Virtual ruler in cm. Screen rulers
Web designers often need to determine the size of some object on the screen. And it is not always enough to look at the properties of an object. In such situations, special utilities come to the rescue that allow you to measure elements in any part of the screen. mySize is one of these programs.
The first thing that captivates you about this free program is its simplicity and convenience. No unnecessary actions, unnecessary buttons and settings. When inactive, it becomes translucent so that it does not block other windows. All we see at launch is a line.
Moreover, it does not need to be applied to measure. Instead, we stretch it horizontally or vertically, immediately determining the size. Positioning the edges of the ruler is very simple - just move the cursor to the edge and, holding the left mouse button, move it.
Small buttons at the edges of the ruler are designed to accurately stretch the ruler by 1 pixel.
You can move the entire ruler around the screen, just like any window. For more precise movement, you can click the arrows in the corner of the ruler. An alternative option is using control keys.
The size is always shown on the ruler.
mySize has another useful feature called screener. Its essence is that you can simultaneously stretch both rulers by moving this same screener. It is displayed strictly at the intersection of the lines and is indicated with a red marker. You can turn it on by pressing the key S or through the menu. It is very convenient to adjust the ruler to the object on the screen using a screener.
The program has a menu, you can call it by clicking in the corner of the ruler.
Through the mySize menu you can configure several more ruler parameters.
Measurement– allows you to select the unit of measurement displayed when working with the ruler. Our choice is pixels, centimeters or inches.
Settings– includes three points:
Show on top of all windows– enabling this option allows the ruler to always remain visible;
Show on taskbar– to display the program button in the taskbar, since by default it is displayed only in the system tray;
Screener– enable the previously discussed screener.
Rulers– contains two items designed to enable/disable horizontal or vertical rulers. By default, both rulers are displayed at once.
Moving– this menu property allows you to configure strict movement of the ruler along only one of the axes - X or Y. By default, mySize moves along both axes. Okay, holding left Shift and by moving the cursor, you can only move the ruler horizontally. Same with left Ctrl You can achieve a ruler offset strictly vertically.
Hide– selecting this item in the menu causes the ruler to collapse into the tray. To return the mySize ruler to the screen, just double-click on the program icon in the tray.
Finally, we’ll tell you about another useful function of the utility – the ability to take a screenshot. It appears only when the screener is turned on - an item appears in the menu Take image. For those who like to do everything using the keyboard, the key will help C . Everything that ends up between the rulers and guides of the screener can be saved to a file.
In a separate window Preview we will see a screenshot and a button [Save]. mySize saves the screenshot in JPG, BMP or PNG format.
Do you need to measure something, but don’t have a ruler at hand? This situation is no longer surprising - after all, finding a smartphone or monitor near you has become much easier than a real ruler, caliper or other tool that measures length :)
Today I will tell you about three services that solve the problem of measuring any object in centimeters better than anyone else. I studied about a couple of dozen online rulers and chose from them only those that give a minimum error of a few millimeters and allow calibration (adjustment of actual dimensions) for the most accurate measurement.
1. Piliapp
This screen ruler is 30 cm long. When you access the site, the service algorithm itself automatically determines the diagonal of your monitor so that the ruler on the screen is displayed in natural size.
Sometimes the algorithm is slightly wrong and gives a measurement error of +/- 5mm. This is why I recommend manually specifying the diagonal if you know it. To do this, click on the green button and in the window that opens, indicate the number of inches of your screen.
There is a much more reliable way to increase the accuracy of the measurement. To do this, click on the “I don’t know my screen size” button and on the page that opens, attach any of your bank cards (they are the same size in all countries of the world) to the template. Move the scale slider until the screen template and your map are the same size.
By performing this kind of calibration, you can be 100% sure that the virtual ruler will exactly match the real one. Link
2. Ruler
This ruler measures dimensions in inches by default, so we need to immediately switch the metric system to the usual centimeters:
In this service, you yourself need to indicate the diagonal of your screen in the appropriate window, selecting it from the list or specifying an arbitrary number, and click the “Calibrate” button.
