Radiometric capture
Radiometric thermal capture
Definition
Radiometric capture is thermal imaging in which each pixel stores the actual measured temperature value (a real number in degrees) rather than just a visual color from a thermal palette. It is the prerequisite for any quantitative thermal analysis, time-lapse comparison, or post-capture re-rendering — the temperatures are preserved across the dataset.
Technical detail
A non-radiometric thermal video stores RGB pixels colorized from a palette (Ironbow, Rainbow, Arctic, etc.). Once captured, the underlying temperatures are gone — you cannot ask 'what was the maximum temperature in the third frame, in °C?' weeks later. A radiometric capture stores the per-pixel temperature alongside (or in lieu of) the color image, so the numbers stay queryable indefinitely.
Radiometric capture matters most for time-lapse work, building-envelope analysis, electrical-panel monitoring, and any inspection where the deliverable is 'this part of the structure was X degrees at time T'. A non-radiometric video is presentation-grade; a radiometric capture is evidence-grade.
FLIR ONE cameras (Classic via USB-C, Edge / Edge Pro via Wi-Fi) deliver a live radiometric stream. FLIR's first-party iOS app captures single radiometric frames but does NOT preserve radiometry across a time-lapse video. Thermlapse fills that workflow gap.
Where it appears
- Thermlapse Used here
Records thermal time-lapses with the per-pixel radiometric stream preserved across every frame. Configurable interval (1 fpm to 1 fps), automated total duration.