Add Shapes and Stickers to Photos in iOS 12

Apple's iOS 12 allows users to personalize photos by adding geometric shapes, text callouts, and stickers directly from their device. While the standard Camera app utilizes the built-in Markup tool to place shapes and annotations onto photos immediately after capture, interactive stickers and graphic overlays are accessible through the integrated Messages camera system introduced in iOS 12. This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions for adding both shapes and stickers to your images.

Adding Shapes to Photos via the Camera App

You can add geometric shapes, arrows, and speech bubbles to any photo you take without leaving the Camera interface.

  1. Take a Photo: Open the Camera app and take your picture.
  2. Open the Preview: Tap the thumbnail of the photo you just took in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  3. Enter Edit Mode: Tap Edit in the top-right corner.
  4. Open Markup: Tap the More button (the circle with three dots ...) in the top-right corner, then select Markup (the pen-tip icon).
  5. Access the Shape Menu: Tap the plus sign (+) in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  6. Select a Shape: Choose one of the available shapes:
    • Square/Rectangle
    • Circle/Oval
    • Speech Bubble
    • Arrow
  7. Adjust the Shape:
    • Drag the blue dots to resize the shape.
    • Drag the green dots to adjust line curves, arrowheads, or speech bubble tails.
    • Tap the color palette at the bottom to change the border color.
    • Tap the shape-attributes icon (next to the colors) to switch between an outline or a solid filled shape.
  8. Save: Tap Done in the top-right corner of the Markup screen, then tap Done again to save the changes to your photo library.

Adding Stickers Using the iOS 12 Camera Effects

In iOS 12, Apple introduced animated stickers, Memoji, and graphical labels directly into the camera viewfinder via the Messages app. To capture a photo with live stickers:

  1. Open the Effects Camera: Open the Messages app, select any conversation, and tap the Camera icon.
  2. Activate Effects: Tap the star-shaped Effects icon located to the left of the shutter button.
  3. Choose Stickers: Tap the Stickers icon (or Memoji/Activity icons) located in the tray above the shutter.
  4. Place the Sticker: Tap or drag a sticker directly into the camera preview. You can pinch with two fingers to resize or rotate it, and drag it to reposition it over your subject.
  5. Take and Save the Photo: Tap the shutter button to take the photo with the sticker applied. Tap the photo preview to access the Share button and select Save Image to store it directly in your Photos library without sending the message.