How to edit PDF files
There are many ways in which a PDF file can be edited, using a wide range of editor tools that are on the market. This page focuses on the typical editing needs in a prepress environment. The following types of changes are discussed:
- Text manipulations: how to edit text in a PDF.
- Image editing: how to edit an image in a PDF file or replace it.
- Page related changes: how to delete pages, change their order or rotate them.
- Altering a PDF file: how to merge pages from separate PDF files, edit password protected files or add bleed.
- Color editing: how to convert a PDF from color to black&white.
At the bottom is also a small overview of PDF editing applications.
Always keep in mind that PDF files are an accurate representation of a document. They are meant for output or on-screen viewing. They are not intended to be intermediate files that can still be edited. There are programs on the market that allow you to change the content of a PDF file and there are applications or plug-ins that can extract the content of a PDF so that you can insert this data into a new document. Altering PDF files is a last resort – whenever possible the original source file should be corrected and a new PDF generated. This is especially true for documents that will be reused at a later date!
Changing text
How to edit text in a PDF
Within a PDF file text is essentially stored as single lines. The concept of text flowing from one line to another within a column does not exist. This makes it fairly difficult to edit text unless you rely on special tools that somehow manage to intelligently predict how text flows within a document
- Adobe Acrobat & Acrobat Professional have a TouchUp Text tool for small text modifications. When you add or delete text, it will not reflow the text in the entire column. Some releases of Acrobat have a pretty bad reputation when it comes to the TouchUp Text tool, with users reporting weird behavior of the edited or remaining text once the tool is used. Use this tool only if there is no way to edit the original source file and recreate a PDF.
- Even though Adobe Illustrator can open a surprisingly large range of PDF files, it is a bad choice if you want to edit text. Illustrator automatically uses its own fonts instead of fonts embedded in a PDF. This can lead to text reflows even if you leave text untouched.
- For extensive text editing, Infix PDF Editor is an interesting product. I used it to add text to a book and found the reflow capabilities of the application quite impressive.
Changing images
How to edit an image in a PDF file
There are several high-end tools on the market that are optimized for this type of task. It is however surprising how much you can already achieve with Adobe Acrobat, provided you also have applications like Photoshop and Illustrator. In the ‘Touchup’ Preferences of Acrobat you can define which image and object editor you want to use from within Acrobat. Once this has been defined, you can use the Touchup Object Tool to select an object, context-click it and select the Edit option. In the case of an image, the default application (Photoshop on my set-up) opens the image. After changing the image, it is re-embedded in the PDF file.
Acrobat 8 Touchup Object Tool (far right)
How to replace an image in a PDF file
The above procedure for editing images can also be used to replace graphics. Use the Touchup Object Tool to open an image or artwork in Photoshop or Illustrator. Replace the content with the new image or artwork that you want to insert. In the case of images it is best to maintain the resolution of the image you originally opened. Once the content is swapped use Save to reinsert it back into the PDF. There are other ways of swapping images which get discussed in this b4print thread.
Changing pages
How to delete pages, swap or rotate them
Adobe Acrobat can do all of this but there are most likely cheaper solutions around. I never bothered to check.
Changing color
How to convert a PDF from color to black&white
Most recent versions of Acrobat Professional can be used to convert a PDF to B&W. In Acrobat 9 Pro select Advanced > Print production > Convert Colors. Activate the option ‘Convert Colors To Output Intent’ and scroll all the way down in the list of profiles until you find the grayscale ones. Select an appropriate one and click OK to start the conversion.
There are also some Acrobat plug-ins that can do this. I have used PitStop but prefer Quite-a-box-of-tricks which seems to be both faster and more reliable (in the past PitStop sometimes left some objects untouched).
Changing the entire PDF file
How to merge pages from separate PDF files
There is a separate page on this site dedicated to this topic.
How to edit a password protected PDF file
The PDF standard supports an extensive set of security features to prevent users from accessing certain features of a PDF file. One of these is the ability to edit PDF files. When you get such a protected file, the correct procedure is obviously to contact its creator and ask for the password to unlock the file. Unfortunately it is sometimes difficult to contact that person or agency or even impossible to find out who locked the file. There are a couple of alternative solutions:
- The ColorSync utility that was included in OS X releases before version 10.5 overwrites PDF password protection. Simply open the PDF using it and do a ‘Save As’.
- PDFkey Pro is a commercial multi-platform tool that can remove the password protection from a PDF file. Another option for Windows users is Jkwebtalks’ Free PDF Unlocker.
How to add bleed to a PDF
Information on what bleed is, why it is needed and how it can be added to a PDF file is available on my page about bleed.
PDF editing tools
Below is a short summary of the various types of software that are available on the market to edit PDF files.
