Photo Markup Editor — Annotations & Tools

The Photo Markup Editor is a full annotation toolkit built directly into Estimatics. It lets you mark up inspection photos with shapes, text, measurements, magnifiers, and stickers — all without leaving the app. Annotated photos make your documentation clearer for carriers, reviewers, and your own team, turning raw captures into visual evidence that tells a precise story.

---

Accessing the markup editor

1. Open any photo in a job — from the Capture tab, Gallery, or a room tag view
2. Tap the Edit (pencil) icon
3. The markup editor opens with the full toolbar at the bottom of the screen

All edits are non-destructive — the original photo is preserved, and markup metadata is saved as a separate layer. You can re-edit annotations at any time.

---

Annotation tools

Text

Add freeform text labels anywhere on the photo. Position text by dragging, then customize:

• Font size — adjust from small captions to large callout labels
• Font weight — regular or bold
• Alignment — left, center, or right
• Color — choose from the full color palette

Text labels are useful for identifying specific damage, labeling materials, or adding brief explanatory notes directly on the image.

Date / Time stamps

Stamp the capture date and time onto the photo in a single tap. The stamp pulls from the photo's EXIF metadata, so it reflects when the photo was actually taken — not when you applied the markup. This is especially useful for documentation that must prove when evidence was collected.

Shapes

Draw geometric shapes to highlight areas of interest:

• Square and Rounded Rectangle — frame a damage area or section
• Circle — call attention to a specific point of damage
• Triangle and Pentagon — additional shape options for varied callouts
• Arrow — point to a specific detail with a directional indicator
• Star — mark priority items or key findings
• Speech Bubble — add commentary with a visual callout style
• Line — draw straight reference lines across the image

All shapes support color, stroke width, and fill adjustments. Drag handles to resize and reposition after placing.

Measurement tool

Mark distances and dimensions directly on photos. Tap two points to draw a measurement line — then enter the actual distance. The measurement annotation displays with leader lines and the dimension value, matching the visual style used in professional estimating documentation.

Loupe / Magnifier

The loupe creates a zoomed-in circular detail view of a specific area within the photo. Place the loupe over fine damage — hairline cracks, granule loss, small punctures — and it renders an enlarged view right on the image. This eliminates the need to crop separate close-up photos for detail documentation.

Stickers

Add custom graphic overlays to your photos. Stickers include damage markers, status indicators, directional arrows, and category icons. They function as visual shorthand — a water-damage sticker immediately communicates the damage type without needing a text label.

Freehand drawing

Use the pencil tool for freehand annotation. Circle damage areas, trace crack patterns, outline water stain boundaries, or highlight anything that doesn't fit a geometric shape. The pencil supports variable stroke width and full color selection.

Color picker

Every tool draws from a unified color palette. The picker includes standard colors (red, blue, green, yellow, white, black) plus a custom color wheel for exact shade matching. Recently used colors are saved for quick access, so you can maintain a consistent color scheme across all photos in a job.

---

Voice memo attachment

Beyond visual markup, you can record an audio voice memo directly attached to a photo. Tap the microphone icon in the editor to start recording. Narrate what you see — describe the damage, note the location, or dictate your preliminary assessment.

Recorded memos display as a waveform visualization on the photo detail view. Tap the waveform to play back. Voice memos sync with the photo and are available on both the iOS app and the web dashboard.

---

Saving and sharing

Tap Save to commit your annotations. The marked-up photo appears alongside the original in the job's media gallery. Both versions are available for reports, exports, and AI analysis.

Marked-up photos can be included in generated reports, shared via the job's collaboration tools, or exported individually as PNG files with the annotations baked in.

---

Use cases

• Highlight damage for carriers — circle impact marks, arrow to crack origins, and label affected materials so the adjuster sees exactly what you documented
• Mark measurement points — annotate reference dimensions on photos to support disputed line items in supplements
• Add context notes — label rooms, materials, or conditions that aren't obvious from the photo alone
• Create visual evidence — combine date stamps, measurements, and damage markers for photos that stand on their own as documentation

---

Tips

• Use contrasting colors — red or yellow annotations on dark surfaces, dark blue or black on light walls. High contrast ensures markup is readable in printed reports.
• Keep text concise — short labels ("hail impact," "water stain boundary," "3/4" crack") communicate faster than full sentences.
• Use the loupe for fine damage — magnified details in the original photo are more convincing than cropped separate images.
• Add measurement annotations for disputed items — dimensions marked directly on photos are harder to contest than measurements listed only in a spreadsheet.

---

---

Last updated: April 2026 · Questions? Use the Resources panel in the app or email support@aiestimatics.com