Spreading patterns from fertiliser spreaders are only occasionally measured in the field to ensure even distribution. In this study, the possibility of using image analysis to detect fertiliser granules automatically in images collected in field conditions was investigated. Images of the granules on the ground were taken right next to the location of the comparative collection trays. In these images, the granules were segmented automatically without changing any parameters between the different images and the area of each granule was converted into volume. This volume was then compared to the volume measured in the collection trays. The results indicate that the major distribution patterns from normalised volumes, calculated from the image analysis, closely follow the distribution patterns from the normalised fertiliser volumes measured within the collection trays. These results are valid for both centrifugal broadcasters and pneumatic distributors and are independent of the vegetation covers present in this study. As expected, the accuracy of the quantitative results from the image analysis decreased with increasing vegetation cover.