- Adobe Acrobat (Professional) can be used to both view and manipulate PDF files. Next to the basic function discussed above, it can be used to completely repurpose PDF files (add multimedia elements like sound and video, add clickable buttons,…).
- Plug-ins can be installed in Acrobat Professional to enhance its ability to edit objects within PDF document. The most well-known one is probably PitStop Professional from Enfocus. Another popular choice is pdfToolbox from callas software.
- Even though Adobe carefully avoid positioning Adobe Illustrator as a PDF editor, a remarkable number of PDF files can be opened and modified in Illustrator. Its major weakness spot is text handling.
- There are a number of stand-alone PDF editor applications on the market. Google is your friend
Applications that I have gotten positive feedback about are:
- Enfocus offer Neo, a stand-alone PDF editor that is a lot faster than working in Acrobat. This b4print discussion is about this product.
Oris PDF Tuner is another alternative solution that seems to have a good reputation. - Companies who make their money processing PDF files, such as newspapers who need to be able to make small modifications to advertisements, often use the products of OneVision to edit PDF files. These are probably the most powerful editors on the market, with a matching price tag.
- Recosoft created an interesting plug-in, named PDF2ID, which can convert a PDF file into an InDesign publication. This tool is discussed in this thread on the b4print forums.
- Enfocus offer Neo, a stand-alone PDF editor that is a lot faster than working in Acrobat. This b4print discussion is about this product.
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You mention that Enfocus offers Nitro, a stand-alone PDF editor that is a lot faster than working in Acrobat.
The name of the actual application is Neo.
Thanks, I fixed the error.
You might like to check out Nitro PDF Professional too. We like to think it’s got some pretty neat editing tools.
http://www.nitropdf.com/professional/edit-pdf.htm
How to compare the layout of two pdf files.
There is a need to compare the pdf files for the Data and Layout of the pdf file
How can this be achieved?
Please suggest.
Have you guys tried this online service: http://www.touchpdf.com, which allows user to edit/split/concatenate PDF files without Acrobat Reader/Professional…. installed
I tried this touchppdf.com, I could not see how to edit the file at all. I and I clicked, uploaded and all.
This is paid site that you have advertised.
where can you find downloadable pdf editors from the internet
what websites would have pdf editors that are downloadable for free?
Try pdffiller.com/ It`s very useful.
but you can’t delete text to rewrite over them….
thanq…soo much ….
Hi I recently purchased a PDF Nitro. I have a document that was created in In Design some time ago by a designer. I’m trying to make some changes to it. However, I find that I am unable to insert some numbers, such as 4; 6 or 9 into the document. I’m a techno geek. Would you know how I can insert the numbers? Thanks heaps!
When certain characters cannot be accessed while editing a PDF, this is most likely because the font used for the text has been subsetted. Font subsetting means that not all characters are included in the PDF.
You’ll need to have that same font installed on your own system to circumvent this restriction. Obviously switching to another font is also a work-around.
Thank you so much, Lauren. I’ve managed to located the font and have done as you’ve suggested. Thanks, again!
Thank you so much, Lauren. I’ve managed to locate the font and have done as you’ve suggested. Thanks, again!
I just want to highlight and annotate text as i am studying. I don’t really want to print out 100’s of pages of pdf’s to scribble notes on.
Save the trees
I have a copy of Acrobat Professional and I’ve been trying to edit some documents its quite possible the biggest waste of money ever spent. Im going to try out some of the free editors.
You can open PDFs in Adobe Illustrator and edit them that way. You can only do open one page at a time though. Just press save as if it is a AI file, and it will automatically save you corrections in the original PDF.
Found more information here than on the Adobe website.
Almost everyone can use MS Word, so you can try to convert the PDF files into Word format, then you can edit the text or images in the Word as you wish!
I’m using AnyBizSoft PDF to Word converter, which can preserve the layout and images of the PDF.
http://www.anypdftools.com/pdf-to-word.html#163
I think that is a good way to edit PDF.
Quite possibly one of THE most ridiculous things I’ve seen posted. I can only assume you’re schilling for your own software.
When edit files the most convenient tool is Office Word so when edit PDF files I like to convert it to word file then edit it.
Adreamsoft PDF to Word Converter did a good job when converting PDF to Word. http://www.allpdftools.com/pdf-to-word-converter.html
Hi anyone,
How to compare the layout of two pdf files.
There is a need to compare the pdf files for the Data and Layout of the pdf file
How can this be achieved?
Please suggest.
Hi
All I need is to add a simple word like paid/processed and maybe a date to an existing pdf … kind of like stamping a piece of paper so at a glance I can see if I have paid it etc …
Please help .. someone must know
Jason
Acrobat has this type of function but it is too expensive to this type of usage. I don’t have personal experience with any other tools.
