Annotation Palette

The annotation palette is the toolbox for writing directly on PDF and image scores. Use it for rehearsal notes, fingering, dynamics, cuts, page-turn marks, or anything you want to see again while performing.

If you need to change the actual text of a text page or ChordPro chart, use Text Page Editor instead of annotations.

Opening and Closing

Use "Annotate" in the Score Viewer's top bar to enter annotation mode. Use the green “Finish Annotating” check button at the top of the screen to leave annotation mode. You can drag the palette to a position that covers less of the score.

While annotating, strokes, stamps, and text labels are saved to their target page. In 2-in-1 view, a stroke that begins on the left page belongs to the left page. To annotate the adjacent page, lift the pen and start again on that page.

Pen and Highlighter

Use the pen for clear markings. Use the highlighter when you want to emphasize existing notes or lyrics while keeping them readable.

Available colors are black, red, blue, green, and orange. Long-press the pen or highlighter icon to choose line width.

Stamps

Stamps let you quickly add common score markings such as fingering, pedal indications, accidentals, dynamics, bowing, ornaments, and navigation symbols. Tap the Stamp and Text Labels button, choose Stamp, then choose a category and symbol. Recently used stamps appear in the Recent category the next time you open the picker.

After choosing one, the palette shows only a small preview of the chosen stamp, “Tap the score to place,” and a red X for cancellation. The current color and last-used stamp size are applied automatically, so first tap the desired position once. The stamp remains selected, allowing you to adjust its position, color, size, or stamp type before confirming the changes with the green check button. Return to the object menu when you want another stamp.

Text Labels

Text labels are for free-form reminders, lyrics, chords, and performance notes. They can contain multiple lines. Left, center, or right alignment and label-wide Bold, Italic (Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic), and Underline are available.

Open Stamp and Text Labels, choose Text Label, enter the content and formatting, then choose Place. The label appears at the center of the currently visible score and remains selected. Use the edit icon to revise the content, adjust its position, color, size, alignment, and formatting, then use the green check button to confirm the changes.

Japanese glyphs remain upright to preserve their intended shape. Italic is available for Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic characters supported by the bundled real italic face.

Selecting, Moving, and Editing Annotations

Use the independent Select, Move, and Edit button on the regular palette to select a pen stroke, highlighter stroke, stamp, or text label. If annotations overlap, the frontmost annotation is selected regardless of type. A selected annotation has an animated dashed frame, and the regular tools are replaced by the appropriate editing palette.

• Drag inside the frame to move it.
• For a pen or highlighter stroke, choose from the same five width levels used when drawing.
• For a stamp or text label, use the size slider to scale it around its fixed center, or tap the point value to enter a size directly.
• You can change a stamp's symbol. For a text label, you can edit its content, alignment, Bold, Italic (Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic), and Underline.
• Changing the color recolors only the selected annotation.
• Use the trash button to delete the selected annotation.
• Tap blank space or use the green check button to confirm the changes.

While selecting or moving an annotation, editing takes priority over page-turn tap zones and score panning. This keeps annotations near a page edge controllable.

Eraser

The eraser deletes one complete annotation at a time. It removes an entire pen or highlighter stroke, or the whole stamp or text label you touch. There is no partial-erasing mode or eraser-width setting.

Drag to delete annotations continuously. Where a stamp or text label overlaps a line, the whole object takes priority; overlaps within the same kind use the frontmost annotation. If you delete one by mistake, use Undo immediately.

Undo and Redo

Undo / Redo reverses recent drawing and deletion actions. For a stroke cleaned up by shape recognition, Undo first returns it to the rough hand-drawn stroke; another Undo removes the stroke.

Shape Recognition

Draw a rough circle, oval, straight line, rectangle, or triangle with the pen or highlighter, then hold briefly before lifting. The app converts it into a cleaner shape.

Shape recognition is always available, but it runs only when you deliberately hold at the end of a stroke. Lift normally to keep a freehand curve or marking as drawn.

Stylus Only

After using an active stylus, hiding the palette may switch the canvas into Stylus Only mode. In this mode, the stylus draws while fingers remain more useful for moving or operating the score.

It helps prevent accidental marks from fingers or your palm during performance. If you want to draw with your finger, turn off Stylus Only from the palette.

Hiding Annotations

To hide markings without deleting them, choose "Hide annotations" in the Score Viewer Display Menu. For example, keep annotations visible during rehearsal and hide them during a show.

When Saving or Loading Fails

• "Annotation could not be saved" appears — Use Retry while you are still on the page where the error occurred. If the annotation limit was reached, remove unneeded annotations before retrying. After moving to another page, an old Retry action is not guaranteed to target the page that failed. If Retry has no effect or the failure continues, do not assume the markings were saved. Include the score, page, displayed message, and action you performed when contacting support.
• "Annotation could not be loaded" appears — First confirm that annotations are visible in the Display Menu. Move to another page and return to trigger another load. If it fails again, do not assume the annotations were deleted; include the score, page, and displayed message when contacting support.

Related Screens

• For the full performance screen, see Score Viewer.
• To change visibility only, see Score Viewer Display Menu.
• If markings make the score hard to read, consider hiding them before deleting them.