PDF Editor is a business & productivity tool for the Windows operating. Demo version adds “demo” to file; Pro version requires one-time payment. (albeit not free) we recommend you to download Adobe Acrobat Pro CC.
When people ask me for help with their PDF editing needs, I always try to clarify what they mean by 'edit'. For some people, editing means annotating or filling out a form, in which case most free PDF solutions can easily meet their needs. For others, they are looking to edit the text of a PDF file or convert a scanned image into an editable Word file. Given the wide variety of needs with regards to PDF editing, I decided to write a blog post on this important subject. Writing on a PDF and lighter touch-ups For activities such as:. Limited text edits.
Adding text, symbols, shapes, or images. Adding annotations such as comments and highlights. Filling out a PDF form You should consider using a. In the case of both products, changes to a PDF are limited to what the user can add on top of the PDF file.
After saving the file, the edits that the user adds on top of the file are applied to the original PDF that lies underneath. In order to make edits to the text (for example), the user has to first “erase” the original text by drawing a box and then writing new text on top of the box.
This is the main limitation for both desktop PDF readers and online PDF editors. Recommended desktop PDF reader (free) For the best free PDF reader, it’s hard to recommend anything else except Adobe Reader (after all, they invented the PDF file!). You can download Adobe Reader here:. Using Adobe Reader’s Comment tools, you can add text, shapes, and highlights or erase parts of your PDF. Recommended online PDF editor (freemium) The alternative to a desktop product, if you are looking for an online solution, is to use a service like. PDF Pro’s online editor allows you to perform all the tasks listed above, and also saves your files online. You can download up to 3 PDFs a month for free.
Editing text directly within a PDF If you need to directly edit the text within a PDF file, there are two options: (1) you can download a desktop PDF editor that allows you to directly edit text or (2) you can first convert the PDF file to Word, then make the changes and save it back as a PDF file. Recommended desktop PDF software (free trial) Similar to my recommendation for a good reader, my first recommendation is always Adobe. Adobe Acrobat is a great product, and includes almost every feature required for creating, converting and editing PDF files. You can download the 30-day fully featured free trial here:. While Acrobat is probably the best PDF software in the world today, at a price of $449, it isn’t cheap! For cheaper alternatives, I would look to Nitro PDF’s 14-day free trial:. The product costs $160 for personal users.
I would also check out Foxit PhantomPDF Standard, you can download the 30-day free trial here:. Foxit prices their PDF editor at a very reasonable cost of $89.
Note that all three products above include very good PDF to Word conversion capabilities that come included in the free trial. Recommended PDF to Word converter (freemium) Instead of downloading, installing and learning to use software, I find converting a PDF to Word to be much easier. The main problem is finding a good converter that accurately converts the formatting in the original file.
Check out PDF Pro's. We designed the service to maintain your PDF file's original formatting as much as possible - we hope it works well for you! Editing a PDF created from a scanner or an image In order to edit a PDF that was created from a scanner or an image, you need to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
OCR technology 'reads' characters in an image and converts them into editable text. As OCR solves a very difficult computer science problem, you should not expect the results to be 100% accurate. Given the lack of good online OCR solutions, I recommend downloading desktop software.
Recommended desktop OCR software (free trial) In my opinion, Adobe Acrobat has the best OCR solution today. Acrobat’s free trial includes its OCR capability, and can be downloaded here:. If you need a cheaper alternative, you can try downloading the free 30-day trial for Abbyy FineReader 12 here:. The product costs $170 and is cheaper than Acrobat, although its features are limited to OCR only.
In some circles, PDF files manipulation is an absolute necessity. It’s very easy to find a free PDF Viewer such as the official Adobe PDF Viewer, but many people think that to edit PDF files, they must purchase the Adobe paid app. That’s not true, and here’s a list of the best PDF editors you can find on Mac. 1/ Mac OS Preview (Free, built-in Mac OS) That seems like a “duh”, but many people don’t know that Preview can edit PDFs because they think it’s just a viewer.
As a viewer, I think it’s great and fast, but it offers nearly most of the most common features people need:. Select and Add Text. Add shapes. Add notes. Add Signature (including via Webcam scan).
Fill forms. Insert pages. Edit metadata. Add web links In addition to the fact that Preview is built-in, it is also faster than the Adobe app.
![Free adobe pdf editor for mac Free adobe pdf editor for mac](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125452098/180714929.png)
![Pdf Pdf](http://www.mediachance.com/photoblend/images/pblend-big.jpg)
I haven’t tried the older versions, but the current one (from the publication date) works well for the most basic tasks. Some people have pointed out that it would be great to be able to sign using the touchpad, and I agree, but I have a signature file around, so it doesn’t bother me much — overall, this is the “best” option for most people. Here’s how it looks in action. 2/ PDFescape Online (free for small files, $2.99/mo otherwise) This is not really a “Mac” app, but since, Mac users can go for it. It’s an online web editor that lets people create and edit PDF files.
If you don’t mind uploading your file to the site, it’s possible to edit existing files too. The user interface is extremely basic, but it’s one of the cheapest ways to edit PDF files (. 4/ Adobe Acrobat Pro ($13/mo+, trial available) Of course, the most complete and guaranteed 100% compatible with the latest functionalities remains the official. Although many competitors can get close, no-one can claim to be 100% equal to the original. It makes sense because Adobe drives the functionalities, but also the form factor and specifications, so clones will always be one step behind.
I can say that I don’t edit PDF files at a level for which I care, and I suspect that the overwhelming majority is just like me. However, it’s important to realize that there’s a gap, which will always be present. If you always need to live on the bleeding edge of PDF – (official site), it will guarantee that you can access the latest version. 5/ Skim (Free, annotations) (open-source ) PDF reader which lets you add/edit notes and has some cropping functions.
It’s not a true PDF “editor”, but it keeps coming back in conversations, so it’s probably a good thing to know that it exists, especially since it’s free. Beware of freemium offerings presented as free As I was checking for free PDF editors for Mac, I was a bit disappointed that listed many paid apps as “free” in the top results. It’s understandable why it did it, but it’s quite frustrating. For example, but you can access a trial version, but by the time users get to it, they are already furious for landing on a page about a supposedly “free” app we do not like this approach. Is another one. Listed in the “Free PDF Editor” in Google’s search results, it is a paid app. The reviews are mixed, especially for the most recent version, but I didn’t like that the company did not make it clear enough that it was a paid app, and that it was trying too hard to get people to download, possibly waste time, and discover that they have to pay.
That said, some folks are really happy with the OCR feature, while many left lower scores on their review. If you want to take a chance, at least you know that it’s out there. That said, some folks are happy with the OCR feature, while many left lower scores on their review.
If you want to take a chance, at least you know that it’s out there. Conclusion You may be disappointed by the lack of “great” free PDF editors for Mac. However, PDF editors are complicated pieces of software, and they replace an expensive option from Adobe. If the price is too close to Adobe’s offering, it seems smarter just going for the real thing. If the savings are substantial and if the replacement gets the job done, there’s no harm in saving a few bucks. If you need to edit PDF files as a one-time task, you may want to check for subscription models from Adobe and others. It may end up being cheaper.
Read more about.