A scanned PDF is an imaged-based PDF file, and editing it is hard. Also, with a scanned PDF, you cannot highlight its texts or add comments to it. Does this mean you cannot highlight an image in PDF completely? You can highlight scanned PDF after performing an OCR. OCR stands for optical character recognition. It is worth noting that not all PDF tools are built with an OCR functionality. Therefore, you need to get a PDF tool with an OCR tool such as PDFelement. This article introduces you to PDFelement and shows you highlight text in scanned PDF using PDFelement Pro.
How to Highlight Scanned PDF
The best way to highlight a scanned PDF in Mac or Windows is by using a PDFelement. This PDF tool comes with an OCR technology that scans image-based PDF files and makes them editable. Once you perform OCR, you will be able to highlight and edit texts of your PDF easily. Moreover, with PDFelement, you can edit, annotate, print, OCR, create and convert PDF files all in-house.
Follow the steps below to highlight a scanned PDF file easily
Step 1: Open Scanned PDF in PDFelement
Download and install PDFelement from the Wondershare website. It's easy to install. Once you have installed PDFelement, you can now launch it on your computer. The program will open up and display items on the home window. Click on "Open Files", and the local library will open up. Browse for the PDF file and click on "Open" to upload it to the program.
Step 2: OCR the Scanned PDF file
After uploading the scanned PDF file, you need to perform OCR to make its texts highlightable. To do so, click the OCR button at the main menu to perform OCR. Next, choose the "Editable Text Mode" and correct PDF content's language to perform OCR. After that, click on "Apply," and the program will begin to OCR the scanned PDF file.
Step 3: Highlight the Scanned PDF
At this point, you can now begin to highlight texts in the PDF file. You will notice that the text fields are now editable. Head to the main menu and click on the "Comment" button. Next, click on the first option on the formatting menu, the "Highlight" icon. Now, please move to the text field that you want to highlight and select it. Upon selecting it, a pop of highlight colors will appear. Click on the preferred color and the program will highlight the texts of the scanned PDF immediately. Do so to other sections of the PDF that you want to highlight.
Step 4: Save the PDF document
You have now highlighted the scanned PDF file and you need to save it to make the changes permanent. Head to the main menu and click on "File". A drop-down menu will appear. Scroll down and click on the "Save" button. If you want to rename the PDF file, you can click on "Save As" and give a new name and new path to your PDF file.
The Best Tool to Highlight Scanned PDF
PDFelement is a reliable tool when it comes to highlighting texts for scanned and non-scanned PDF files. This tool comes in handy when you have scanned PDF files that you want to highlight or edit. It will OCR them within a click in a given language as it supports many languages spoken globally. Moreover, this software has other features we must mention.
Key Features of PDFelement:
- Converts PDF files to formats like Word, Excel, HTML, Images, RTF, EPUB and PDF.
- It offers various ways to comment on a PDF. You can highlight, add a text box, draw shapes, markup with pencil, and add notes.
- Allows you to edit texts, images, objects, links, numbering, background, pages, headers and footers.
- With its protection tool, you add passwords, permissions, redact and electrically sign the document.
- It allows you to create PDF forms, edit, fill and share them.
Ivan Cook
chief Editor