Editing images and PDFs inside the app

Feature requests
1

Hi! I just move in from the bear app, and I been using obsidian for some weeks now
I love the organization method that the app uses, it’s just perfect for my degree, but I have some observations that might increase work flow while taking notes in a lecture
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Once you insert an image or PDF it gets store in a folder inside your computer
You can edit them from your system preview program and add highlights, annotations or even drawings if your using a tablet. Your modification will synchronize with Obsidian and you’ll be able to see your edits

It works, but the process is slow an tedious because you have to search for your file on a different window on a different program
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I think obsidian will benefit if you could edit your files inside the note that your working on without getting off the app, if you could implement the system editing software, as the bear app does, you could edit your files anytime without losing time in a lecture
I’m not really knowledge on tech and programming, but I don’t see this option that far away
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As I said, you can edit your files outside obsidian and it will show on the app, but the process is slow and annoying.
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In a future I would love to see more features related with handwritten notes and insert drawings without using a plugin!

Thanks for the awesome apps! It has helped me a lot with college
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Sorry if my English is broken at times, I’m Hispanic

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2

If you right click the doc in your note you can select “reveal file in navigation” or “show in system explorer”. That should speed things up some.

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3

Use case or problem

Open image in an external image editor.

  • While it’s easy to open a file in an external text editor (right-click tab → “Open in default app”), it’s harder to open image in an external editor.
  • This FR ensures easy access to image files from inside Obsidian.

Proposed solution

  1. Right-click image in Edit or View mode (either will do)
  2. In right-click menu, choose:
    1. “Open in default app” to open Image in an external image editor.
    2. “Show in system explorer” to show Image file in Windows File Explorer.
    3. “Copy image path” to copy path to Image file into memory.

Current workaround (optional)

I am able to open an image in an external editor this way:

  1. Open/view file in Edit mode
  2. Click the image to view file name (![[Pasted image 20991231123456.png]])
  3. Hold down CTRL and click on the file name (![[Pasted image 20991231123456.png]]), the image now opens in a new tab

Currently, I can get file path/name for an image this way:

  1. Open/view file in Edit mode
  2. Click the image to view file name (![[Pasted image 20991231123456.png]])
  3. Hold down CTRL and click on the file name (![[Pasted image 20991231123456.png]]), the image now opens in a new tab
  4. In Windows File Explorer, copy folder path from Address field.
  5. Paste folder path into an external text editor
  6. In Windows File Explorer, click file and press F2 to select the file name, then copy file name to clipboard (CTRL+C).
  7. Open an external text editor
  8. In external text editor: paste file name
  9. In external text editor: assemble folder path and file name so it’s ready for use in Image editor
  10. Open Image editor (Image editor now opens - I use Paint.net)
  11. In Image editor, Open File by pressing CTRL+O. A file dialog window opens.
  12. In Image editor file dialog window: Navigate to the folder
  13. In Image editor file dialog window: Copy-paste file name from Windows File Explorer
  14. In Image editor file dialog window, press Open button. File now opens in the external Image editor

Related feature requests (optional)

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