QGIS Plugin
Install the Gamma Earth S2DR3 plugin in QGIS, then submit a job, follow your credits and load the super-resolved result into your project.
The Gamma Earth S2DR3 plugin lets you super-resolve Sentinel-2 imagery without leaving QGIS. You define an area of interest, choose a date, and the plugin submits the job, waits for the result, downloads the GeoTIFF files and loads them into your project. This article covers version 1.1.
Before You Start
- QGIS 3.0 or later.
- A Gamma Earth API key and credits. See API Access & Keys to create your key and How Credits Work for what a job costs.
- Internet access.
Install the Plugin
- Download the plugin ZIP file: gamma_earth_plugin-latest.zip.
- In QGIS, open Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins > Install from ZIP, choose the downloaded file and select Install Plugin.
- Make sure S2DR3 is ticked under Installed.
The plugin appears as a Gamma Earth icon in the toolbar and under Plugins > Gamma Earth.
Submit a Job
Open the plugin from the Gamma Earth toolbar icon. The New job tab holds the form.
1. Choose your area (AOI)
Pick one of the three methods:
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Use selected polygon from active layer | Select a polygon in the active vector layer; the plugin shows what it found. |
| Define square by center (lon/lat) and side (km) | Type the center longitude and latitude and the side length in kilometers. |
| Use AOI from GeoJSON file | Browse to a GeoJSON file. |
The area has to fit within a single Sentinel-2 scene and should not exceed 150 km2 (about 12 x 12 km).
2. Choose the date and the image rules
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Date | The date you want, written YYYY-MM-DD (for example 2024-01-31). |
| Date range (days) | How many days before the date Gamma Earth may look for an image. Default: 7. Images up to 3 days after the date are also considered. |
| Max cloud cover (%) | Default: 100, which means no limit. |
How the image is chosen:
- With Max cloud cover at 100, the clearest image in the period is used (cloud cover is measured over your area, not over the whole scene). If several images are equally clear, the one closest to your date is used.
- With a lower value, images with more cloud over your area than the limit are dropped, and the one closest to your date among the rest is used.
- If no image qualifies, the plugin tells you why and no credits are used.
3. Optional: look up dates in the Copernicus catalogue
In Sentinel-2 date search, enter a From date, a To date and a maximum cloud percentage, then select Check Sentinel-2 dates in CDSE. The list shows the Sentinel-2 images the Copernicus catalogue has for your area, with their dates and cloud cover. Use it to pick a date for the job.
Note that the Copernicus list filters by the cloud cover of the whole scene,
while Gamma Earth uses the cloud cover over your area, so the two can
disagree. Dates have to be real dates written YYYY-MM-DD; a day written
without its leading zero (2024-02-3) is accepted. The list shows at most 100
images; narrow the dates to see all of them.
4. Enter your API key, products and folder
-
API key: your Gamma Earth API key. The plugin remembers it.
-
Products: tick one or more:
Product What it is MS Multispectral, 10 bands. TCI True color. NDVI, IRP Not yet available as separate files: they download as TCI. All the products you tick come from the same job, so they share one cost.
-
Output folder: where the files are saved.
5. Submit
Select Submit. The plugin shows an animated bar while Gamma Earth chooses the image, then reports in the status log:
- the job number and the image date with its cloud cover;
- the credits reserved and what is left in your balance (or a note that the job is free because you already processed this area and image date);
- the download progress.
QGIS stays usable while this happens. When the files are ready they are saved in
your output folder and added to the project as layers named like
S2L2Ax10_<PID>_TCI.tif. The PID identifies the area and the image date.
Follow Your Credits
Open the Credits tab and select Check credits.
- The top line shows your balance, split into purchased and bonus credits.
- The table lists your latest jobs: Job ID, PID, date, Status and Credits used. Use Jobs shown to choose how many (1 to 200, default 50).
- Status Pending: credits are reserved while the job runs. Committed: charged. Released: returned to your balance, for example when a job fails.
Processing the same area on the same image date again with the same API key is free. The status log says so, and the repeat does not appear in the table. For the balance itself, see Credit Balance and History.
If Something Goes Wrong
The plugin shows the message from Gamma Earth in the status log.
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| No image found ... try a larger date_range or a higher max_clouds | Increase Date range or Max cloud cover, or choose another date. Nothing was charged. |
| Not enough credits: this job needs N credits and you have M | Add credits at app.gamma.earth/plans, or choose a smaller area. See How Credits Work. |
| Invalid API key | Check that the key was copied completely. |
| This API key is inactive or has expired | Add credits at app.gamma.earth/plans or create a new key in your Gamma Earth account. See API Access & Keys. |
| File not ready after 5 minutes | The job is still running. The message gives the download address and the job number; try it again later. |
| The area of interest is too large for one job | Draw a smaller area (about 150 km2 or less, for example 12 x 12 km) or split it into several jobs. Nothing was charged. |
| Date must be a real date written as YYYY-MM-DD | Correct the date. |
If a layer looks empty after loading, check Layer Properties > Information for the layer's extent and coordinate system, and try adding the downloaded file again from Layer > Add Layer > Add Raster Layer.
Version 1.1
This is the first public release of the plugin. It includes:
- Three ways to define the area, and an optional look-up of Sentinel-2 dates in the Copernicus catalogue.
- Date range and Max cloud cover fields, with the image rules above.
- One or several products from the same job.
- A Credits tab with your balance and your latest jobs and their PIDs.
- Requests that run in the background, so QGIS stays usable.
- Clear messages when no image qualifies, the key is not valid or the credits are not enough, and a note when a repeat is free.
- A window that fits small screens and can be resized; the Submit button stays visible.