diff --git a/ts/components/MediaEditor.dom.tsx b/ts/components/MediaEditor.dom.tsx
index 36464cef2a..647bcf75d0 100644
--- a/ts/components/MediaEditor.dom.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/MediaEditor.dom.tsx
@@ -328,7 +328,6 @@ export function MediaEditor({
         width: img.width,
       };
       setImageState(newImageState);
-      takeSnapshot('initial state', newImageState, canvas);
     };
     img.onerror = (
       event: Event | string,
@@ -591,6 +590,20 @@ export function MediaEditor({
     drawFabricBackgroundImage({ fabricCanvas, image, imageState });
   }, [fabricCanvas, image, imageState]);
 
+  const initialSnapshotTaken = useRef(false);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (
+      !fabricCanvas ||
+      !fabricCanvas.backgroundImage ||
+      initialSnapshotTaken.current
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    takeSnapshot('initial state', imageState, fabricCanvas);
+    initialSnapshotTaken.current = true;
+  }, [fabricCanvas, imageState, takeSnapshot]);
+
   const [canCrop, setCanCrop] = useState(false);
   const [cropAspectRatioLock, setCropAspectRatioLock] = useState(false);
   const [drawTool, setDrawTool] = useState<DrawTool>(DrawTool.Pen);
diff --git a/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json b/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
index 84ab0bfb15..a4b3e85e2c 100644
--- a/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
+++ b/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
@@ -1456,6 +1456,14 @@
     "updated": "2025-05-19T22:29:15.758Z",
     "reasonDetail": "Holding on to a close function"
   },
+  {
+    "rule": "React-useRef",
+    "path": "ts/components/MediaEditor.dom.tsx",
+    "line": "  const initialSnapshotTaken = useRef(false);",
+    "reasonCategory": "usageTrusted",
+    "updated": "2025-11-19T18:44:48.727Z",
+    "reasonDetail": "Tracking whether initial snapshot has been taken"
+  },
   {
     "rule": "React-useRef",
     "path": "ts/components/MediaQualitySelector.dom.tsx",