If you don’t know the exact number, touch the bank card to the screen and select the screen size from the list until the right edge of the card matches the left edge of the corresponding icon on the ruler.
Once you have done this, you can be sure that subsequent measurements will be accurate.
3. Lineykasm
The third online service has all the necessary instructions for making measurements and calibration in Russian.
Therefore, I will only note its main difference from the previous two: you can manually calibrate the screen ruler using not only a credit card, but also such items as:
- Matchbox
- A4 sheet of paper
- Banknote (dollar, ruble, hryvnia)
- CD disk
If it’s relevant to anyone, this service also makes it possible to print the ruler on paper. There are two options to choose from: a standard length of 30 cm and a 12-inch length with fraction markings.
Finding yourself unexpectedly in a situation where you need an ordinary ruler, many people can become confused.
This is not surprising - with today's development of technology, the owner of a cool phone or tablet (for example, the same iPhone or iPad) does not carry this useful device with him.
As a result, the situation becomes stupid: the standard application from Apple, called Apple-o-Meter, is, of course, a useful thing, but it is not suitable for such a primitive task - it will not be possible to measure the required number of centimeters or, especially, millimeters on a plane. But thanks to the AppStore online store or any other similar resource, you can find a line for iPad in just a few minutes.
A program that perfectly performs the functions of this simple drawing tool on the iPad is called Ruler. Along with many other similar programs, the line on the iPad screen stands out for its functionality, as well as the presence of a version for iOS.
The program is equipped with the simplest possible interface, but is quite easy to use and diverse.
The basis of the ruler on the iPad screen is a wooden ruler drawn at the top of the display. In the middle of the screen, two buttons are displayed with which the user can change the unit of measurement - inches switch to centimeters, and vice versa. At the top, where the scale with divisions is displayed, there is a blue slider, which allows you to determine the length and measure distances as accurately as possible.
The iPad ruler can instantly “scroll” over distances of up to 7 centimeters, but you can control it little by little. The length, which is displayed in numerical form directly below the ruler image, is calculated very accurately. The only thing that upsets us: for unknown reasons, there is a maximum limit for measurements, which is 98 centimeters (that's about 39 inches, if you switch the unit of measurement).
A very useful feature that the Ruler line for iPad has is the ability to copy information to the clipboard, after which you can use it like regular text - for example, write a note. To call up the corresponding menu, just click on the blue slider, and in the context menu that appears, click on the “Copy” button (in principle, there is only one button, so it’s difficult to get confused). This ability of the Ruler app would be very useful to its competitors.
There are no changes in the iPhone version, except that the line on the screen will be smaller. And there is no way to ignore the proud name “Ruler”, which appears on the icon of the Russian-language version of this application. Apparently, the author of the application greatly overestimated the capabilities of the Google search translator.
Not long ago I had to review one program in the description of which it was necessary to indicate the exact length and width of the toolbar. As you understand, there could be no talk of determining the dimensions “by eye”; the length and width had to be indicated precisely and not in centimeters and millimeters, but in pixels.
Arigato Ruler
Then I decided to try another free ruler - Arigato Ruler. Unlike Screen Ruler, it has a clearer division scale and, in addition, a customizable screen magnifier. And besides, you can use it to measure color and determine the exact position of the mouse cursor in space. Supports transparency, reflection, changing background, changing position, copying color value.
You can move Arigato Ruler around the screen using either the mouse or the arrows (the latter gives high accuracy). By the way, it is also portable.
Universal Desktop Ruler
If this is not enough for you, I can offer another tool, although this time it’s paid - Universal Desktop Ruler - a universal screen ruler.
With its help, you can measure not only the width and height of an object, but also the area and perimeter. In addition, Universal Desktop Ruler can measure angles, the length of inclined lines, count the number of objects on the screen, and also save the history of previously made measurements in a log. Download Universal Desktop Ruler 3.6: