Work with image objects on a canvas

Image objects are the right canvas object for screenshots, product mockups, reference photos, exported diagrams, sticker-like visual assets, and any review where people need to point at a specific visual. Treat an image object as working material, not decoration: place it where the conversation belongs, add labels or arrows around it, and use comments for decisions.

For file cards, PDFs, and Office documents, see Work with file objects. For the focused preview window that also handles PDFs, video, audio, text, CSV, links, and embeds, see Preview canvas objects.

Availability and permissions

When to use image objects

Use image objects when the visual itself needs review. Common examples include landing-page screenshots, app screens, campaign assets, research images, diagrams, exported charts, design variants, and photos that need annotations.

Use a file object instead when the important artifact is a document, PDF, audio file, video file, or source attachment rather than a single inspectable image. Use a link object when the source should stay connected to an external page. Use a spreadsheet object when the important content is structured cells rather than pixels.

Add images

Use Upload files, paste an image from the clipboard, drag an image into the canvas, or use another image-producing flow when available. ALLO creates an image object and sizes it to fit the canvas. When you upload several images at once, ALLO starts them smaller and lays them out in a group so the batch is easier to scan.

Image formats are handled by a combination of browser support and upload processing. Common raster images such as JPEG and PNG are expected to work for normal upload and review. WebP, AVIF, GIF, HEIC, and other image formats can depend on the upload path, browser support, and server processing. If ALLO cannot inspect a local image immediately, it may use fallback sizing while processing finishes.

During upload, the object may appear before the final image data is ready. You may be able to move, resize, align, comment on, or delete the pending object while image-specific actions wait for processing.

Preview and inspect an image

Use Preview when the image needs more room than the canvas object gives it. Image preview is built for inspection: zoom, pan, move through nearby images, rotate or flip in the viewer when those controls are available, and download when allowed.

The preview focuses the image you opened. When multiple image objects are available, the viewer can navigate through neighboring images in canvas order. That is useful for comparing a set of screenshots or exported variants without opening each one from the canvas.

On desktop, image preview behaves like a focused viewer. In some embedded review surfaces, the image preview can be shown inside the surrounding review panel instead of as a separate modal. On mobile, the preview may use a more full-screen pattern because there is less room for a window and thumbnail rail.

Crop, replace, and adjust images

Use Crop when the image is right but the framing is wrong. Cropping keeps the object in the same canvas location while changing the visible part of the image.

Use Replace image when a new revision should keep the same layout and discussion area. Replacing is better than deleting and uploading again when the image is already surrounded by labels, arrows, comments, or decision notes.

Use Flip horizontal or Flip vertical when the image needs mirroring. Use normal resize handles when the image needs to take up more or less space on the canvas. For general object actions such as grouping, locking, layering, or copying, use Element menu.

Remove or restore a background

Use Remove background when the subject should sit on the canvas without the original background. This is useful for product cutouts, portraits, icons, and visual assets that need to layer over shapes or notes.

Background removal is AI-assisted image processing. ALLO analyzes a supported image and creates a replacement image with the background removed. The action is meant for image objects backed by a processable ALLO image source, not for every visual-looking object on the canvas.

The current image processing path accepts common raster sources such as JPEG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF when ALLO can safely resolve the original uploaded image. It ignores thumbnail-only sources, derived previews, raw external URLs, and other sources that are not safe for background removal. That is why two images that look similar on the canvas can expose different background-removal options.

If the result is rough, restore the original, crop closer to the subject, or replace the object with a cleaner source image and try again.

The action may be missing or disabled when the image is still uploading, a generated result is still pending, the image source is not available for background removal, the selected object is not a supported image state, you do not have edit permission, or the workspace does not have the image-processing capability available. If an image format or source is unsupported, ALLO may hide the action or show a file-unavailable message.

When background removal succeeds, ALLO saves the processed result back onto the same image object and keeps the original image data so the object can be restored. If background removal produces a result you do not want, use Restore image when it appears. Restore depends on ALLO still having the original image state saved for that object. If the original state is no longer available, upload or replace the image with the source file again.

Download images and thumbnails

Use Download on an image object when you need that image outside ALLO. Use Download all images from the canvas header menu when you need every image asset from the canvas and your workspace allows that action. See Export and header menu for whole-canvas export and image download behavior.

Thumbnails help collaborators recognize images in previews, side rails, exports, or object cards. If a thumbnail looks blurry, stale, or unhelpful, update it when the element menu exposes that action. Not every image state needs manual thumbnail work; use it when recognition is failing.

Review images with comments

For image review, place each image near the question it answers. Add text labels for the flow or option name, use arrows for specific areas, and ask reviewers to comment on the image object or near the relevant part of the canvas.

Object comments are better than a chat message when the feedback must stay attached to a specific screenshot or visual asset. Use mentions when one person needs to respond. Resolve the thread when the decision is made. For the full review flow, see Comments and mentions.

If you are comparing versions, keep the old and new images side by side, label them clearly, and use comments to record which version won. If the old version is no longer needed but carries important comments, copy or summarize that decision before deleting the object.

What can go wrong

If the image looks blank or low resolution right after upload, wait for processing. A temporary preview can appear before the final source loads.

If Remove background is missing, the image may be pending, unsupported, still being generated, not available from a processable original source, blocked by permission, or the workspace image-processing capability may be unavailable. Try again after upload finishes, or replace the object with a JPEG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF source that ALLO can process.

If Restore image is missing after background removal, ALLO may not have an original image state available for that object anymore.

If Download is missing but Preview works, downloads may be restricted by the canvas or workspace. Ask the owner whether local copies are intentionally blocked.

If comments seem to disappear after deleting an image, the discussion may have been attached to that object. Copy important review notes before deleting reviewed images.

If crop or replace opens the wrong image, close the menu, select the image again, and use the object boundary rather than nearby notes or overlapping objects.