In this article:
The Photos tab lets you see all project photos in a single place, like a photo album, whether the photos were included in a daily report, change order, item posting, or anywhere else in the project that photo attachments are added.
Click to expand the following sections and learn more.
Requirements
- Photo files must be in PNG or JPG/JPEG format.
- File size limit is 50 MB.
- To be displayed on the photo map, images must have location metadata.
Photo sources and display
Learn where photos on the Photos tab come from and how they are displayed.
Images displayed on the Photos tab are aggregated, meaning they are pulled from every area in the project where photo attachments are allowed. Here is a complete list.
- Daily reports and diaries
- Item postings and equipment records within daily reports
- Approved materials
- Change orders
- Force accounts
- Payments
- Stockpiles
- Punch list
Good to know
- You can't upload photos directly to the Photos tab. Add your photos to an area that allows attachments, such as daily reports.
- Only attachments with a .jpg, .jpeg, or .png file type will appear on the Photos tab.
Display order
Photos are displayed in chronological order according to the date they were taken, not necessarily the date they were uploaded. Appia uses an image's metadata to determine the date the photo was taken. If that data doesn't exist, the service will display photos by the date they were added to Appia. The photo's date added information can always be found in photo details when you click on an image.
Photo details
Click on a photo to view its details, including:
- Name
- Description
- Date taken (according to photo's metadata, if applicable)
- Date added (to Appia)
- Location (according to photo's metadata, if applicable)
The photo details also include a direct hyperlink to the source of the image, such as the daily report or change order where it was attached.
Photo map
Photos that include location data are automatically displayed on the project's interactive photo map.
Photos must contain location metadata to be displayed on the photo map.
This option is usually found in camera settings, but you should refer to your specific device's documentation for help enabling location data on your photos.
Open the photo map
To open the photo map, go to the Photos tab. Click on the Any Location filter. The photo map will be displayed.
Navigate the photo map
Click, hold, and drag the map to view different areas. Use the zoom buttons (+ or -) to zoom in or out of the map.
Numbered bubbles indicate the amount of photos in each location-based photo cluster. When you click on a numbered bubble, the map will close and the Photos tab will display only the images included in the location-based filter you selected.
Close the photo map by clicking the X icon.
Dynamic updates to location clusters
The map's location clusters, indicated by numbered bubbles, update dynamically as you navigate the map or use search and filter functions.
When navigating the map
The map's location-based photo cluster indicators update as you zoom in or out of the map. A larger cluster of photos when zoomed out, as shown in the following example, will break down into several smaller clusters as you zoom in on the map.
The following images show how the photo clusters update dynamically while navigating the map. In the first image, our zoom level displays nine photos in the selected area. In the second image, we've zoomed in one more level, and the map now displays how the nine photos in the general location are broken down into several more specific locations. When we return to the Photos tab, the Location filter will display the actual number of locations included in our selected location cluster.
When filtering on the Photos tab
When you use the Photos tab filters, such as search terms, daily report category, or date range, the location map will automatically update to display only photo clusters that include your filters. In the following image, our same cluster of nine photos now shows only one photo, the only one to match our search and filter terms as displayed at the top of the map.
Search and filter on the Photos tab
Use keywords from a photo's name or description to search for an image, or use the filter options to show images grouped by daily report date or location.
If you know a keyword in the image's name or description, enter a term into the search bar to display photos with that keyword in their name or description.
Filter by category
Use the category drop-down menu to select one of ten options: change order, daily diary, daily report, equipment, force account, item posting, material approval, payment, punch list, or stockpile.
The Photos tab will display all of the images included in your selected category throughout the project. Filtered image results are grouped either by photo date or the date of the associated entry.
Filtering by daily report will also include images that were added as attachments to item postings and equipment within daily reports.
Filter by date range
Use the date range drop-down menu to select a date range, and the Photos tab will display all of the photos taken within that range.
Select from the pre-set date range options, or select custom range. In the custom date range modal, select a start date and end date to filter to. Click Update to view the results.
Filter by location
Use the location filter to view the Photos map and filter by image location.
- From the Photos tab, click on the Any Location filter.
- On the map that appears, use the + and - buttons to zoom in or out of the map. Click and drag the map to view different areas.
- Numbered bubbles indicate location-based photo clusters. Click on a numbered bubble to filter the photos tab to display only those images.
- To remove the filter, click Clear selection.
- The map will close and the Photos tab will display the selected images based on your location filter.
Searching and filtering can be used together; in the following image, we used the keyword "sign" to find matching images, and then used the filter option to display only photos which match the keyword and are found in a daily report. You can further filter by date range and location if needed.
Download images from the Photos tab
There are three options for downloading images from the Photos tab: single photos, selected photos, or all photos. Expand each tab to learn how.
Download a single photo
- From the Photos tab, click on an image to enlarge it.
- Click Download.
- Depending on your browser settings, the image will begin automatic download or you will be asked to save the image to a location.
Download selected photos
- From the Photos tab, use the selection checkbox found on each photo to select all of the images you want to download.
- When you're finished, click Download selected.
- The photos will be exported and sent via download link to the email address on your account.
Download all project photos
You can download all photos from the Photos tab at once using Download all. If you select Download all while the Photos tab is filtered, as shown in the sample image, the service will export only and all of the photos matching that filter.
- From the Photos tab, click Download all.
- The photos will be exported and sent via download link to the email address on your account.