EarthDL 0.4.10: Google Earth images downloader

Released at Sep 25, 2026

EarthDL is a Google Earth images downloader for Windows. You mark an area on the map, choose a zoom level, and the satellite imagery of that area is saved to your disk as one picture that you can use offline. EarthDL reads the imagery of Google Earth itself, the same that the Google Earth program shows, so the historical imagery is there too and you can pick it by date. Google Earth does not have to be installed.

Google Satellite, Esri World Imagery, Bing Aerial and your own XYZ tile server can be used as the source as well.

Every download is joined into one image and saved together with:

One big JPG / PNG mosaic cut exactly to your area, with world file (.jgw / .pgw) and .prj (EPSG:3857). QGIS, ArcGIS and Global Mapper open it directly.
A KML GroundOverlay to check the position in Google Earth.
A SketchUp model (.skp) with the image as texture, in real meters, with geo-location already set. Also a Ruby script (.rb) and Collada (.dae) for older SketchUp.
A Blender file (.blend): textured mesh in real meters, texture packed inside, polygon shape and soft edge kept. Also a glTF (.glb) and a Python import script, so it works even on a computer without Blender.
A transparent PNG when you draw a polygon, with optional rounded corners and soft (feathered) edges.

You can select the area by dragging a box, drawing a polygon, typing coordinates or searching a place name. The zoom selector shows the number of tiles, the image size in pixels and the ground size in meters before you start. Historical imagery: pick a date from the list of dates that really exist in your area.

People use it for an offline map of their town, a base image under a site plan in SketchUp or Blender, a background layer in QGIS, or to compare the same place in different years.

The How to use page goes through every step, and the guides cover SketchUp, Blender, QGIS and historical imagery.

Price: $55, paid once. All future versions are included. Buy now

Note: The downloaded offline images are only for your personal purpose, non-commercial use.

EarthDL main window: pick the area, the zoom and the edge shape

Finished job: mosaic, world file and SketchUp model ready to open

Examples

Real output of EarthDL, source Google Earth. Click an image to see it at 1200 px.

London

Westminster and the Thames, zoom 17

Paris

Champ de Mars, zoom 17

New York

Lower Manhattan, zoom 17

Sydney

Opera House and Harbour Bridge, zoom 17

Rome

Colosseum, zoom 17

Tokyo

Shibuya, zoom 17

Rio de Janeiro

Urca and Sugarloaf, zoom 16

Cape Town

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, zoom 17

Dubai (historical imagery)

Palm Jumeirah on 2005-02-02, zoom 14

Dubai

Palm Jumeirah today, zoom 14

Singapore (historical imagery)

Marina Bay on 2003-10-16, zoom 17

Singapore (historical imagery)

Marina Bay on 2018-07-16, zoom 17

Imagery: Google Earth and its providers (Maxar, Airbus, Landsat / Copernicus).

Edge shapes

Real output of EarthDL, source Google Earth, zoom 18, Monas square in Jakarta. The grey and white squares show where the PNG is transparent. The soft edge (feather) fades the image to transparent over the last N meters, so the satellite image blends into the ground of your SketchUp model or into your map layout instead of ending with a hard cut. Corner radius and edge offset shape the border before the fade.

Normal (box)

Box area, hard edge. Output: monas.jpg + world file.

Soft edge (feather 60 m)

Same box, alpha fades to transparent over 60 m. Output: monas_feather.png.

Polygon, corner radius 60 m + feather 40 m

Hexagon drawn on the map, corners rounded, soft edge. Output: monas_polygon.png.

Guides

System requirements

Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome (the window of the program opens in it)
SketchUp installed, only if you want the .skp file written directly (the .rb and .dae files work without it)
Blender installed, only if you want the .blend file written directly (the .glb and .py files work without it)
Internet connection while downloading images