits its prompt. The most useful question is about an observable feature: whether grains interlock, a surface is glassy, layers are visible, or a crystal has repeated faces.

Before upload, keep your field note separate from the answer you hope to get. Record a broad location only if you are comfortable sharing it, along with visible details such as a polished surface, an existing break, or a ruler for scale. Context can guide the comparison, but it is not proof of composition or origin. Avoid destructive tests, chemicals, or scratches on an unknown specimen just to make the first result look more definite.

Upload one to three views of the same specimen. A full image establishes shape and scale; a close image shows grain, luster, layer, pore, or crystal detail; a side or existing edge can show a different structure. Use diffuse daylight when possible, a plain background, and a stable focus. Keep filters off. If reflections hide the surface, take an angled view rather than increasing flash. The service accepts common photo formats and prepares them for the review workflow.

A useful note names what the image shows without converting it into a conclusion. For example, write “pale grains in a dark, fine surface” or “thin bands on one edge.” Mention whether the object is loose, embedded, tumbled, polished, a countertop sample, or a construction product. That makes limitations easier to understand. It does not replace a measurement, and photos alone cannot verify hardness, composition, treatment, value, or provenance.

You can upload and read a result without an account. In that browser, anonymous photos, notes, and results are temporary and expire after 24 hours. The page can restore the most recent available result in the same browser, so an interrupted tab or a refresh does not automatically mean the work is gone. Clearing browser data, changing browser profiles, or using another device does not restore anonymous material.

Read the primary match alongside its observations, limitations, and alternatives. A tentative candidate is a comparison aid, not a final label. A suggested name should remain provisional until the distinguishing features have been checked against the specimen itself. If the response asks for a clearer edge, scale, or lighting condition, use that request to decide whether a new view will add evidence rather than submitting several similar photos.

Sign in with an email verification code or Google when you want saved records to remain available across visits. The account page shows the Google sign-in control only when that option is enabled. When sign-in succeeds, eligible temporary results from the current browser move into the account collection. This migration does not turn an uncertain result into a confirmed identification; it preserves the result, photos, and original field input so you can review them later.

A saved collection is different from an anonymous browser session. The current Free account limit is 200 saved specimens. Saved records have a longer retention period and can be opened from the collection on another signed-in visit. Do not rely on a public or shared computer for account access. Use the account page to sign out, connect Google where available, manage billing if it is configured, or delete the account when you want account-held records removed.

A saved record has an editable personal note and a separate original field note. Editing your saved note does not silently change the original input or the result that was produced from it. This separation helps you record later context, such as an expert comment or the place you filed the specimen, while keeping clear what the first photo review actually saw.

Use Add an observation when you have material evidence that could change the comparison: a sharper image of an existing edge, a detail about grain size, layering, luster, texture, or a new photo of the same object. The supplemental review creates a new immutable result version and uses one identification allowance. The history keeps each version’s result, date, reason, and saved observations. If a supplemental job pauses, the detail page shows its status and can retry an eligible failed job without asking you to retype the evidence.

After a result, the follow-up area is for questions about the same specimen, such as lookalikes, common properties, formation, or careful handling. The current Free plan permits one reply per UTC day and one reply for each result. A reply can explain a possibility, but it does not add hidden evidence to the photo. Start a new identification when the specimen changes; otherwise, keep the question tied to the original images and their limitations.

From a saved specimen detail page, download JSON or CSV to keep a portable record of the saved note, original input, results, versions, observations, and corrections. Individual photos can also be downloaded from their saved views. Delete a saved specimen when you no longer want it in the collection; this removes its readable result and associated saved record. Delete an anonymous result from its result page when you want to remove the temporary record from that browser.

If a request appears to stall, do not upload the same photos again immediately. The page keeps a pending job status and checks it for completion. A network interruption can leave the browser without a response even though the request was accepted, so reconnect or check the existing request first. Eligible failed jobs offer a retry path. The daily allowance is not intended to be lost to a technical failure, but a result should be checked before assuming that a new submission is needed.

Use the email address on the Support page for a broken step, privacy request, feedback, or an order and refund question. Describe what you did, what happened, and the approximate time; include a request or order reference when available. Do not include passwords, card details, or unnecessary private information. Send your message to support@rockidentify.net; replies are handled by email.

For a useful problem report, name the page, the action, and the message you saw, then say whether the result was anonymous or saved. If the issue concerns an image, explain whether it failed before upload, while processing, or when reopening a collection record. This gives support a concrete path to inspect without asking you to reveal the specimen’s precise location. For privacy or deletion requests, say which account state you are asking about and preserve any confirmation shown by the page. Attach only details that help reproduce the issue, such as browser version or a request reference.