Photo Markup and Annotations

The Estimatics markup editor lets you draw directly on inspection photos — arrows, shapes, measurements, and text callouts — to make damage explicit and unmistakable. Annotated photos are more defensible than raw photos alone: they direct the reviewer's attention exactly where you want it, and they show that a trained professional identified and documented the damage.

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Opening the markup editor

On the web dashboard:

1. Open a job and go to the Capture tab
2. Click any photo to open the full-size viewer
3. Click the Edit / Markup button (pencil icon) in the viewer toolbar

On iOS:

1. Open the job and go to Capture
2. Tap any photo
3. Tap the markup icon (pencil) in the top-right corner

The markup editor opens with the photo as the canvas. Your changes are saved automatically.

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Markup tools

Arrow

Draw an arrow pointing to a specific damage location. Use arrows to direct the reviewer's eye to the exact spot — impact marks, lifted shingles, crack origins, water staining boundaries.

How to use: Select the arrow tool, then click/tap the starting point and drag to the endpoint. Adjust the arrowhead direction by reversing the drag direction.

Rectangle / Box

Highlight an area of concern with a bounding box. Useful for showing the extent of a damage zone or circling a region for attention.

How to use: Click/tap one corner of the area and drag to the opposite corner.

Ellipse / Circle

Highlight curved areas or use as a spotlight to draw attention to a specific point. Common for circling hail impacts or dents.

Freehand

Draw any shape you need. Useful for tracing irregular damage patterns like crack networks or water staining perimeters.

Text label

Add a text callout at any point on the photo. Best used with an arrow — the arrow points to the damage, the text label names it.

Examples of effective text labels:

• "Granule loss — ridge cap"
• "Impact mark — 1.5" hail"
• "Active water intrusion"
• "Missing shingle"
• "Lifted flashing"

Measurement line

Draw a line between two points to indicate scale or dimension. Enter the measurement value (e.g., "14 inches") and it displays alongside the line. Useful for showing the size of impact marks or the span of a damaged section.

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Color and style

Each markup tool supports color selection. Use color consistently to communicate meaning:

These aren't enforced by the platform — they're team conventions. If your organization uses a different system, stick to whatever is consistent across your jobs.

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Saving and using annotated photos

Annotations are saved to the original photo as a separate layer — the original photo is never modified. When you view an annotated photo, you see the markup overlaid. You can toggle the markup off at any time to view the clean original.

Annotated photos can be:

• Included in reports — when you generate a damage report, annotated photos can be selected for inclusion. The markup is baked into the report version of the photo.
• Referenced in notes — when you add a note, you can attach specific photos. If those photos have markup, the markup shows in the note preview.
• Downloaded — download the annotated version (with markup) or the original (without) from the photo viewer.

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Best practices for effective markup

Mark specific damage, not general areas. An arrow pointing to the exact impact mark is far more defensible than a large box around a general roof section.

Use text labels for every arrow. An arrow without a label leaves the damage type open to interpretation. "Granule loss" is unambiguous. An unlabeled arrow is not.

Don't over-annotate. Three well-placed, clearly labeled callouts on a photo are more effective than ten overlapping shapes that clutter the image.

Keep markup on the most representative photo per damage type. If you have 12 photos of hail impacts, markup the 2–3 clearest ones. Mark every single one only if each shows a distinct damage type.

Use the measurement tool for size claims. If you're claiming "2-inch hail impact," mark the measurement on the photo. It removes ambiguity.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I undo a markup action? Yes. Press Cmd+Z (Mac) or Ctrl+Z (Windows) in the web editor to undo. On iOS, shake the device to undo. You can undo up to 20 actions per session.

Can I delete all markup from a photo and start over? Yes. In the markup editor, click Clear All to remove all annotations from the photo and return to the original.

Does markup affect AI analysis? No. The AI analyzes the original photo without markup. Annotations are a human layer on top.

Can a team member edit my markup? Yes. Any team member with access to the job can edit markup on any photo. Changes are tracked in the activity feed with the editor's name and timestamp.

Are annotated photos admissible in legal proceedings? On CERTIFY plans, the original unmodified photo and the annotated version are stored separately with a tamper-proof hash chain — both the original evidence and the annotated version are independently verifiable. On other plans, the original is always preserved alongside any annotations.

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Last updated: March 2025 · Questions? Use the Resources panel in the app or email support@aiestimatics.com