Using Commenting and Annotation Tools - Acrobat X - Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design and Web Premium All-in-One For Dummies (2012)

Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design and Web Premium All-in-One For Dummies (2012)

Book V

Acrobat X

Chapter 5: Using Commenting and Annotation Tools

In This Chapter

check.png Adding comments and annotations to PDF files

check.png Working with comments

One of the fantastic features of Acrobat is the capability to mark up PDF documents with virtual sticky notes, mark up text to indicate changes as well as add annotations and drawing comments to a PDF file. The Acrobat commenting tools don’t change the original file, and you can remove the comments at any time, which means you can disable comments for printing or viewing at any time. In this chapter, we describe these capabilities and show you how to put them to work for you.

Creating Comments with the Comment & Markup Toolbar

You can easily add annotations to PDF files, including stamps, text highlights, callouts, and electronic sticky notes by using the Comment panel, which you can access by clicking the Comment option on the Tasks toolbar. You can then choose to show the Annotation, Drawing Markups, and Review tools.

The Comment & Markup toolbar, as shown in Figure 5-1, provides several tools for adding comments to PDF documents. It also includes a comment list to help manage and review comments. We discuss these tools in the following sections.

The Add Sticky Note tool

Use the Add Sticky Note tool to add electronic sticky notes to your files. Just click the location where you want the note to appear within a PDF document, and an icon, representing the note, appears, along with a window where you can enter text. After entering text in the sticky note, close the window so that the document isn’t hidden beneath it.

Figure 5-1: The Acrobat Commenting tools.

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You can change the icon and color used to represent the note by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) the note and choosing Properties from the contextual menu. In the Properties dialog box that appears, make the changes to the note icon or color and then click OK to have the changes apply to the note.

The Text Edit tools

The Text Edit tools are five separate text commenting tools. Use these tools to indicate that selected text should be replaced or to highlight or underline selected text, calling attention to it in the PDF file. You can also add a note to selected text, or indicate that text should be inserted at a specific location, and mark text for deletion.

To use Text Edit tools, follow these steps:

1. Choose the text edits tool you want to use from the Annotations section of the Comment panel.

2. Click and drag the selected tool over the text you want to change, comment on, or highlight.

Your selected text edits are displayed on the PDF file.

tip.epsIf you’ve selected the Insert Text tool, click where you want to insert the type. Then, after Acrobat creates an insertion point, start to type the new text to add a comment showing the text you want added to the document.

The Stamp tool

You can use stamps to identify documents or to highlight a certain part of a document. Common stamps include Confidential, Draft, Sign Here, and Approved.

The stamps are grouped into sections, and you can access them from the Annotations section of the Comment panel. Some stamps automatically add your default username along with the date and time you applied them to the document; these stamps are available under the Dynamic category in the Stamps menu. The more traditional business stamps, such as Confidential, appear under the Standard Business category. You can access each of the categories by clicking the arrow to the right of the Stamp tool in the Comment & Markup toolbar, as shown in Figure 5-2.

To apply a stamp to your document, follow these steps:

1. Select the Stamp tool by selecting CommentAnnotations then clicking the Stamp tool.

2. Click the arrow to the right of the Stamp tool and from the menu, choose either the Dynamic or Standard Business stamp.

The first time you use the stamps, you may be asked to input your information so Acrobat can include your identity as the user applying the stamps. If you click the Don’t Show Again option when asked to enter your identity, you won’t need to do this again.

3. Click within your document at the location where you want the stamp to appear.

Figure 5-2:Access the categories of stamps by clicking the Stamp tool in the Annotations panel.

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The Highlight Text tool

The Highlight Text tool works similarly to the Text Edits tools. To highlight text, follow these steps:

1. Select the Highlight Text tool from the Comment & Markup toolbar.

2. Click and drag over the text that you want highlighted.

The text is now highlighted.

The Attach File tool

With the Attach File tool, you can attach any existing file from your computer or computer network to a PDF document. For example, if you have an Excel spreadsheet that relates to the PDF document, and you want to allow users to work with the data, you could attach the Excel file to the PDF document.

Follow these steps to attach a file to your PDF document:

1. Select the Attach File tool from the CommentAnnotations toolbar then place your cursor over the location in the document where you want the attachment icon to be visible.

A pushpin icon appears.

2. Click where you want the attachment noted.

The Add Attachment dialog box appears.

3. In the Add Attachment dialog box, browse to the file that you want to attach and click the Select button (Mac OS) or Open button (Windows).

You can attach text, graphic, or sound files.

4. The File Attachment Properties window appears.

5. In the File Attachment Properties window, select the icon you want to use to represent the file attachment. Then click OK.

