Preview for iOS?

TidBITS Talk
1

Hi folks,

I’m looking for an iOS app that will let me easily open and markup JPGs, PNGs, and PDFs like Preview on the Mac. And by markup, I mean drawing multicolored boxes, circles, arrows, adding text, etc. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

2

This might come as a surprise, but Files can do all that.

3

@jajvj1; Really!? I had no idea, as I generally don’t use Files. I’ll have to investigate! Thanks!

4

@jajvj1, now that I look at Files, I do remember seeing that I could do some form of markup. Unfortunately, it’s missing the various shapes, lines, and arrows that I was hoping for, as everything must be hand drawn.

5

At the right-hand end of the annotation bar is a “+” icon. That will give you what you want.
(At least that’s where it is on my iPad.)

You can draw circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one…

6

Ah, yes! I guess that I was “long pressing” the plus button, as it only showed a + on the screen, and nothing else. If I gently press it, it displays additional tools!

Thanks!

7

I too was quite unaware Files could do this. Unfortunately I remain confused. Perhaps I am making this more difficult that it need be but it sure seems like a long convoluted process to markup items. Unless I am mistaken, I need to, for example, navigate to a photo in Photos, store it in a chosen location folder within Files, then open Files, select the photo I just imported where I now have the options for markup. Is that correct or is there a more straightforward path to marking up a file?

It is perhaps worth mentioning that I am using an iPhone running iOS 13.

btw Jeffrey, quite the obscure reference :wink:

8

@papagordie
Don’t be confused. From with in Photos, if you tap Edit it will bring up various options at the bottom of the screen. However, in the upper right corner of the screen is an ellipse ("…"), and if you tap that, a panel slides up from the bottom, and one of the options is Markup. Tap that and you get the various options to highlight, write, erase, lasso, a ruler, and the “+” (plus) button which if you tap it, will give you Text, Signature, Magnifier, and other tools including arrow and shapes.

9

@TallTrees
Well for Pete’s sake, I did not know that was there either so thank you for the tip. Your tip caused me to do some searching last evening and I came across an Apple Support page:

Use Markup on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

At first I could not see the value of using Files to markup but the more I looked at Files I appreciated its power and convenience for storing a myriad of different files and being to markup any of them. It may well be one of Apple’s most powerful unsung Apps.

Use the Files app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

So appreciation to @jajvj1 for the intial pointer to Files.

10

Whew, I didn’t realize all those possibilities, too.

Does anyone know, how to manage pages inside a PDF in iOS? E. g. remove a page from a 5-page document? I am trying to find out, if iOS would shrink the size of the PDF while removing pages (as it was till Mojave)? Too bad, Catalina doesn’t shrink PDFs anymore with this new PDF-Append-Mode…

Marcel