--- title: "Editing and annotating images in the asset manager" url: "https://help.cbook.de/en/article/editing-and-annotating-images-in-the-asset-manager" language: "en" last_updated: "2026-10-14T07:58:03.286Z" --- # Editing and annotating images in the asset manager The asset manager lets you edit your images without leaving the cBook Creator. With **Edit image** you can cut an image into a shape and add effects, such as a fade, warm light or a tint in your cBook's colours. With **Annotate image** you can draw arrows, boxes, callouts and text on top of an image. You can zoom in for detail work and save only the part of the image you need. ## Where to find the editors 1. Open the asset manager and select **one** image (PNG, JPG or WebP). 2. Two buttons appear in the grey selection bar at the top: **Annotate image** and **Edit image**. You'll also find them in the file's details panel. 3. Click the one you need. **Good to know:** Images can be up to 9.6 megapixels, for example 4000 × 2400 pixels. If an image is larger, the editor tells you. * * * ## Edit image: shapes and effects The editor has two tabs: **Shape** and **Effects**. You can use both on the same image. ### Shape tab **Choosing a shape** Pick one of these shapes: - No shape - Diagonal left - Diagonal right - Trapezoid - Chevron - Arrow - Circle - Ellipse - Hexagon - Rounded corners - Wave **Adjusting the shape** - **Drag the points** on the image to change the shape. You can also select a point and move it with the arrow keys for small steps. - Use the handles to **move the shape** or change its **width** and **height**. - Click **Reset shape** to start over. **Shape settings** - **Edge line:** Draw a line along the shape's edge. Choose **None** or a colour, and set the **line width**. - **Outside fill:** Choose what fills the area outside the shape. **Transparent** leaves it see-through. Any colour fills it. - **Output size:** Keep the **Original size** or choose a fixed format, such as Square or Portrait. - **Focal point:** When the new size has different proportions from the image, the image fills the frame and some of it is cut off. Choose which part stays visible, such as Top, Centre or Bottom right. **Your cBook's colours:** If you opened the asset manager from a cBook, the colour choices include that cBook's theme colours. Otherwise you get a set of standard colours. ### Effects tab **Using a Look** The quickest way to start is with a **Look**. A Look is a ready-made combination of effects: - Fade to white - Fade to theme - Sunlight - Golden hour - Theme duotone - Theme tint - Black & white - Focus - Title scrim **Single effects** You can also turn on single effects and combine them: | Effect | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Fade edge** | Fades one side of the image into a colour or transparency | | **Warm light** | Adds a soft sun, golden or theme-coloured glow | | **Theme tint** | Colours the image in a theme colour | | **Duotone** | Turns the image into two colours | | **Adjust** | Changes brightness, contrast, saturation and warmth | | **Black & white** | Makes the image grayscale or sepia | | **Text scrim** | Darkens or lightens one side (or the whole image), so text placed on top is easier to read | | **Spotlight** | Dims, blurs or desaturates everything except one area | | **Vignette** | Darkens the edges | | **Blur** | Softens the image | **Working with effects** - Click an effect in the **Effects** list to change its settings. - Some effects have **dots on the image**, for example the start and end of a fade or the centre of a spotlight. Drag them into place, or select a dot and use the arrow keys. - Reset a single effect, remove it, or click **Reset all effects**. - To compare with the original, press and hold **Hold to compare**, or switch on **Show original**. **Built-in readability check:** When you use a text scrim, the editor checks whether white or black text would be readable on that area. If neither is readable, you'll see a warning. The check only looks at the image, not at the rest of your slide. ### Saving Your edited image is always saved as a **new PNG copy**, and the original stays unchanged. Open the copy again later with **Edit image**, and your shape and effects are still editable. * * * ## Annotate image ### Drawing tools | Tool | How to use it | | --- | --- | | **Select** | Click an annotation to select it, and drag to move it | | **Arrow** | Drag from the start to the tip | | **Line** | Drag from one end to the other | | **Curve** | Drag from one end to the other, then drag the middle grip to bend the line | | **Rectangle** / **Ellipse** | Drag to draw | | **Freehand** | Draw while you hold the mouse button | | **Text** | Click where the text should start, then type | | **Highlight** | Drag over the area you want to highlight | | **Cover** | Drag