Key takeaways
- 'The button, no, the other button' — a failure of pointing — Support chats, family tech help, office instructions: all drown in the same paragraph — 'click the small icon, top right, no, below that'.
- How to annotate an image — step by step — 1.
- Annotate the copy — and mind what the marks reveal — Two disciplines keep annotation honest.
- Frequently asked questions — Short answers, straight.
- Annotate an image or a PDF — which do I need? — Whichever your material already is: screenshots and photos are images (this tool); documents and forms are PDFs (Annotate PDF, in the Editor Studio).
- What colours and marks work best? — One loud colour (red is the universal 'look here'), thick strokes that survive shrinking to chat size, and as few marks as the point allows.
- Can I remove annotations later? — From the annotated copy, they are part of the picture — that permanence is what makes it sendable.
Don't describe the screenshot in a paragraph — mark it. Circle the error, arrow the button, number the steps, right on the image.
How to annotate an image — step by step
1. Take the clean screenshot or photo first, and crop it to the area under discussion — marks on a small stage shout; on a whole screen they whisper. 2. Open Annotate Image and add it. 3. Mark in the order the eye should travel: circle or box the subject, arrow from label to thing, add short text — three words beat a sentence, and a sentence on an image is already a failure of marking. 4. Read your own annotated image as a stranger: if the point survives at chat size, send it. If you squint, simplify — fewer marks, bigger, redder.
Annotate the copy — and mind what the marks reveal
Two disciplines keep annotation honest. First, the marked image is a copy for an audience: the clean original stays unmarked in your files, so a cleaner or different explanation can be made tomorrow. Second, a screenshot carries more than its subject — account numbers at the edge, a name in the title bar, a balance behind the error. Crop tight and cover what should not travel before you annotate what should; a red circle draws the eye exactly where you point it, so point it at a picture that is safe to be stared at.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers, straight.
Annotate an image or a PDF — which do I need?
Whichever your material already is: screenshots and photos are images (this tool); documents and forms are PDFs (Annotate PDF, in the Editor Studio). If a PDF page must travel as a picture with marks, convert the page to an image first (PDF to JPG), then annotate the image.
What colours and marks work best?
One loud colour (red is the universal 'look here'), thick strokes that survive shrinking to chat size, and as few marks as the point allows. Rainbow annotations read as decoration; a single red circle reads as an instruction.
Can I remove annotations later?
From the annotated copy, they are part of the picture — that permanence is what makes it sendable. From your files, nothing is lost: the clean original is still there, ready for a fresh set of marks. Keep both, named for their jobs.
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