Tint Shade Preview lets a rep — or the customer, handed the phone — see roughly how a tint shade would look on their own car, not a stock photo, by taking or picking a picture of the actual vehicle and laying a translucent shade over it right there on the photo. It lives in the mobile app's Go to menu (tap the round thumb button at the bottom of the screen, then Tint Shade Preview), and it's built for the field: installers, sales staff, and management can open it standing next to the car in a driveway or on the lot.
Everything happens on the phone. No photo is uploaded, no AI call runs, and there's no cost to open it or flip through shades — it's a phone-side visual aid, not a measurement tool. It darkens the whole photo by roughly how dark the shade is, not the vehicle's actual window shapes, so treat it as a general sense of the look, not a precise render of what each window will show once the film is installed.
Taking or choosing the vehicle photo
Open Tint Shade Preview and tap the empty photo box ("Tap to add a vehicle photo"). A prompt offers two ways to get a picture onto the screen: Camera, to shoot a new photo of the car on the spot, or Photo Library, to pick one already on the phone. The first time you use either option, the phone asks for camera or photo-library permission; decline it and the app tells you to allow access in Settings before it will continue.
Once a photo loads, a small "Change photo" chip sits in the corner of the image if you want to swap it for a different shot without leaving the screen.
Trying shades on the photo
With a photo in place, a row of shade buttons appears — 70%, 50%, 35%, 20%, 15%, and 5% VLT, the same percentage scale used elsewhere in the app for film darkness. 35% is selected by default. Tapping a different percentage instantly updates a translucent dark layer over the whole photo: lighter shades apply a lighter overlay, darker shades a stronger one. A line under the buttons spells out what the number means — lower percent is a darker film.
Sharing the preview and moving to a quote
There's no built-in send or export button on this screen. A small tip reminds you to use the phone's own screenshot to save the image or text it to the customer. When you're ready to move forward, "Start a quote for this shade" at the bottom jumps straight into starting a new quote — it opens a fresh, blank quote and doesn't carry the photo or the shade you had selected into it.
Things to know
- Whole-photo approximation, not a per-window render. The overlay darkens the entire image based on the shade percentage — it doesn't trace window shapes or account for glass curvature or reflections. Use it to give a customer a general feel for a shade, not a preview of the finished install.
- Fully on-device. The photo never leaves the phone — nothing is uploaded, no AI call is made, and there's no cost to using it, unlike some of the app's AI-backed features.
- Camera or photo-library permission is required. The app asks natively the first time you tap Camera or Photo Library. If you've previously denied it, you'll need to turn it on for the app in your phone's Settings before the picker will open.
- Not a certified or legal tint reading. This screen is a sales visualization only — it doesn't measure or verify anything about the photo. Legal VLT limits by state live on a separate Tint Laws screen in the same Go to menu.
- Available to field and management roles. You need Installer, Sales, or Full access, or a Manager, Admin, or Owner shop role, to open it. Someone whose mobile access is set to "No access" sees a "Field access needed" screen instead.
- No in-app save or share button. Screenshotting is the intended way to keep or send a preview.
- Starting a quote doesn't carry the shade over. "Start a quote for this shade" opens a new, blank quote — it's a shortcut into the quote flow, not a way to pre-fill the shade or attach the photo, so note the shade elsewhere if the job needs it recorded.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tint Shade Preview show what tint looks like on each individual window?
A: No. It darkens the whole photo by roughly how dark the selected shade is — it's a whole-photo approximation, not a per-window render, so it won't trace the car's actual window shapes.
Does this feature use AI or send the photo anywhere?
A: No. It runs entirely on the phone — no photo is uploaded, no AI call is made, and there's no cost to using it.
Who can open Tint Shade Preview?
A: Anyone with Installer, Sales, or Full access, plus any Owner, Admin, or Manager. Someone whose mobile access is set to "No access" sees a "Field access needed" screen instead of the tool.
Can I hand the phone to the customer and let them try shades themselves?
A: Yes — the screen is built for that. A rep can hand the phone over so the customer can flip through the shade buttons on the photo of their own car.
How do I save or send the preview to a customer?
A: There's no built-in share button in the screen — take a screenshot on your phone, then save or text it from there.
Can I use this to confirm a legal tint darkness for compliance?
A: No. It's a sales visualization, not a measurement or compliance tool, and it doesn't read or verify anything about the photo. For legal VLT limits by state, use the separate Tint Laws screen instead.