Tips for Acrobat: Part 1 – Adobe PDF Basics

The PDF, or portable document format, is a popular file format as it can be opened on most digital devices regardless of the operating system you use. As long as your device has a PDF reader or even an Internet browser, a PDF file can be opened and viewed.  

While several PDF readers and editors exist on the market, this blog series discusses the Adobe Acrobat Pro software, as it is the most widely used software program for the creation and management of PDF files. If you use Acrobat often to view or edit PDFs, this blog series contains a number of tips that may be of use. 

Blog Series Topics: 

Part 1 – Adobe PDF Basics
Part 2 – Extracting Pages
Part 3 – PDF Security
Part 4 – Managing Security Policies
Part 5 – Title Bar Display
Part 6 – Creating Forms
Part 7 – Sharing and Tracking Electronic Forms
Part 8 – Five Useful Features
Part 9 – Combining Files (An Introduction)
Part 10 – Steps for Combining Files

This blog covers some of the basics of using Acrobat Pro – how to create, edit, or review PDFs. 

How to Create a PDF 

• In File Explorer, you can right-click on a file and select Convert to Adobe PDF. 
• Within Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can click File > Create and then select from one of the four options shown in the image below – PDF from File, Scanner, Web Page, or Clipboard – to quickly convert a document, a scanned image, a webpage, or screenshots into a PDF file. 

How to Edit a PDF 

A PDF file can be edited to make modifications to the text, or to add new text, images, hyperlinks, watermarks, or headers and footers.  

Keep the file open and then click the Edit PDF icon  to access the toolbar options for editing, as shown below. You can also right-click on any page and select Edit Text from the right-click menu to access the Editing toolbar options shown below. 

The options are self-explanatory. Pick the appropriate option you need. There are additional options available under the More drop-down menu, for adding a background color, image, bookmarks, or for attaching a file.  

How to Review a PDF 

A PDF file can be shared with reviewers, and they can mark their changes or provide feedback in the PDF itself. Select the text you’d like to comment on, then right-click for the options shown in the image below – Highlight Text, Strikethrough Text, Add Note to Replace Text, Add Note to Text, Add Bookmark, and Create Link. You can also access these options in the toolbar by clicking the Comment icon . Additionally, the toolbar provides options to add new images or other file attachments and use drawing tools. The drawing tools available are shown on the right in the image below.  

We hope these tips improve your Adobe experience and make it easier for you to manage your PDFs. For information on how to extract pages from your PDF, read my next blog.

If you have questions about PDF editing or management, you can reach out to us at tech.writing@ASCENTed.com.   

About the Author

Technical Writer and Editor<br><br>Surya has been writing and editing technical content for over two decades in multiple industries. How do you transform complex technical content into an easy-to-understand document? Ask Surya - technical writing is her passion! She has been with ASCENT since 2018. She holds a master’s degree in English Literature, and a diploma in Journalism, and is a certified Technical Writer.

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