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Photo Markup and Annotations
Draw on inspection photos — shapes, text, magnifiers, stickers, and measurements — on iOS and the web. Non-destructive, saved as a layer, editable forever.
4 min read
Photo Markup and Annotations
A raw photograph of hail damage and a photograph with an arrow on the impact mark are the same evidence — but only one of them survives a reviewer who is skimming. Markup directs attention, and it shows that somebody trained looked at this and identified something specific.
On every plan, on both iOS and the web.
Opening the editor
On the web: open a job → Capture → click a photo → the pencil / Edit button in the viewer.
On iOS: open the job → Capture → tap a photo → the markup icon.
Either way the photo becomes a canvas with the toolbar at hand.
Everything is non-destructive
The original file is never modified. Annotations are stored as a separate layer — a document of positioned elements saved alongside the photo, not burned into the pixels.
Which means: you can re-open and change any annotation later, remove all of them and get the untouched original back, and know that the file whose hash the server recorded on arrival is still exactly that file.
The tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shapes | Nine of them — rectangle, rounded rectangle, circle, triangle, polygon, arrow, star, speech bubble, and line |
| Text | A text box with full control over family, size, weight, italic, underline, strikethrough, alignment, and color |
| Loupe | A magnifier that enlarges a region in place — the close-up and its context in one image |
| Sticker | Pre-made marks for common annotations |
| Date & time stamp | The capture timestamp, placed on the image |
| Free draw and highlight | Freehand pen and highlighter, with an eraser (web) |
| Measurement | A dimension drawn onto the photo (iOS) |
The arrow is the workhorse. Impact marks, lifted shingles, the origin of a crack, the boundary of a water stain — an arrow removes any argument about which part of the photo you meant.
The loupe is the underused one. It solves the oldest problem in claim photography: the close-up proves the damage but not where it is, and the wide shot proves the location but not the damage. A loupe puts both in one frame.
ℹ Note
Two differences worth knowing: free draw, highlight, and the eraser are web-only, and the measurement element is iOS-only. Everything else works on both.
Layering
Annotations stack, and you control the order — bring an element forward or send it back so an arrow isn't hidden behind a shape. Select any element to move, resize, restyle, or delete it.
Photo notes
Separate from the drawn annotations, a photo can carry notes — short text entries with an author and a timestamp. Use these for what shouldn't be drawn on the image: why this shot was taken, what a colleague should look at, what the homeowner said about it.
Where annotated photos end up
Marked-up photos flow into the Evidence section of a report and into the ESX export with the markup applied. What you annotate is what the carrier sees.
How to annotate well
- One idea per photo. Six arrows and four text boxes on one image is a photo nobody reads
- Arrow first, text second. The arrow says where; the text says what. In that order
- Loupe the fine detail — granule loss, hairline cracking, mold at a seam — rather than a separate close-up that has to be explained
- Don't annotate everything. Mark the photos that carry an argument. An unannotated photo is fine; a file where every photo is drawn over reads as decoration
- Annotate while you're on site. You'll remember which crack was the one that mattered. In three weeks you won't
Frequently asked questions
Does markup change the original file? No. The original is preserved; annotations are a separate layer.
Can I remove annotations later? Yes, individually or all at once.
Can a colleague edit my markup? Yes — anyone with access to the job.
Do annotations show in reports? Yes, in the Evidence section, and in the ESX export.
Can I annotate video? No. Photos only.
Organizing media by area
Where each annotated photo belongs.
Capturing photos
Technique that produces photos worth annotating.
Adding notes
Job-level notes and attachments, distinct from photo notes.
Report types
Where the Evidence section lands in the deliverable.
Last updated: September 2026 · Questions? Email support@aiestimatics.com
Last updated: September 2026 · Feedback on this article