You can choose from a paperclip, graph, pushpin, or tag. Whatever icon you select appears on your document to denote that another file is attached. When you roll over the icon, a little annotation appears telling you the filename.

tip.epsYou can use the Record Audio tool to share a verbal comment by using the built-in microphone on your computer or laptop (if you have one) to record a message directly into the PDF. The sound is added as a comment. Follow the preceding Steps 1-5 for adding an attachment, except use the Record Audio tool located next to the Attach File tool.

imageThe file(s) that you attach with the Attach File and Record Audio tools becomes embedded within the PDF file, and the size of the file increases. When using attached files, they remain in their original file format, even if the attached file isn’t a PDF file. For example, you can attach an Excel spreadsheet to a PDF document, and the recipient will need to use Excel to view or edit the attachment. Attaching a file to a PDF document doesn’t convert the attachment to PDF.

The Drawing Markup tools

The Drawing Markups panel contains shape tools, line tools, pencil tools and other drawing tools. Use the drawing tools to add lines, ovals, rectangles, and other shapes to your PDF file to provide feedback and comments on a PDF document. These shapes can call attention to specific portions of a document and make it easy to provide visual feedback on PDF documents you are reviewing. The steps in this section show you how to work with some of the more useful Drawing Markup tools.

To use the Cloud Shape tool, follow these steps:

1. Select the Cloud Shape tool from the Drawing Markups section of the Comment panel.

2. Click in your document to begin the shape.

3. Click again in another position to set the length of the first part of the cloud and then click again to begin shaping your cloud.

Click as often as you like to create your shape.

4. When you’re finished with your shape, double-click to close the cloud shape, or click back at the starting point of the cloud.

tip.epsUse the Selection tool found in the Toolbar well to click the shape you created and drag the corner points to resize, if necessary. You can also use the Selection tool after creating a cloud shape to change the color and thickness of the line values. To make these changes, using the Selection tool, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the shape and choose Properties from the contextual menu. In the Polygon Properties window that opens, make the desired changes to the appearance. For example, you can use the Style drop-down list in the Properties dialog box to change the appearance of a selected comment. Instead of the cloud edges, you can change them to dotted lines, dashed lines, and so on. When you’re finished changing the appearance, click OK.

To use the rectangle- and oval-shaped Drawing Markup tools, follow these steps:

1. Select either the Rectangle or Oval Shape tool from the Drawing Markups toolbar.

2. Click and drag in your document to draw the shape.

3. While the drawing tool you chose is selected, click the shape you created and drag the corner points to resize, if necessary.

You can also use the Selection tool if you’re having difficulty adjusting the shape or size of a previously created shape.

4. After creating the shape, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the shape and choose Properties from the contextual menu to change the color and thickness of the line values.

5. When you’re finished, click OK.

As with the cloud polygon, you can also use the Style drop-down list in the Properties dialog box to change the appearance of the shape.

The Add Text Box tool

When creating notes that you want to prominently display on a document, you can use the Add Text Box tool to add text annotations directly onto a PDF document. Text added using the Add Text Box tool is clearly visible on the document without needing to open any dialog boxes or windows.

Follow these steps to add a text box containing comments:

1. Select the Add Text Box tool from the Drawing Markups section of the Comment & Markup toolbar. Then click and drag on the PDF document in the location where you want to place the comment.

A text field is placed directly on the document.

2. Add your text comment by typing directly into the text box.

3. To change the appearance of the text box, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) and choose Properties from the contextual menu to set the color of the text box that contains the note.

4. After making your choices to modify the appearance of the text box, click OK.

tip.epsYou can select the text box and move it to another position using the Selection tool. You can resize the text itself using the Properties Bar, which you access by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) in a blank area on the toolbar, across the top of the Acrobat document window, and then selecting Properties Bar.

The Add Text Callout tool

The Add Text Callout tool creates a callout text box that points to a section of your document with an arrow. The callout text box is made up of three parts: the text box, the knee line, and the end point line. You can resize each part individually to customize the callout area of your document.

To use the Callout tool, follow these steps:

1. Select the Add Text Callout tool from the Comment & Markup toolbar.

2. Click where you want the arrowhead point to be located.

3. Move the cursor to the location where you want the text box to be positioned and then click again. Begin typing your comment.

As with the other Drawing Markup tools, you can use the Selection tool to relocate the text box or use the anchor points to resize the box.

4. If you want to change the color of the callout text box, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the callout text box (not the text) and choose Properties from the contextual menu.

The Callout Properties window opens. You can change the size, color, and font characteristics of the text in the callout text box using the Callout Properties window.

5. After modifying the appearance of the callout text box, click OK to close the Callout Properties window.

tip.epsYou can select the callout text box and move it to another position any time you want. You can resize the text box by dragging an anchor point.