What I want to do is go into the properties and under the PDF tab I want to change the title in that screen. I add these files to my Sony PRS and that is what they display the name of the book to be and the name of the book is not always displayed there. If anyone can help I’d really appreciate it. THANKS!
i have a problem with this pdf file i hope any one other can help me.
i have downloaded a file to which i should fill-up and send back, because i have downloaded application form (resume) and this is my biggest problem i cant seem to edit it (fill-up) and its bugging my brain out. pls help me i need it a work.
thank you in advance pls email me at zzler062785@yahoo.com.. thank you again.
No, I have no experience with Mac alternatives. Sorry about that.
If I have a pdf with edits marked up (deletions, etc), how do I “approve them” and create a pdf with the edits made?
You can’t do that within the PDF itself. The markup can act as a guide for someone who has the source document to change that document and regenerate a new PDF. PDF annotations are exactly what their name suggests: annotations.
Tweak PDF To Word 3.0 is a little program to convert PDF to editable Word for easier editing. The converter enjoys an exact conversion with the output Word retaining intact of all the original features of the PDF, including layout, image positioning, text font, graphics, hyperlinks, etc.
Encrypted PDF files can be converted to Word, too.
http://www.tweakpdf.com
Thanks for the help, that was exactly what I was looking for. Really appreciate it.
To do so quickly, click http://www.onlinedocumentconversion.com
upload your document and convert to .doc or RTF & then edit!
click http://www.onlinedocumentconversion.com upload your document, convert to .doc or .RTF & then edit
I’m trying to edit a .pdf document but I am having some problems. I’m using Infix Editor but for some reason it deletes the hyperlinks of the pdf document I have opened. Are there any other good pdf editors out there?
Infix shouldn’t be doing this. If you send me the PDF (guy@iceni.com) we will look into the issue and get back to you with a solution.
Guy Bushnell,
Iceni Technology Ltd.
I read all these comments and downloaded Infix to edit pdfs for clients. It does the job for small edits and as I was editing tracked the changes in colour which is important for the client to see. However, when I saved it, the colour disappeared so the client has no way of viewing what has been changed. Is there anyway to keep those tracked changes like when editing a word doc? I ended up using post-it notes to explain everything, very time-consuming. Or do you have diff method? Would appreciate reply. K
try online – modifying PDFs, scanned documents or images 24×7 can often be free, however 25cents a page for online modifications at http://www.Onlinedocumentconversion.com along with ‘after sales service & support’ of a breathing human is a different story.
how can i convert the pdf file to doc
I just purchased Nitro PDF Professional, which is supposed to allow you to edit anything and everything. I scanned a document using Nitro PDF, tried to convert the text to Word so that I can add text, edit and move text lines and pages down and was unable to do so. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong? Thanks!
Hey thankyou so much for this article. I was looking for a way to edit PDF’s and stumbled across this. I have no tried Infix PDF editor as you suggusted and it’s great. Very useful to edit PDF’s i receive when editing books. I find it very easy rather then copying and pasting into a word processor. This way i am able to directly change the wording on the document i am reading which is always a pdf. Honestly i didn’t think it was possible before, so greatly appreciated.
Hey, if you’re trying to find out a solution to your pdf editing task then “Infix PDF Editor” is really for you. Yes, I’ve used it and it’s really helpful. You can edit your documents, pdf catalogs etc. having the same file size and good quality.
I was trying to make some changings in my catalog of surgical instruments, I didn’t find any PDF Editor having the qualities like INFIX Editor, yes, Infix is really good for making changings in the documents and yes, it’s also good that Infix doesn’t increas the file size of documents, while some other PDF Editors increase the file size when we make some changes and save the file. First I was using Nitro PDF Editor but when I used Infix I came to know that it’s the best solution to my PDF Editing activity.
I really congratulate Infix team on their great accomplishment.
Thanks Infix.
i have bought Adobe Professional, would like to transfer docs into excel spreadsheet is this possible and how do i so it
Many thanks
I am wanting to edit a PDF by moving blocks of text up from one page to another … is this possible and if so can anyone point me to the editing tool that will let me do this. THank you
Also, if you go to http://www.askageek.com you will find the answer. This seems to be one of most popular question many people are seeking an answer for.
I was looking for a way to edit PDF’s and stumbled across this.
I scanned a paper as PDF file. can I modified the file?? if so can you tel me how.
thank you
BTW there’s a step by step answer at http://www.editPDF24×7online.blogspot.com
What ever you do, DON’T get deskUNPDF Pro – it’s crap. Unfortunately I kept trying to get good quality documents out of it (converting pdf to word) using the options they suggested and that I got from the knowledge base – thinking it would be wise to give it a “fair go”. What a waste of cash.
thank you, its great to find some information i can give to my pre-press students they can understand… thanks…
All this info is greatly appreciated ! keep it up !
