Use Preview to view and edit PDFs with ease
When it comes to PDFs, there are a few options for viewing, including Adobe Acrobat Reader. However, like all Adobe software, the app constantly needs updating and, in actual fact, all the tools you need are already available, for free, right on your Mac. Preview holds a lot of cool secrets when it comes to PDF documents. Did you know, for example, that you can scan your signature with your Mac’s iSight camera and then apply it to a form or document? Or that you can use Preview to merge multiple PDF documents into one single document with multiple pages? There are plenty more neat tricks, but no matter what you’re doing, it’s a great idea to try it in Preview first before turning to another app – it almost certainly has a feature to help.
Step-by-step Master Preview’s PDF controls
1: Fill out a form
One of the best parts of Preview in OS X is its ability to recognise text flow and forms. You can literally click in boxes on a form and fill in your details digitally.
2: Highlight text
Highlighting text is simple in Preview. All you need to do is drag your cursor over the relevant text and hit the highlight button. You can choose colours, too
3: Add a note
To add a note, open the Edit toolbar and choose the Notes option. Then, simply click where you want the note to sit and type it in, and reposition if necessary.
4: Create signature
To create a signature, open Preview>Preferences in the menu bar, and choose Signatures. Create a new signature by signing a piece of paper and holding it up to your Mac’s camera.
5: Manage and apply
You can create multiple signatures on the same Mac, and manage them from the same menu. Choose one, resize and place it to add it to your document. It’s that simple.
6: Merge or split PDFs
Open individual documents and you can drag one page on top of another in the sidebar over on the left. This will merge them into a single, multi-page PDF file.
