Annotation Tools — Help Centre

The annotation editor is a full-screen, mobile-optimised tool for marking up survey photos. Open it by tapping any photo in a survey.

Available tools

Arrows

Draw a line from one point to another with an arrowhead. After drawing, enter a label (e.g. "2.4m", "150mm"). Use arrows for linear measurements, directions, and callouts.

How to use: Tap the start point, then drag to the end point. A label input appears automatically.

Measure

Mark a span with an arrowhead at both ends — the dimension equivalent of an arrow. Use it for widths, heights, gaps, and clearances where you want the line to read as a measured distance rather than a pointer.

After you draw the span, a label editor appears with separate fields so the measurement reads consistently:

Value — the number you measured on site (e.g. 35000).
Unit — defaults to mm; change it to suit (e.g. m, cm).
Prefix — optional text before the value.
Note — optional second line for context (e.g. "Until start of gate").

The composed label sits centred on the span line, with the note on a second line if you add one.

How to use: Tap one end, drag to the other, then fill in the label fields and tap Done.

Measurements are the values you type in — the editor doesn't calibrate the photo or calculate distances for you. Always enter what you physically measured on site.

Angles

Measure a corner or slope with a three-point arc. Tap the vertex first, then each arm endpoint. Enter a label for the measured angle.

How to use: Tap three points — vertex, first arm end, second arm end. A label input appears automatically.

Text labels

Place a text callout anywhere on the photo. Use for notes, descriptions, or labels that don't need a measurement line.

How to use: Tap where you want the label, then type your text.

Freeform drawing

Draw freely on the photo with your finger. Use for highlighting areas, sketching outlines, or marking boundaries.

How to use: Touch and drag to draw. The line follows your finger.

Working with annotations

Select and move — tap the Select tool, then tap an annotation to select it. Drag to reposition.
Edit a label — with an arrow, measure, angle, or text annotation selected, tap the pencil button to re-open its label editor with the current values filled in. Change the text and tap Done — no need to delete and redraw. (Freeform drawings have no label, so they have no pencil button.)
Adjust an angle — when you select an angle, three round handles appear: one at the vertex and one at each arm end. Drag any handle to reshape the angle; the degree readout updates as you move it. The whole adjustment counts as a single undo step.
Delete — select an annotation and tap the delete button.
Change colour — select from the colour palette in the toolbar before drawing.
Undo/Redo — use the undo and redo buttons in the top bar. Up to 20 steps of history are stored.

Touch controls

Single finger — draw or place annotations (in draw mode), or pan the image (in select mode).
Two fingers — pinch to zoom and two-finger pan. Works in any mode.

Precise placement with the loupe

On a touch device, a circular magnifier — the loupe — appears just above and to the left of your finger while you drag an arrow or measure endpoint, or an angle handle. It shows a zoomed-in view of the photo around your fingertip with a crosshair in the centre, so you can land the line exactly on a sign edge or corner without your finger covering it. The loupe disappears when you lift your finger. (It's touch-only — it doesn't show when you draw with a mouse.)

Saving

Annotations save automatically when you tap Done or navigate back. If you're offline, annotations are queued and sync when you reconnect.

All coordinates are stored as percentages, so annotations display correctly regardless of screen size or orientation.