BTW its correct, this also is amongst one of most popular answers at http://www.askageek.com – doing on internet w/o downloading any software, check it out – hardly costs few cents only
All these pdf creators print the url reference on the top right – is there a way to create the pdf without this?
good website, i appeciate to all, for this wonderful content.
gr8 from publishers stand point who do plenty of editing of documents in PDF. I guess we’ll let every editor know so that they can convert online from their respective stations.
Yes, its easy to click http://www.onlinedocumentconversion.com/ on their stations and crack text in PDF or paper documents online for just at fraction of cost DIY.
Looks like heading for this discussion “How To Edit PDF Online On Internet?” be more appropriate now than ‘How To Edit PDF’ as most people seem to seek quick online results now!
A very good, cross-platform and free (open source) solution is the well-known vector gfx editor, Inkscape. It can import pdfs without problems, and you can later add/edit/remove anything as you wish.
And of course there’s a famous OpenOffice suite, also cross-platform, free and open source. After adding a plugin called “Sun PDF Import Extension” (also free) OpenOffice’s Draw module can open PDFs.
use freepdfconvert.com to change it to a word doc, modify the word doc, then reupload and convert back to pdf- I featured this on my blog http://fruitgeek.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/adobe-acrobat-free-online-alternative/
THIS!
You rule! Thank you so much – I found freepdfconvert thanks to your blog entry and it worked out within seconds. You saved me plenty of time – thank you so much!
There is an easy way of changing Portable Document Format into Word.
“Into word” means into an editable format rather than just into MicroSoft Word.
You can buy proprietary software such as Adobe.
You can use a website to convert for you, which converts many file formats from one form to another.
You can do a screen shot and paste the image into a word document but you won’t be able to edit it.
You can copy using Ctrl or Cmd +C and Paste using Ctrl or Cmd +V into a word document.
You will then have to spend some time fixing the formatting as it will not be the same between the two different software programs.
you can also download a reliable pdf to word document such as Advanced pdf converter. With this pdf converter, you can convert total pdf conment onto word form, and then you can edit the word document at your ease. http://www.advancedpdfconverter.com/products/pdfconverter.html
advanced PDF to Word is also recommended to hlep you get a reeditable PDF into Word document.
AOA!
i want to chang in pdf files, plz help in this respect, i have already use Foxit editor, but it create problems when i print such as u can not print becoz it is not Registerd etc
If you don’t want to spend the big bucks instead of buying Adobe Acrobat, you can also try:
PDF Studio
It’s a very powerful PDF tool that can do a lot of things: crop, merge, split, change security, preflight, measure, sign, annotate, etc…
Unfortunately, as of version 6.40, they can not edit text or change color on documents. It’s supposed to be coming in version 7.
I need to edit a chart that was originally done in InDesign CS4 by someone who is no longer there to ask questions. When I go to open the Indesign file, it automatically opens up as a PDF. I do not want this. I want to edit it in InDesign and then save a new PDF. How do I do this? I can’t seem to just get the orginal InDesign file to open as an InDesign file. I have only been using IndDeisgn for four days and the “boss” wants this by Tuesday so…Thank you.
Please can u guys tell me whether i can convert a particular word in a pdf file into a different word,Thanks
I just purchased a copy of Nitro PDF Professional 6 and used it to edit a PDF for a client. In order to ensure the PDF is still readable by Adobe software, I used Adobe Reader to check the appearance, layout and hypertext links. Unfortunately, I did not test the PDF using Adobe Reader’s Find function. My client did that and found that the Find results are all off. E.g. I enter the word “message” in the Find text box, and other words, even blank sections, get highlighted.
After some investigation, it appears that Nitro PDF Pro edits only the top layer of the PDF – the visible text layer. However, there is something else beneath it that has not been edited. So, say I delete the word “message” from a page using Nitro. When I do a search for the word “message” in Adobe Reader, it still finds it, even though visible the word is no longer there! Whatever is in its place will be highlighted instead. The same thing happens with deleted *pages*. Say I delete page 4. Now I search for a word that was originally on page 4. Adobe Reader ignores the fact that page 4 was deleted, and goes to the *new* page 4, and highlights the location where the word originally was!
Gosh, I’ve spent like 20+ hours editing this PDF before this problem was found. Anyone has any bright ideas on what I should do now? *:(
Get Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended.
I have a scanned document that I processed with OCR in Acrobat Professional 9 into a “Clearcase” version. Some cruft over an image was evidently treated as “text” by the OCR, and appears on top of the image, no matter whether the image has been edited or replaced. I can select the cruft as text, but I cannot edit it or delete it with the font created by the OCR conversion! What’s up with that? Don’t letters in the font correspond to letters the OCR has recognized? Isn’t it perverse that I can’t even delete this “text”? If I buy an Adobe font to replace it, will I be able to replace the “cruft”?
Good tutorial. Saved me a lot of time.