Selecting an annotation is the first step before moving, styling, duplicating, or deleting it. The Asset Annotation Editor supports single selection, multi-selection, and marquee selection and automatically switches the sidebar to the selected annotation's settings panel so you can make changes immediately.
All selection operations require the Select tool to be active. Switch to it at any time by clicking the Select tab in the sidebar or pressing V or Esc.
Selecting a single annotation
Click any annotation on the canvas to select it. A selection ring or dashed border appears around the annotation to confirm the selection, and the sidebar switches to that annotation type's properties panel automatically.
| Annotation type | Selection indicator |
|---|---|
| Callout (circle / square / rounded) | A larger ring around the marker |
| Callout (text style) | A dashed rectangle around the text bounds |
| Arrow | A glowing outline along the line |
| Text frame | A dashed border around the frame |
| Shape | A dashed border around the shape boundary |
Info
When you select a single annotation, the sidebar automatically switches to that annotation's settings panel — Callout, Text, Line, or Shape. You can immediately adjust its properties without manually switching tabs.
Note
Clicking an annotation always selects it — even when a drawing tool such as Callout, Line, Shape, or Text is active. New annotations are only created when you click on an empty area of the canvas.
Selecting multiple annotations
Use any of the following methods to build up a multi-annotation selection.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle one annotation in or out of selection | Ctrl + click | ⌘ + click |
| Select all annotations | Ctrl + A | ⌘ + A |
| Marquee select | Drag on empty canvas area | Drag on empty canvas area |
Note
When multiple annotations are selected, the sidebar stays on the currently active tool panel — it does not auto-switch. Property changes apply to all selected annotations of the matching type simultaneously.
Marquee selection
Click and drag from an empty area of the canvas to draw a dashed selection rectangle around the annotations you want to select. When you release the mouse, all annotations inside the rectangle are selected.
For the toaster example, you could drag a marquee across the top half of the canvas to select all callouts on the bread slots and browning dial in one action, without clicking each one individually.
Deselecting
To deselect all annotations, click on any empty area of the canvas. The selection rings and dashed borders disappear and the sidebar returns to its default state for the active tool.
Editing directly from a selection
Double-clicking a selected annotation opens it for inline editing without switching tools manually. This requires exactly one annotation to be selected. If multiple annotations are selected, double-clicking has no effect.
| Annotation | Double-click action |
|---|---|
| Callout | Opens the label editor directly over the callout marker. Press Enter to confirm or Esc to cancel. |
| Text frame | Opens the floating text editor overlay over the frame. Click outside to commit or press Esc to cancel. |
Note
Double-clicking arrows and shapes has no effect — these annotation types have no inline text editor. To change their properties, select them and use the sidebar controls.
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