over faces, names or anything that must not be readable | | **Callout** | Drag to place the bubble, type your text, then drag the tip | | **Caption frame** | Drag to draw the frame, then double-click it to type the caption | Every annotation you add appears in the **Annotations** list. You can use **Undo**, **Redo**, **Delete** and **Clear all** at any time. ### Styling annotations - **Colour:** Choose from Red, Amber, Turquoise, Blue, White and Black, or from your cBook's theme colours, such as Primary, Secondary, Success or Warning. - **Size:** S, M or L sets how thick lines, outlines and arrowheads are. Sizes adapt to the image. On a large, high-resolution image, M is thicker in pixels than on a small one, so it looks about the same either way. - - **S** is a fine line, for small details. - **M** is the default, and works well for most images. - **L** is a bold line that stands out on busy photos. - **Line style:** Solid, Dashed or Dotted. - **Arrowheads:** For arrows, lines and curves, put the arrowhead at the **End**, the **Start**, **Both** ends or **None**. ### Zooming and moving around To work on small details, you can zoom in: - **Zoom tool:** Click to zoom in. Hold Alt and click to zoom out. - **Ctrl/Cmd and the mouse wheel:** This zooms with any tool. - **Zoom control:** Use **Zoom in**, **Zoom out**, **Fit** (shows the whole image) and **100 %** (shows the image's real pixels). - **Hand tool:** Drag to move the view. With any other tool, **hold the Space bar** and drag to do the same. **Sizes look the same at every zoom:** S, M and L always look the same on your screen. If you add an arrow while zoomed in to 400 %, it looks just as thick as one added at 100 %, but it covers a much smaller part of the image. In the saved image, it comes out four times thinner. That's useful for marking small details precisely. Annotations you've already placed grow and shrink with the image as you zoom. The editing handles keep the same size, however far you zoom. ### Saving When you're done, open the **Save** panel: - **New copy** saves the annotated image as a new file, and the original stays unchanged. Choose a file name, a folder and a format: **PNG** is sharpest for charts, text and screenshots, and **JPG** makes smaller files for photos. - **Replace original** overwrites the image everywhere it's used in your cBooks. The file name, format and folder stay the same, so all links keep working. Annotations stay editable: open the saved copy with **Annotate image** to change them later. ### Save only the visible area Want just part of the image, such as one button in a screenshot? Switch on **Save only the visible area** in the Save panel. - A **frame** on the image shows what will be saved. Zoom or move the view to change it. - When you reopen the saved copy, you only see that area, and your annotations are still editable. - To pick a different area, click **Change area**. The whole image shows again. **Good to know:** - If you save without any annotations, the cut is final. You can still annotate the cropped copy afterwards. - If you choose **Replace original**, the image's pixel size changes everywhere it's used. * * * ## Step-by-step guides ### Highlight one detail in a screenshot 1. Select the screenshot and click **Annotate image**. 2. Zoom in on the detail with Ctrl/Cmd and the mouse wheel. Hold Space and drag to move the view. 3. Use the **Rectangle** or **Arrow** tool to mark the detail. Pick a colour that stands out, such as Red or your theme's Primary colour. 4. Add a **Callout** to explain it. 5. In **Save**, switch on **Save only the visible area**, choose **New copy** and **PNG**, and save. ### Create a title image with readable text 1. Select a photo and click **Edit image**. 2. In the **Shape** tab, set **Output size** to the format your slide needs, and use the **focal point** to keep the important part visible. 3. In the **Effects** tab, pick the **Title scrim** Look. Then open **Text scrim** and choose the side where your text will go. 4. If you see the readability warning, increase the scrim's opacity until it disappears. 5. Save. You get a new PNG copy, and the original stays as it was. ### Match an image to your cBook's branding 1. Open the asset manager from your cBook, so its theme colours are available. 2. Select the image and click **Edit image**. 3. Try the **Theme duotone** or **Theme tint** Look, or add **Fade edge** and choose a theme colour. 4. For a shaped image, choose a shape such as **Diagonal right** and set **Outside fill** to **Transparent** or a theme colour. ### Hide personal information 1. Select the image and click **Annotate image**. 2. Use the **Cover** tool and drag over faces, names or other personal details. 3. Save as a **New copy**, or **Replace original** if the unredacted image shouldn't be used anywhere.