6 Useful Ways to Use the Markup Feature on Your iPhone

There’s a chance that you’ve seen—and probably ignored—a marker tip icon as you use your iPhone.

Apple first introduced the Markup feature, a built-in function represented by this icon, in iOS 10. The photo annotation tool basically allows you to draw on photos and PDF files across various iPhone apps.

Let’s see how you can use and maximize the Markup feature on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Annotate Emails in Mail

In the Mail app, you can use Markup by composing a new email or in a reply to an existing email. There are various ways to access the Markup feature, depending on what you want to do.

If you want to add a drawing:

1. Select the body of the email, then tap the button on the right side of the keyboard. From the new row of icons, tap the Markup icon, which looks like a marker tip inside a circle.
2. Alternatively, double-tap the body of the email and choose Insert Drawing from the popup menu that appears. You’ll have to use the arrows to scroll to it.
3. This will lead you to a blank drawing page, where you can make your drawing with various tools.
4. Tap Done > Insert Drawing.

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for (var i = 0; i You can also use the Markup feature to edit a captured photo, an image from Photos, a scanned document, or an attachment from your iPhone or iCloud Drive. You can add the specific media to your email body.

To add documents, photos, and scanned documents:

1. With the body of the email selected, tap the icon on the format bar above the keyboard. Then tap the document, photos, attachment, or scan document button as desired.
2. Alternatively, double-tap the body of the email and choose Add Document, Insert Photo or Video, or Scan Document from the popup menu that will appear. You’ll need to use the arrows to navigate. Find the photo or PDF that you want to attach and mark up.

Related: How to Scan Documents on Your iPhone

To use a newly captured photo in your message:

1. Tap the icon on the right side of the keyboard and choose the Camera icon.
2. Take a photo.
3. Tap Use Photo if you are okay with the photo you took.

Once you’ve added your chosen media (photo, scanned document, etc.), access the Markup feature by doing either of these:

• Double-tap the media (e.g. a photo) and choose Markup from the popup menu that appears.
• Double-tap the media and hit the Markup icon on the format bar above the keyboard.

Draw, annotate, and enjoy other Markup features on your chosen media. When you’re all set, tap Done, then complete the rest of your email and send it.

2. Add a Little Extra to Your Messages

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for (var i = 0; i The Messages app allows you to add emphasis, details, and color to your messages using the Markup feature. To send a marked-up photo, you can start a new conversation or reply to an existing one.

Here’s how it works:

1. To use an existing photo, tap the photos button and choose an image. To use a new one, tap the camera button and take a picture using your device’s camera.
2. Select the photo in the message box, then hit Markup in the bottom-left corner.
3. Draw, annotate, and use other Markup features as desired by tapping the Add (+) button.
4. Tap Save > Done when satisfied.
5. Add a comment to accompany your photo, if you like.
6. Tap the blue arrow to send your marked-up message.

3. Modify Your Photos

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for (var i = 0; i You can also directly mark up captured photos from the Photos app of your device:

1. Go to Photos and choose the photo you want to mark up.
2. Tap Edit, then the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Choose Markup. Draw, add text, or use other Markup features as you see fit.
4. Tap Done to exit Markup.
5. If you don’t need to make any additional photo adjustments, tap Done.

Take note that whatever changes you apply to the original photo will save to it. You can undo your markup by tapping Edit and choosing Revert > Revert to Original.

Related: How to Delete Duplicate Photos on iPhone

You can also duplicate the photo first, so you can mark up a copy of the original image. To do this:

1. Tap the photo.
2. Tap the Share button.
3. Choose Duplicate. The duplicate photo will appear as the last in the album you are in.

4. Annotate Your Screenshots

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for (var i = 0; i Whenever you take a screenshot on your iPhone, a small preview will appear at the bottom-left corner of your screen as an overlay. You can use this as a shortcut to mark it up:

1. Tap the image preview, and you will immediately see the Markup tools.
2. Use Markup features to annotate or draw on your screenshot.
3. Tap Done when finished.
4. You can opt to save the marked-up screenshot to Photos by tapping Save to Photos. If you prefer, you can instead choose Save to Files to keep it out of your Photos collection.
5. From there, you can choose to save your file to your device or on your iCloud storage.

5. Add Details to Your Notes

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for (var i = 0; i You can also access the Markup tool from the Notes app. Just tap the Markup icon on the format bar above the keyboard or at the bottom of the screen. Markup tools will immediately pop up from the bottom.

Be aware that you cannot add markup to images or text in the note. A yellow boundary will appear to show you the area where you can draw or annotate. Once you are finished, tap Done.

Ensure that you are finished with the markup once you hit Done, since you cannot edit it anymore after you do.

6. Draw on PDFs in Apple Books

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for (var i = 0; i You can also use the Markup tool in Apple Books. However, it will only work with PDF files; books in ePub format don’t work with Markup.

To use this feature in Books:

1. Tap the document you want to mark up.
2. Tap anywhere to exit the full-screen view.
3. Select the Markup icon at the top-center of the page. Markup tools will immediately appear at the bottom of the page.
4. Once done, tap the Markup icon again to exit the Markup environment. Your edits will appear on the page.
5. If you want to remove or modify a markup, simply tap the Markup icon again. Tap on the part you want to remove or alter.

Related: Must-Know Apple Books Tips for Better Reading

Maximize the Markup Tool on Your iPhone

The Markup tool is integrated into several built-in Apple apps and features. Whether you use it on your email, photos, notes, or documents, adding markups can come in handy. It lets you more easily retain information, or even just add extra flair to various content.

Source: makeuseof.com