Skitch for photos
Many Fulcrum users have a desire to annotate photos, make circles, add text notes, or simply draw on existing photos. We are occasionally asked what sorts of tools are out there for annotation (or if that feature is available). Annotating photos often helps to identify something within a photo so there is no mistake in what is being identified (for example in safety audits, environmental surveys, damage inspections, etc…). In our opinion, the Skitch app beats everything on the market, hands down. It was recently purchased by Evernote, so it is safe to say that it is going to be around for a long time.
We recommend Skitch to tons of people. One of the great things about using consumer off-the-shelf iOS devices for data collection is that you get a wealth of other utilities for specialized functions (like sketching) to use whenever you need. Here are a few of the great things about Skitch:
- It’s free to download
- Runs on iOS
- Fast and easy to use
- Annotates on photos & maps
- Easy to import annotated pictures into Fulcrum
When capturing photos in Fulcrum, make sure to turn on the “Save to Camera Roll” setting. This will allow the user to capture photos in Fulcrum and then quickly annotate that photo in Skitch, saving both the original and annotated photos in Fulcrum.
The map annotation feature is neat – you can take a freeze frame shot of a point on the map, by zooming to your current location or searching for an address, then drop pins on the map and sketch with the full toolbar of tools. Skitch also supports annotating on web pages and PDF files. All of your Skitch annotations can also sync to your Evernote account, which can be accessed on your desktop and other devices, as well.
Do you have other cool utility apps you use alongside Fulcrum? Let us know what other tools you use, we’re always on the lookout for interesting mobile apps.