How to edit PDF files like a pro

6 minute read
How to Edit PDF Files Like a Pro

In this day and age, receiving paper documents to review and edit is a rarity, especially in a professional environment. Document sharing is now mostly done electronically, and a secure way of sending a file is by converting it to PDF first.

But how do you review and edit a digital file you’ve just received? The easiest way is to use a PDF application such as the COMMENT feature in Soda PDF that offers state-of-the-art PDF markup tools.

Comment Feature - List of Comment Tools - Soda PDF 14

Basic markup

Basic markup refers to the most commonly used tools within the COMMENT feature: highlight, underline, and strikethrough.

The highlighting and underlining features are normally used when you want an important passage or quote to stand out from your PDF file.

Comment Feature - Underline tool - Underline text example - Soda PDF 14

For example, if you’re going over a report your boss has just sent you, it might be a good idea to highlight or underline sections that you think require attention or that you might want to circle back to once you’re done reading.

Comment Feature - Highlight tool - Highlight example - Soda PDF 14

The strikethrough tool is another nifty tool that is mostly used to remove certain passages from a file while still leaving traces of it behind. Let’s say you are reviewing a contract that was sent to you, but you notice something that you don’t think should be included.

Comment Feature - Strikethrough tool - Strikethrough example - Soda PDF 14

Simply use the strikethrough tool, which will make it easier for other readers to understand that you wish to remove that specific passage from the document.

You can even adjust the color of the highlight, underline, and strikethrough tools that you will use to annotate your document. Simply click on the color icon that appears in the toolbar above your document once you’ve selected one of these aforementioned tools:

Comment Feature - Highlight Strikethrough Underline - Adjust Colors - Soda PDF 14

Adding Sticky Notes

The best way to annotate a file is by adding your personal comments to it, just like you would a paper document. Instead of using actual post-it notes, you can use virtual ones.

Comment Feature - Sticker Note tool - Soda PDF 14

Soda PDF has a built-in Sticky Note tool that is very easy to use. You can basically add a sticky note and include your comments anywhere on your file.

Simply click on the Sticky Note tool, then click anywhere within your document that you’d like the note to appear:

Comment Feature - Add Sticker Note - Soda PDF 14

You can then type in your comment to the note, which will remain as a conversation icon wherever you’ve placed the note:

Comment Feature - Sticker Note example - Soda PDF 14

If this Sticky Note gets too cumbersome, you can temporarily hide the notes so they don’t distract you while you continue reviewing the document.

Using a pencil

The pencil tool is pretty straightforward. Use it just like you would use a real pencil.

Comment Feature - Pencil tool - Soda PDF 14

You can write anywhere on your document – all you need is a fairly steady hand. But don’t worry, it’s really not that hard. It just takes some getting used to and you’ll be a pro in no time.

Comment Feature - Pencil tool - Pencil example - Soda PDF 14

You also have a wide array of colors to choose from, so if you want to handwrite a note and you want to make sure it stands out, you can select a flashy color.

Comment Feature - Pencil tool - Color Selection - Soda PDF 14

Adding Shapes

When you’re reviewing a paper document, you often draw arrows to point out certain passages. Why should the way you edit physical documents be any different than electronic documents?

In Soda PDF 14, you have two kinds of options for shapes:

Line

Add lines to PDF - Add arrow to PDF - Soda PDF Desktop

Oval

Add shapes to PDF - How to add shapes to a PDF - Soda PDF Desktop

Our PDF software is equipped with lots of shapes and arrows you can add to your pages. You can choose from double-arrows, block arrows, stars, ovals, rectangles, and much more!

Simply click on the shape you want to draw, whether it be one from the Line tool options or the Oval tool options:

Comment Feature - Line Tool - Soda PDF 14

Choose the line that you want to draw, then click on the area of the document you want the line to begin and click again to end the line.

Comment Feature - Line Tool - Line Example and Color Selection - Soda PDF 14

You can also customize the color of your line, or any shape, with the toolbar that appears just under the Line tool icon.

Here’s what each Line tool will look like:

Comment Feature - Line Tool - Other Lines and Color Selection - Soda PDF 14

Oval tool shapes:

Comment Feature - Oval Tool - All Oval Shapes and Color Selection - Soda PDF 14

Finally, you can move any shape much like you can with any element within your PDF.

Click on the Edit Mode and then select the shape you’d like to move:

Comment Feature - Line Tool - Move Lines - Soda PDF 14

A purple box will appear in the space that you are moving the element to. To finish the move, simply click, and then the shape will be placed in the new area you’ve selected.

Using stamps

Sure, using real stamps can be fun. Who hasn’t played around with one at one time or another? But let’s be honest, they’re not very popular nowadays – stamps are an archaic way of approving documents.

To use the Stamp tool within the COMMENT feature, simply click on the icon:

Comment Feature - Stamp Tool - Soda PDF 14

But what if you could add a stamp of approval (or disapproval, or whatever you wanted) digitally? The good news is, you can!

The Stamp tool menu will appear under the icon. You can then select from Business stamps included within Soda PDF such as:

Comment Feature - Stamp Tool - Business Stamps - Soda PDF 14

Want to create your own custom stamp? You can! Simply click on Custom, then click on the add button. You will then see the following screen in which you can browse your computer for an image or file that you want to use as your stamp:

Comment Feature - Stamp Tool - Create Custom Stamp - Soda PDF 14

You can name the stamp and even select the page, if applicable.

Dynamic stamps can also be created using Soda PDF. These can be customized for color and text within the stamp.

Comment Feature - Stamp Tool - Dynamic Stamps - Soda PDF 14

No matter which stamp you choose to use, here’s what your stamp will look like on your document:

Comment Feature - Stamp Tool - Add Stamp Example - Soda PDF 14

In Edit mode, right click on the stamp you’ve just added, then select Properties to adjust the color, opacity and other elements of the stamp.

Comment Feature - Stamp Tool - Customize Stamp - Right Click Properties - Soda PDF 14

In short, you can use a premade stamp, or you can create a personalized stamp to suit your needs.

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