The Pencil tool

With the Pencil tool, you can create freeform lines on your documents. These lines can be useful when you’re trying to attract attention to a specific portion of a page. Just follow these steps:

1. Select the Pencil tool from the Drawing Markups toolbar.

2. Click and drag to draw on your document.

3. You can edit the color and thickness of lines created with the Pencil tool by right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) the line and choosing Properties from the contextual menu.

Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+E (Windows) or maccmd+E (Mac) to access the Properties toolbar.

4. Make your choices and click OK.

tip.epsYou can use the Eraser tool to to remove portions of lines that had previously been created with the Pencil tool.

Managing Comments

One of the most powerful features of PDF commenting is the ability to easily manage and share comments and annotations among reviewers. For example, you can determine which comments are displayed at any time, and you can filter the comments by author or by the type of commenting tool used to create the comment. In addition, you can indicate a response to a comment and track the changes that may have been made to a document based upon a comment. Also, you can consolidate comments from multiple reviewers into a single document.

Viewing comments

Choose Comment⇒Comments List to display the list of comments that have been placed in your PDF document. The Comments List shows all the comments in the document, and appears along the right side of the Document window. You can see the author of each comment and any notes entered by reviewers.

To the right of the comment is a check box that you can use to indicate that the comment has been reviewed or to indicate that a certain comment needs further attention. Use these check boxes for your own purposes; their status doesn’t export with the document if you send the file to others, so they’re for your personal use only.

Changing a comment’s review status

Acrobat makes it easy to indicate whether a comment has been reviewed, accepted, or has additional comments attached to it.

To change the status of a comment, follow these steps:

1. Choose CommentComments List to see the entire list of comments and the status of each one.

2. In the Comments List, click the downward-pointing arrow to the right of the author of the comment for which you want to set the status.

3. Click Set Status and then select Accepted, Cancelled, Completed, or Rejected, depending on what’s appropriate to your situation.

The comment you modified appears in the list, showing the new status you assigned to it.

Replying to a comment

You can click the downward-pointing arrow to the right of a comment author’s name in the Comment List and choose Reply to add a follow-up note to the comment. This way, new comments can be tied to existing comments. If your documents go through multiple rounds of review, adding a reply allows a secondary or final reviewer to expand on the comments from an initial reviewer. This method also allows an author or designer to clearly respond to the suggestions from an editor.

tip.epsYou can also right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) on a comment located on a document to add a reply. The reply will also be placed in the Comments List.

Showing and hiding comments

Because the Comments List can become rather large, you can choose to display only some comments in the list. To do so, click the Filter Comments button in the upper right of the Comments List window; it uses a comment icon of a yellow talk bubble. To hide all comments, choose the Hide All Comments option from the Filter Comments menu in the Comments List.

To show all the comments within a document, click the Show All Comments option from the Filter Comments menu in the Comments List. You can then choose to display only certain types of comments such as the following:

check.png Type of comment, such as note, line, or cross out

check.png Reviewer, such as Bob or Jane

check.png Status, such as accepted or rejected

check.png Checked State, which can be checked or unchecked

Use these filtering options to view only those comments that are relevant to your specific review situation.

tip.epsIf you have filtered comments, you can always display all comments again by choosing Show All Comments from the Filter Comments menu in the Comments List.

Sharing comments

You can share your comments with other reviewers who have access to the same PDF document by following these steps:

1. Make sure that the Comments List is visible by choosing CommentComments List.

2. From the Comments List panel, click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Comments List panel, and choose Export All to Data File.

The Export Comments dialog box appears. If you want to share only selected comments, choose the comments from the Comments List and then choose Export Selected to Data File.

3. Browse to the location where you want the comments to be saved and give the saved file a new name.

You now have a file that includes only the comments’ information, and not the entire PDF file.

You can share your comments data file with reviewers who have the same PDF file, and they can choose Import Data File from the Comments List window while viewing the same PDF document. You can use this method to avoid sending entire PDF files to those who already have the document.

Summarizing comments

You can compile a list of all the comments from a PDF file into a new, separate document. To summarize comments, follow these steps:

1. From the Comments List panel, click the Options icon in the upper-right corner of the Comments List and choose Create Comment Summary.

The Create Comment Summary dialog box appears.

2. Create a listing of the comments with lines connecting them to their locations on the page by selecting the radio button from the top — Document and Comments with Connector Lines on Single Pages.

In the Include section, you can choose which comments should be summarized. If you prefer to create a different summary type, such as a list of the comments, select the option you prefer.

3. Click the Create Comment Summary button.

This step creates a new PDF document that simply lists all the comments, as shown in Figure 5-3.

Figure 5-3: A new PDF document is created, listing all the comments.

