How to comment on a photo
To comment on a photo, use iOS Markup on iPhone or Preview on Mac for your own notes, or share a review link your client opens in any browser — they click the exact spot and pin a comment right there. No download needed on their end, and every note lands on the original instead of a screenshot of a screenshot.
On iPhone — iOS Markup
Open the photo in the Photos app, tap Edit, then tap the pencil icon (top right) to enter Markup. You get arrows, text boxes, shapes, and a magnifier. Draw a circle around the area you mean, add a text label, tap Done → Done to save. The annotation is stored as a non-destructive layer — tap Revert if you want the original back. This works for leaving your own notes but isn't shareable as a two-way thread: you still have to export and email a flat image to a client.
On Mac — Preview or Photos
Drag the photo onto Preview. Press Shift ⌘ A to open the Markup Toolbar: pick the text tool, click the spot, type your note. Or open the photo in the Photos app, click Edit → the pencil icon for the same Markup tools. For arrows and shapes, the toolbar has rectangles, ovals, and lines. Save with ⌘ S. Both tools bake the annotation flat into the image — the output is a marked-up JPEG or PNG you can email. Same limitation as iPhone Markup: useful for your own comments, not for collecting threaded feedback from a client.
Via Google Photos shared album (free, any device)
Create a shared album in Google Photos (tap the + icon → Shared album, add your photos, name it). Anyone you invite with an edit link can leave a comment on any photo by tapping the speech-bubble icon. They do need a Google account — that's the main friction point with this approach. If your client already has Gmail they're in; if they don't, expect an "it's asking me to log in" message. Comments are per-photo but not pinned to a specific spot, so you still get "the one on the left" instead of a precise click.
Via a shared review link (pinned comments, no account needed)
The file-based approach — email the photo, wait for a reply with a circled screenshot — almost always produces one of two results: a vague description ("the lighting in the corner") or a screenshot of your photo with a red circle drawn in Notes. Both require you to guess where they mean. A shared review link keeps everyone on the same photo: you share a URL, the client opens it in their browser, clicks the exact area they mean, and pins a comment right to that pixel. You see every note anchored to the spot they intended, not described from memory. No download, no software on their end.
The one thing most people get wrong
Lightroom's shared albums used to allow anonymous commenting — since September 2025, viewers must log in to comment or like. If your client doesn't have an Adobe ID, they're locked out. The workaround most photographers land on is asking clients to email photo numbers instead, which just moves the vagueness problem from "the one by the window" to "DSC_0042" — still detached from the visual. A photo-first review link skips the account problem entirely.
Sending a photo to a client for feedback? Drop it into Drafty and share the link. They open it in their browser, click the exact spot they mean — the highlight in the background, the crop line, the subject's position — and pin a note right there. No Adobe ID, no Google account, no emailed screenshot. Every comment lands in one thread, anchored to the pixel they meant. You mark it resolved as you go.
Open a live demoQuestions
- Can my client comment on a photo without creating an account?
- With a shared review link, yes — they open the URL in any browser and comment as a guest with no signup. Google Photos and Adobe Lightroom both require the reviewer to sign in (Lightroom dropped anonymous commenting in late 2025), so if your client doesn't have those accounts, a link-based tool is the simpler path.
- How do I pin a comment to a specific spot on a photo?
- You need a tool that anchors comments to coordinates on the image, not just the surrounding document. iOS Markup and Preview let you draw markers on the image, but those are baked flat — not threaded. Dedicated review tools let reviewers click the spot and leave a note that stays pinned to that location, visible to everyone on the same link.
- What's the best way to get feedback on a photo from a client?
- Share a link, not a file. When a client downloads the photo to annotate it, you typically get a screenshot of a screenshot sent back via email. A link they open in their browser — where they click the exact area and type a note — gets you precise, actionable feedback in one place instead of a description from memory.
- How do I comment on a photo in Google Photos?
- Create or join a shared album, open any photo, and tap the speech-bubble icon to add a comment. The reviewer needs a Google account. Comments appear below the photo, not pinned to a specific location on the image.
- Does Lightroom allow anonymous commenting on shared photos?
- No, not since September 2025 — viewers must sign in to comment or like. If your client doesn't have an Adobe ID, they can view the album but can't leave feedback. The workaround most people use is asking for photo numbers by email, which trades precision for accessibility.
- Can multiple people comment on the same photo at once?
- On a shared review link, yes — everyone comments on the same URL and all notes appear in one thread. With email attachments, each person produces a separate marked-up copy and you reconcile them manually.
Keep exploring
Stop emailing files back and forth.
Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.