I. Introduction
PDFs are a widely-used format for documents, but many people struggle to edit them on their Macs. While there are several PDF editing tools out there, it can be challenging to determine which one suits your needs best. That’s where we come in – this article is your ultimate guide to editing PDFs on your Mac. In this article, we will help you solve this problem by providing you with a step-by-step guide, tricks, and tips, and a comparison of the best PDF editing tools on the market today.
II. How to Edit a PDF on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide
Editing a PDF on a Mac may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually very simple. First, you need to open your PDF in the Preview app. From there, you can use the markup tools provided by Preview to edit your PDF.
Here is an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide:
- Open the PDF you want to edit in the Preview app on your Mac.
- Select the Tools option from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Your PDF will now show a toolbar with various markup tools such as text boxes, shapes, lines, arrows, highlighters, and more. Click on any of these tools to begin editing your PDF.
- To add text to your PDF, select the Text icon. Click on the appropriate area to insert the text box, and begin typing.
- Use the Highlighter tool to highlight any text you want to emphasize.
- Use the Rectangle tool to add a rectangle around any section of your PDF.
- To delete or remove any part of the PDF, choose the Erase tool, and start erasing.
- Finally, save your edited PDF. You can go to File and then Save to save your updated PDF.
III. Mac PDF Editing Made Easy: Tricks and Tips for Beginners
If you are new to editing PDFs on a Mac, some simple tips can really help you save time. Mac comes with many features and shortcuts that can aid the PDF editing process. Here are some tips to make the process easier:
- Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Mac Keyboard shortcuts make it easy to navigate between different tools while editing. For example, pressing Command + A will select all the text in your document.
- Use the Loupe Tool: The Loupe tool enlarges a specific section of the PDF to magnify a particular part and help you see in more detail. Use it to examine small text or images in your PDF.
- Use the Snapshots Feature: If you want to save a particular area of a PDF but not the whole document, a snapshot is a useful function. Use it to select the entire section you want to copy, then paste it into another file or document.
- Use the Search Feature: Use the search tool to locate specific words or phrases in your PDF document instead of scanning through the entire text.
- Use Annotations: Annotations such as text boxes, shapes, and arrows are an essential part of editing PDFs. They allow you to add additional information, call-outs, and notes without altering the original document.
IV. 5 Best PDF Editing Tools for Mac: A Comprehensive Comparison
There are many PDF editing tools on the market, each promising to be the best. Here, we have selected the five best PDF editing tools for Mac, based on important features such as price, functionality, and ease of use:
| Tool | Price | Features | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF Expert | $59.99 | – Editing Tools – PDF Form Fill – Cloud Integration |
– User-Friendly Interface – Affordable |
– No OCR – Limited Collaboration |
| Adobe Acrobat | $14.99/month or $179.88/year | – OCR – PDF Form Fill – Collaboration |
– Advanced Editing Features – Cloud Integration |
– Expensive – Complicated User interface |
| PDFpen | $129.95 | – Text Editing – OCR |
– Good for Text Editing – Affordable |
– Limited Features – Complex Interface |
| Preview App | Pre-installed on your Mac | – PDF Editing – Creating PDFs – Markup Tools |
– Free – Basic Features |
– No OCR Feature |
| Foxit PhantomPDF | $139.00 | – Advanced Editing – OCR – Collaboration |
– User-friendly interface – OCR capabilities |
– Expensive – No cloud integration |
V. PDF Expert vs. Adobe Acrobat: Which One is Better for Mac?
PDF Expert and Adobe Acrobat are two of the most widely used PDF editing tools for Mac. However, each tool has its own pros and cons, depending on your needs.
PDF Expert:
- Pros: Affordable, user-friendly interface, editing tools, and cloud integration
- Cons: No OCR, limited collaboration features
Adobe Acrobat:
- Pros: Advanced editing features, cloud integration, collaboration, and OCR
- Cons: Expensive and a complex user interface
Overall, if you’re looking for a simple and affordable tool for editing PDFs, PDF Expert is the better choice. On the other hand, for advanced editing features and collaboration requirements, Adobe Acrobat is the go-to tool.
VI. How to Edit a Scanned PDF on Mac: A Comprehensive Guide
Scanned PDFs are difficult to edit without Optical Character Recognition (OCR). However, with OCR, the text can be extracted, and these documents can be modified like any other PDF document.
Here’s how to edit a scanned PDF on your Mac:
- Open your scanned PDF with Adobe Acrobat or other OCR-enabled editing tool.
- Select the OCR option from the toolbar or menu.
- Click on the ‘Editable Text’ option to select individual pieces of text.
- Edit the text, reformat it, or delete it as desired.
- Save your updated PDF.
VII. Conclusion
This article is your ultimate guide to editing PDFs on your Mac. It covers everything from simple editing tools to advanced solutions suitable for business collaboration. With this guide, you can master the process of editing PDFs, and choose the best PDF editing tool for you. Do not hesitate to use the tips, tricks, and step-by-step guides. Happy editing!
If you want to improve your PDF editing skills, there are plenty of resources out there to help, including video tutorials, online courses and support forums for the different tools.
