How to add images, scans, links, and other files to a Freeform board on iPad

You can add any photo or video to a Freeform board, generate an image, or take a new photo with your iPad camera. You can also add different types of files to your board by scanning, linking, or inserting them.

You can create original images with Image Playground and paste items from your Clipboard, too. Anyone can use premium Content Hub images. With a subscription to Apple Creator Studio, though, you’ll be able to remove their watermarks.

Available with subscription: Some features require a subscription to Apple Creator Studio.

Add a photo, video, sticker, link, or other file

1. Go to the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board, or tap the New Board button to start a new one.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Tap the Media button, tap an option, then tap the Done button when you’re finished.
   • Copy the item to your Clipboard, tap an empty space, then, when a menu appears, tap Paste.
   • To add premium images from the Content Hub to your board, tap the Content Hub button in the toolbar, tap an object category at the top of the dialog, then tap a premium image to add it to the board. Anyone can use premium Content Hub images, but you need to subscribe to Apple Creator Studio to remove their watermarks.

     Important: Premium images from Content Hub are subject to usage restrictions.

Double-tap any media item—photo, video, or other file—to preview it.

Note: You can insert files saved on your iPad or in iCloud Drive, and for most file types, Freeform inserts a copy. Links to a collaborative Keynote presentation, Numbers spreadsheet, or Pages document behave differently: Participants in your Freeform board can tap the card to open the shared file in iCloud. (For others to collaborate on the file, it has to be saved in iCloud.)

Create original images with Image Playground

Using Apple Intelligence, you can mix text descriptions, photos of people from your photo library, and more into one-of-a-kind illustrations.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iPadOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad models with M1 or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board, or tap the New Board button to start a new one.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Create a new image: Tap the Insert Media button in the toolbar, tap Image Playground, and then follow instructions to create an image.
   • Replace an existing image with an image created in Image Playground: Select an image and tap the Modify Image button. Tap Replace, tap Image Playground, and then follow instructions to create an image.
   • Use elements from your board: Select up to six images, drawings, text boxes, sticky notes, or shapes that you want to use, tap the More button in the formatting tools and tap Add to Playground. Follow the onscreen instructions to create an image.
4. Tap the Done button or Insert to add the image to your board.

Generate new images with Apple Creator Studio

With an Apple Creator Studio subscription, advanced tools let you create and edit high-quality images, or transform existing ones with generative models.

Note: This feature is not available in all countries and regions.

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board, or tap the New Board button to start a new one.
3. Tap the Content Hub button in the toolbar.

   Note: If this is your first time using Image Generation in Freeform, follow the onscreen instructions to share your age range with the app. Image Generation is not available for all ages, so a parent or guardian must enable this feature for children and teens in their family group. See Set up Family Sharing.

4. Tap Generate Image, then follow the onscreen instructions.

   If you’re asked to send an image, select Allow Once or Always Allow. To reset this option, tap the More button, tap Intelligence Features, then tap Reset Permissions.

5. Tap Insert to add the image to your board.

Important: Image Generation is subject to usage limitations. To check your usage status, tap the More button, tap Intelligence Features, then tap Show Usage Status.

Scan and add a document

Scan a paper document, and you can add it to your board as a PDF right from Freeform.

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board, or tap the New Board button to start a new one.
3. Tap the Insert button, then tap Scan Documents.
4. Position the iPad camera so the document appears on the screen.

   iPad automatically captures the page. To capture the scan manually, tap Auto (the label changes to Manual), tap the Take Picture button or press a volume button, drag the corners to select the area you want in the scanned document, then tap Keep.

5. Scan additional pages, then tap the Done button when you’re done.

Your board gets a card showing an image of the first page of your scan.

Quick tip: You can keep your scan in iCloud Drive or on your iPad. To do that, select the card, tap the Preview button, and tap the Share button, then tap Save to Files.

Format a photo or video

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board with a photo or video in it.
3. Tap a photo or video to open its formatting tools and then do any of the following:
   • Crop or mask the photo: Tap the Crop Mask button.
   • Remove the photo’s background: Tap the Modify Image button and then tap Remove Background. If the background of the photo can’t be made transparent, Remove Background isn’t available.

     Tip: You can also paste an image without a background. See Lift a subject from the photo background.

   • Add a shadow, round the corners, add a description, and more: Tap the More button and then choose an option.
   • Replace the photo or video: Select the photo or video, tap the Modify Image button or the Modify Movie button, tap Replace, and then select a replacement.
   • Preview the photo or video: Tap the Preview button, or double-tap the photo or video.

     To preview a movie in full screen, double-tap it.

Auto Crop a photo

Auto Crop, available with an Apple Creator Studio subscription, can intelligently generate suggestions that improve image composition.

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board with an image, double-tap the image to view the mask controls. Tap Auto Crop to preview cropping suggestions.
3. Tap a suggestion to update your image and tap Done.

Increase resolution with Super Resolution

If you’re an Apple Creator Studio subscriber, you can increase the resolution of photos with Super Resolution, making them clearer.

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board with an image, tap the image, and tap the Image Inspector button.
3. Tap Super Resolution.

Put an image inside a shape

Want your photo inside a circle? Use a shape as a mask or frame for an image.

1. Start the Freeform app on your iPad.
2. Open a board, or tap the New Board button to start a new one.
3. Add a photo or other image to the board.
4. Tap the Add Shape button, then choose a shape.
5. Position the shape over the image, then select both it and the image.
6. Tap the More button in the formatting tools and tap Mask with Shape.

Or drag an image onto a shape to use it as a frame.

To remove it from the shape, select the masked image, tap the More button, then tap Reset Mask.

Quick tip: From supported apps like Notes, Photos, and Safari, you can send a photo, video, file, or link to a Freeform board. Select it and tap the Share button in the other app, then tap the Freeform app icon, and finally tap New Board or the name of an existing board. (Others can add items to your board only if you save it in iCloud.)

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

See also

• Draw or handwrite on a Freeform board on iPad
• Position items on a Freeform board on iPad
• Add accessibility descriptions
• Apply consistent styles and formatting in Freeform on iPad