One of the most transformative features we have been working on this past year is File Markups, letting you draw and place text on images and PDFs. We were excited to launch File Markups in beta at our User Conference and want to give you an overview of this upcoming feature.
File Markups build on the new file viewer we released this summer. With Markups you’ll see new tools for adding circles, rectangles, arrows, text, and freeform drawings when viewing images and PDFs. Tools default to the style commonly used in construction (red lines, cloudy borders) but extensive style options are available.
We were careful to ensure that Markups work as you would expect: Each markup is treated like any other content, with associated permissions based on who created it, full syncing between iOS and the web, and integration into reports. For a detailed explanation of permissions please check out our support article.
Callouts
Rectangle and circle markups will create a Callout, which is an image of just that region of the photo or PDF.
Callouts provide several benefits: you don’t have to click to open a file to see the markups, they effectively “zoom in” on the area in question, and they can surface information from any page within a PDF.
A new “Callouts” area is shown on any page that already has “Files”, and a new “Callouts” option when creating PDFs is available.
Please note that arrows, text, and freeform drawings do not create accompanying callouts. We made that decision purposefully to provide a consistent and useful experience with callouts. You can read a full explanation behind that choice in our support article.
We think File Markups and Callouts will be really useful in lots of situations, from highlighting key paragraphs of a spec, to pointing out a specific riser in a photo, to drawing attention to electrical notes on a crowded drawing.
File Markups will be generally available before the end of the year. We hope you look forward to it!