diff --git a/frontend/src/create/review/Review.svelte b/frontend/src/create/review/Review.svelte
index 081f9fb..74490d1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/create/review/Review.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/create/review/Review.svelte
@@ -557,6 +557,9 @@
               {#if p.id === primaryId}
                 <span class="ph-pri">PRIMARY</span>
               {/if}
+              {#if p.required}
+                <span class="ph-req">REQUIRED</span>
+              {/if}
               <span class="ph-seq" aria-hidden="true">{i + 1}</span>
               <!-- Keep checkbox: always checked for required photos; a disabled
                    glyph (no check) when a batch photo is removed. -->
@@ -824,18 +827,26 @@
   .pcard:not(.kept) { opacity: .4; }
   .ph-thumb { width: 100%; height: 100%; object-fit: cover; display: block; pointer-events: none; }
   .ph-pri { position: absolute; top: 6px; right: 6px; background: #00e5ff; color: #002; font-size: .56rem; font-weight: 800; padding: 1px 5px; border-radius: 2px; letter-spacing: .03em; pointer-events: none; }
+  .ph-req { position: absolute; top: 6px; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); background: #ffb020; color: #201500; font-size: .52rem; font-weight: 800; padding: 1px 5px; border-radius: 2px; letter-spacing: .04em; pointer-events: none; }
   .ph-seq { position: absolute; bottom: 6px; left: 6px; width: 18px; height: 18px; border-radius: 50%; background: rgba(0,0,0,.7); color: #fff; font-size: .66rem; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; pointer-events: none; }
   .ph-keep { position: absolute; top: 6px; left: 6px; width: 16px; height: 16px; border: 2px solid #fff; border-radius: 3px; background: rgba(0,0,0,.5); pointer-events: none; }
   .pcard.kept .ph-keep { background: #00e5ff; border-color: #00e5ff; }
   .pcard.kept .ph-keep::after { content: ''; position: absolute; left: 4px; top: 1px; width: 4px; height: 8px; border: solid #002; border-width: 0 2px 2px 0; transform: rotate(45deg); }
   /* Mandatory photos (clean cal + dimension-overlay): the keep checkbox is
-     checked AND disabled — it can't be unchecked, and a small lock glyph
-     signals "required, cannot be removed". The card keeps full opacity even
-     though it's always kept, and the cursor shows it's not a remove target. */
-  .pcard.required { border-color: #2a2a2a; }
+     checked AND disabled. A bold padlock glyph in the box signals "required —
+     cannot be removed", and the card carries a thin required outline so the
+     owner can tell mandatory photos apart from optional batch photos. */
+  .pcard.required { border-color: #00e5ff55; }
   .pcard.required .ph-keep { background: #00e5ff; border-color: #00e5ff; }
-  .pcard.required .ph-keep::after { content: ''; position: absolute; left: 4px; top: 1px; width: 4px; height: 8px; border: solid #002; border-width: 0 2px 2px 0; transform: rotate(45deg); }
-  .pcard.required .ph-keep::before { content: ''; position: absolute; left: 2.5px; top: 5px; width: 7px; height: 5px; border: 1.5px solid #002; border-radius: 1px; }
+  /* Padlock: shackle (arc) + body, drawn large enough to read on a 16px box. */
+  .pcard.required .ph-keep::after {
+    content: ''; position: absolute; left: 3px; top: 2px; width: 8px; height: 8px;
+    border: 2px solid #002; border-bottom: none; border-radius: 4px 4px 0 0;
+  }
+  .pcard.required .ph-keep::before {
+    content: ''; position: absolute; left: 2.5px; top: 6px; width: 8px; height: 6px;
+    background: #002; border-radius: 1px;
+  }
   .pcard.required { cursor: default; }
   .ph-nudge { color: #e8a; font-size: .74rem; margin: 8px 0 0; }
 </style>
diff --git a/frontend/tests/e2e/review-photo-strip.spec.ts b/frontend/tests/e2e/review-photo-strip.spec.ts
index 6f375d1..62d2236 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/e2e/review-photo-strip.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/e2e/review-photo-strip.spec.ts
@@ -213,12 +213,18 @@ test.describe('M3 Review photo strip (#90)', () => {
     expect(bgImage).toContain('45deg');
 
     // Mandatory photos: the clean calibration (seq 1) and the dimension-overlay
-    // copy (seq 2) are required — their keep checkbox is checked AND disabled.
+    // copy (seq 2) are required — their keep checkbox is checked AND disabled,
+    // and a REQUIRED tag marks them.
     await expect(cards.nth(0)).toHaveAttribute('data-required', 'true');
     await expect(cards.nth(1)).toHaveAttribute('data-required', 'true');
     await expect(cards.nth(2)).toHaveAttribute('data-required', '');
     await expect(cards.nth(0)).toHaveAttribute('aria-pressed', 'true');
     await expect(cards.nth(1)).toHaveAttribute('aria-pressed', 'true');
+    await expect(cards.nth(0)).toHaveAttribute('aria-disabled', 'true');
+    await expect(cards.nth(1)).toHaveAttribute('aria-disabled', 'true');
+    await expect(cards.nth(2)).toHaveAttribute('aria-disabled', 'false');
+    // Two REQUIRED tags (cal + overlay), none on the batch photo.
+    await expect(page.getByText('REQUIRED', { exact: true })).toHaveCount(2);
 
     // Tapping a mandatory photo is a no-op: it stays checked + primary (can't remove).
     // The card is aria-disabled, so force the click to exercise the handler directly.