Videos let you capture movement, scope, sound, and narrated commentary that photos alone cannot convey. You can add videos to observations and subcategories alongside photos on both mobile and web.

Before you begin

Videos must be 60 seconds or shorter. Longer clips are rejected at selection time.
Accepted formats: MP4, MOV, and WebM.
Your subscription tier includes a video storage allocation. If your storage is full, new uploads are blocked until you free space or upgrade.
Videos are not available in the cover photo area. Cover positions accept photos only.
The first time you record video, the app asks for camera and microphone permission if it does not already have them.

Adding a video (mobile)

Open an observation or subcategory.
Tap Add Photo/Video.
Choose one of the two options:
- Library — opens a combined picker showing both photos and videos from your device. Pick a video. If the clip exceeds 60 seconds, an alert prevents it from being added. Otherwise the edit modal opens so you can set a title, pick a thumbnail frame, and set trim markers.
- Camera — opens the camera screen with a Photo / Video toggle. Switch to Video mode to record.
Once the video is in the media grid, it uses the local file for the thumbnail. An upload progress percentage displays on the thumbnail. After upload, the server encodes the video into streaming-ready formats and the grid updates automatically when encoding completes.

Adding a video (web)

Open an observation or subcategory and click the Add Photo/Video button.
Choose one of the video options in the modal:
- Choose Video — opens a file picker accepting MP4, MOV, or WebM files.
- Record Video — uses your browser camera with the same 60-second limit and countdown ring as mobile.
After selecting or recording, the edit modal opens. You can enter a title, set trim points, and pick a thumbnail frame. On web, trimming produces a shortened file before upload.
Click Save & Upload. The video appears in the grid and transitions through encoding states until it is ready for playback.

Recording a video (mobile)

The camera screen has a Photo / Video toggle. Switch to Video mode:

Tap the record button to start recording.
A countdown ring around the record button fills from full to empty over 60 seconds, showing time remaining.
Tap the record button again to stop, or recording auto-stops at 60 seconds.
If the recording is under 2 seconds, it is discarded with a "Too Short" alert. Recordings of 2 seconds or longer are saved normally.
The front/back camera toggle is available before recording begins but not during.
Audio is always captured — there is no mute option. Narrate what you see while recording.
Flash/torch is available if your device supports it. Pinch-to-zoom works while recording.

After you stop recording, the video saves, is written to your device's photo/video library, and begins uploading. The clip appears in the media grid right away without leaving the observation.

Editing a video

The edit modal is available on both platforms. On web it opens automatically after you choose or record a new video. On mobile you open it from the video in the grid when you are ready to edit.

The edit modal contains:

Preview player — plays the video inline.
Title field — optional text input for the video title.
Thumbnail picker — a slider along the timeline to select the frame used as the thumbnail in grids, the report, and the PDF.
Trim controls — start and end sliders on a timeline. On web, trimming produces a shortened file before upload. On mobile, trim markers are stored as metadata.

Watching a video

Tap or click a video thumbnail in the grid to open the player.

Mobile: The player opens as a full-screen modal with playback controls. Clips that are uploaded play from the cloud; recordings that still exist only on your device play from local storage.
Web: The player opens as an overlay with a backdrop.

If the video is still processing, the player shows a status message ("Uploading..." or "Encoding — this usually takes a minute") instead of playback controls.

Videos you recorded on your device play from the local file even when you are offline. Cloud-only videos require an internet connection.

The media grid

Photos and videos display together in a single grid under the Photos and Video heading, sorted by creation time.

Video thumbnails show a centered play icon overlay and a duration badge.
During upload, the play icon is replaced by a percentage progress indicator.
During server-side encoding, a processing spinner appears on the thumbnail.
If encoding fails, an error state replaces the thumbnail.

Deleting a video

Long-press a video thumbnail (mobile) or hover over it (web) to reveal the delete option. Confirm the deletion when prompted. The video disappears from the grid right away.

Offline behavior (mobile)

Capture: Video recording works fully offline. The video saves locally and appears in the grid from the local file.
Upload: Upload begins automatically when the device reconnects. Photos and audio sync before videos. Within videos, older items sync first.
Playback: Videos with a local file play from the device. Cloud-only videos show the thumbnail with a connectivity message.

Troubleshooting

"Too Short" alert: The recording was under 2 seconds and was discarded. Record again for at least 2 seconds.
"Video too long" alert: The selected or recorded video exceeds 60 seconds. Record a shorter clip or trim the video before selecting it.
Upload seems stuck: Check your internet connection. Large files use resumable uploads, so an interrupted upload picks up where it left off when connectivity returns.
"Encoding — this usually takes a minute": The server is processing the video into streaming-ready formats. Wait for encoding to complete.
"Storage Full" alert: Your video storage quota is at 100%. Delete videos from old inspections to free space, or upgrade your subscription tier.
Video does not play offline: Only videos you recorded on the current device are available offline. Videos uploaded from another device require an internet connection.

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Adding Photos to Observations