> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/administration/basics/mark-up-a-photo.md). # Mark up a photo or PDF Add notes directly to a photo or an uploaded PDF with drawing, text, arrows, boxes, and circles. You can also erase marks and undo or redo changes. Photos can be rotated or flipped before saving. > **Where to find it:** On the web, open a photo or uploaded PDF from a job, property, asset group, or purchase order, then choose **Edit**. Photos in inspection reports and work acknowledgments also support markup. On mobile, open a visit photo or uploaded PDF and choose **Markup photo** or **Markup PDF**. ## Mark up and save a photo 1. Open the photo you want to change. 2. Choose **Edit**, **Markup**, or **Markup photo**, depending on the page. 3. Pick a tool and add your marks. Use **Undo** and **Redo** if needed. 4. To change the photo orientation, open **Rotate & Flip**, make the change, and choose **Done**. 5. Choose **Save**. The marked-up photo replaces the version shown in Essential. Its file name, attachments, and visibility stay the same, and Essential keeps the unedited original so you can restore it later. In an inspection-report or work-acknowledgment photo field, Essential updates that same field photo in place. On mobile, keep an internet connection while saving changes to an existing visit file. If the request fails before anything is saved, the editor stays open so you can try again without losing your marks. If the file changed after you opened it, Essential tries to load the latest version instead of overwriting it. When that refresh cannot finish, markup stays unavailable for the stale preview until fresh file data is loaded. ## View or restore the original Photos edited from a file preview show as **Edited** where that status is available and can be restored there. 1. Open the edited photo and return to the markup editor. 2. Choose **Original** to compare it with the edited version. 3. While viewing **Original**, choose **Revert** to restore it. Reverting removes the marked-up version from view and makes the original photo current again. ## Mark up a PDF page PDF markup is available on the web and in mobile visit files. 1. Open the uploaded PDF and choose **Edit** on the web or **Markup PDF** on mobile. 2. Use **Previous** and **Next** to select the page you want to change. 3. Choose **Mark up page**. 4. Add drawing, text, arrows, boxes, or circles. You can move or erase marks and use **Undo** or **Redo**. 5. Choose **Save**. Essential adds the marks to the selected page and keeps the rest of the PDF unchanged. Existing PDF text stays searchable and selectable. To mark up another page, reopen the PDF and repeat the steps. Rotate and flip are photo-only tools and are not shown for PDF pages. An edited PDF also shows **Edited** and **Original** when that status is available. Open **Original** and choose **Revert** to restore the complete original PDF. ## When markup is unavailable Markup is available for PDFs and supported photo formats, including JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and HEIF. It is not offered for videos, animated GIFs, or generated inspection-report and work-acknowledgment documents. Purchase-order files can be marked up when Inventory is enabled for your business. The files and photos you can open still follow your normal feature access, role permissions, and file-visibility settings. ## Related guides * [Add files, notes, and access info on mobile](/field-operations/mobile/add-files-notes-and-access-info.md) * [Property files and who can see them](/customers-and-work/properties/property-files-and-who-can-see-them.md) * [Files on an asset group](/field-operations/assets/files-on-an-asset-group.md) * [Fill inspection reports on mobile](/field-operations/mobile/fill-inspection-reports.md) * [Create a work acknowledgment on mobile](/field-operations/mobile/create-a-work-acknowledgment.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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