Every home repair looks simple in hindsight and chaotic while it is happening. The wall you opened up, the floor you pulled out, the leak you finally traced to a pipe three rooms away — six months later you will not remember what it looked like before, what you found inside, or which parts you used. Before-and-after photos are the only honest record of the work, and they are useful long after the paint dries: for the next repair, for a warranty question, or for the day you sell the house and someone asks what was done.

The trouble starts with the file format. Photos taken on an iPhone are saved as HEIC, and plenty of the places you want to share them — a contractor's email, a home improvement forum, a message to a family member helping from afar — do not accept HEIC at all. A photo that will not open is no record at all, so convert the keepers to JPG before you share them.

Start with the "before" photos, and take more than you think you need.…