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Enabling commenting in Adobe Reader

Acrobat X Professional makes it easy to include users of the free Adobe Reader in a review process. To include Adobe Reader users in a review, choose File⇒Save As⇒Reader Extended PDF⇒Enable Commenting and Measuring. After saving the file, you can share it with users of the free Adobe Reader, who can then use commenting and markup tools and save their comments into the file. A user of Adobe Acrobat X Professional must enable commenting in a PDF file before users of Adobe Reader can add comments to a PDF file.

Reviewing PDF Documents

You can use Acrobat to help manage the PDF review process. Acrobat supports two types of review options:

check.png Shared Reviews let you post a PDF file on Adobe’s Acrobat.com servers and allow users to add comments. You can allow anyone with access to the URL to add comments, or you can restrict commenting to specific users.

check.png Email Reviews work with some e-mail software applications, such as Microsoft Outlook, and allow you to send a PDF document to recipients, asking them to add comments and then reply.

Using Shared Reviews

You can use Shared Reviews to collaborate and share comments quickly without needing to save files and attach them to an e-mail message or upload them to a server. When you use Shared Reviews, comments are uploaded to a central location and shared with other users, who can access them while working on the same document. You will need an Adobe ID and an Internet connection to complete this section. You can obtain an Adobe ID (if you do not already have one) when you are asked to sign-in to the Acrobat.com site.

To initiate a shared review using Acrobat X, follow these steps:

1. Open the document you want to share with reviewers.

If the document is already open, make certain it’s saved before proceeding so any comments or edits you’ve made to the PDF are captured before the document is shared.

2. Choose CommentReviewSend for Shared Review.

The Send for Shared Review dialog box opens.

3. In the Send for Shared Review dialog box, choose the Automatically Download & Track Comments with Acrobat.com option, then click Next.

You will be requested to log-in to Acrobat.com with an Adobe ID. If you do not have an Adobe ID, you can create one at this time.

By choosing to have comments stored on Acrobat.com, you won’t need to set up a server at your home or office, and you can avoid any of the technical configuration.

4. Enter the following information:

• In the To and Cc sections, enter the e-mail addresses of the people you want to invite to participate in the review of your document.

• In the Subject field, specify the subject line of the e-mail that will invite reviewers to participate in the review process for this document.

• In the Message field, enter text that will be included in the e-mail message inviting reviewers to participate in the review process.

• From the Access Level drop-down list, choose the Limited Access or Open Access option to define the level of access you want to provide to the recipient of the document.

5. Click Send to initiate the review.

The PDF is uploaded to the Acrobat.com server, and users you’ve invited to participate in the review receive their invitation to add comments and annotations to the PDF.

6. If you have comments to add, place them in the PDF by using the Comment and Annotation tools. Then click the Publish Comments button that was added to the top of the document window at the time the document was shared for review.

7. To review comments added by others, open the document and click the Check for New Comments button located at the top of the document window.

This option is available only after a document has been uploaded for a shared review. Users who receive the PDF as part of the shared review also need to check for comments and publish comments using similar buttons at the top of their document window.

tip.epsIf you disconnect from the Internet or put your computer to sleep, the connection to the Acrobat.com server is lost. If this occurs, click the Reconnect to Server button at the top of the document window. This button appears only within a document that has been shared for review.

tip.epsPDF documents shared using shared reviews can be downloaded and shared with other users, so share only with users you trust, and don’t send sensitive information if you are concerned it should not be shared.

Using Email Reviews

Email reviews are a means of sharing comments in a PDF by attaching them to an e-mail message. By using this feature you can share comments without needing to upload the file to a server or to sign-in to any service. When you use Email reviews, comments are added to individual PDF files, and then consolidated back into a single PDF when they are returned to the originator. To initiate an Email review:

1. Open the document you wish to share with reviewers.

If the document is already open, make certain it is saved before proceeding so any comments or edits you have made to the PDF are captured before the document is shared.

2. Choose CommentReviewSend for Email Review.

If this is the first time you have initiated an e-mail review, Acrobat will ask you to enter identifying information, then the Getting Started dialog box opens.

3. Confirm the document to be shared and then click Next.

4. Enter the e-mail address of those you want to invite to review the document and then click Next.

The Preview Invitation dialog box opens. Confirm the subject and message of the e-mail invitation are appropriate to send.

5. Click the Send Invitation button.

An invitation to join the document review is sent using your e-mail application. When they open the PDF file that you send, the recipient will be asked to click the Send Comments button that appears at the top of the PDF he or she receives. This information is also contained in the e-mail message sent to the reviewer.

6. When comments on the PDF document are returned to you, open the file you receive and click the Merge Comments button at the top of the document window to combine the comments you received with any comments you may have entered.

tip.epsIf you receive comments on a PDF document and Acrobat is unable to locate the original file because it has moved or been renamed, Acrobat will ask you to browse to locate the file at the time you merge comments.