Annotate an image in Preview on Mac

Rectangular Selection

Use any of the following shape tools to select an area in an image and then crop, copy or delete:

• Rectangular Selection 

• Elliptical Selection 

• Lasso Selection 

• Smart Lasso 

See Extract an image or remove a background.

Instant Alpha

Remove the background from an image.

Sketch

Sketch a shape using a single stroke.

If your drawing is recognised as a standard shape, it’s replaced by that shape; to use your drawing instead, choose it from the palette that’s shown.

Draw

Draw a shape using a single stroke. Press your finger more firmly on the trackpad to draw with a heavier, darker line.

This tool appears only on computers with a Force Touch trackpad.

Shapes

Click a shape, then drag it where you want. To resize the shape, use the blue handles. If it has green handles, use them to alter the shape.

To highlight or zoom in on an area of the page, click , then click one of these tools:

• Highlight : Drag the highlight where you want. To resize it, use the blue handles.

• Zoom : Drag the lens where you want. To increase or decrease the zoom, drag the green handle; drag the blue handle to change the lens size.

See Rotate and modify shapes added to a PDF for more options.

Text

Type your text, then drag the text box where you want.

Sign

If signatures are listed, click one, then drag it where you want. To resize it, use the blue handles.

To create a new signature, click the Sign tool, click Create Signature if shown, then click how you want to create your signature:

• Use a trackpad: Click the text when asked, sign your name on the trackpad using your finger, press any key when you’ve finished, then click Done. If you don’t like the results, click Clear, then try again.

  If your trackpad supports it, press your finger more firmly on the trackpad to sign with a heavier, darker line.

• Use your Mac computer’s built-in camera: Hold your signature (on white paper) facing the camera so that your signature is level with the blue line in the window. When your signature appears in the window, click Done. If you don’t like the results, click Clear, then try again.

If you use VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader on Mac, you can add a description of a signature when you create one. This is especially useful if you create multiple signatures and need to distinguish between them to ensure you use the intended signature. Before you click or tap Done, click the Description pop-up menu, then choose a description, such as Initials, or choose Custom to create your own description. When you’re ready to sign a PDF document, navigate the list of signatures using VoiceOver. When you hear the description of the signature you want to use, press VO-Space bar to select it.

If you use iCloud Drive, your signatures are available on your other Mac computers that have iCloud Drive turned on.

To delete a signature, move the pointer over it, then click (to the right of the signature). The signature is no longer available to use in any app where you can add a signature.

See Create and use signatures.

Adjust colour

Change values for an image’s exposure, contrast, saturation, tint and more.

To have the values automatically adjusted, click Auto Levels. To return to the original values, click Reset All.

Adjust size

Change an image’s size and resolution.

Shape Style

Change the thickness and type of lines used in a shape, and add a shadow.

Border Colour

Change the colour of the lines used in a shape.

Fill Colour

Change the colour that’s used inside a shape.

Text Style

Change the font or the font style and colour.

Image description

Enter, view or edit a description of an image. (The tool is highlighted when an image has a description.)

Image descriptions can be read by screen readers and are useful for anyone who has difficulty seeing images online. For example, if you use VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader on Mac, you can press the VoiceOver command VO-Shift-L to hear a description of the image in the VoiceOver cursor.