How To Edit PDF in Bluebeam, Plus a Simpler Recommendation

PDFs can be great for presenting and sharing information, but it's not always easy to make changes when you need to. If you're looking for ways to edit PDF files, Bluebeam might be a good choice. We'll look at how you can edit PDF in Bluebeam. If you're curious about alternative ways to edit PDFs, stick around because we'll also look at another PDF-editing software that can do far more than basic edits.

Part 1: Can I Edit PDFs in Bluebeam?

Yes, Bluebeam allows you to edit PDFs. It contains a range of PDF editing tools so you can cut and paste content elsewhere in a document, or erase it. You can also copy, paste and edit text, and redact information.

Sometimes users find that Bluebeam can't edit PDF in the way they want to. When we tested the process, we found that it was often unable to recognise text within scanned images, so the editing tools didn't work in that situation.

You might also encounter problems editing due to the permission settings of the PDF, in particular, if a password has been set since the software won't allow modifications without the password.

So, can Bluebeam edit PDF content? Yes.

Is it the best tool to use? Not necessarily.

Bluebeam can be challenging to get to grips with. It's designed for use in the engineering, architecture and construction industry. This means that it's full of tools useful in those contexts, but many users find it difficult to use.

For most users, a more straightforward PDF tool is a better bet. UPDF is one tool that works beautifully for PDF editing, and it's far more intuitive. If you download it now you'll be editing PDFs easily in a matter of moments.

Part 2: How To Edit a PDF in Bluebeam's Alternative

If you've got UPDF on your computer already, open it up now so we can take a look at how to edit PDFs using this powerful tool. We're going to take a step-by-step look at the process for editing text, images, links and forms in UPDF.

First, open your PDF by going to File > Open, and selecting the document you want to edit.

We're using this piece on the discovery of four emperor penguin colonies as an example.

Text editing in UPDF

1. Open the Edit menu (blue arrow), then click Text (red arrow).
2. Now you can highlight text and replace it as desired, as shown by the yellow arrow.

Using UPDF to edit images

1. Open the Edit menu, then click 'Image' at the top of the screen.
2. Click on an image to bring up the image editing menu.

3. Use the menu to rotate the picture, crop it, or extract it into a new file. There's also an option to replace the image with a different one.

Editing links with UPDF

1. Make sure you've installed UPDF on your devices.

2. After opening the edit menu, click 'Link' at the top of the screen.
3. Click on the link you'd like to edit.
4. You can now highlight the link in the box above it, and edit as needed.

5. There's also a menu that allows you to adjust the appearance of the link. You can change whether the link has a visible outline, and alter the appearance of that outline.

How to edit forms in PDF documents

To demonstrate how UPDF can help you edit PDF forms, we've used one of our free application form templates.

1. Open the file in UPDF and select 'Prepare Form' from the left-hand side.
2. This brings up the form editing toolbar across the top of your screen.
3. From this menu, you can select various editable fields to include in your form. For example, the first button creates a text field, allowing users to type directly into the form.

4. Simply click the appropriate button, then click on the PDF where you'd like to insert it. You can then adjust the size and position of the field.

5. Once you've inserted a field into the document, double-click it to bring up the Properties menu. This is where you can make changes to the appearance of each field, and also the way it behaves. For example, you can adjust font, color, and toggle the spell check on or off.

We've also got a post that covers creating fillable PDF forms in great detail, so you should definitely check that out.

Or, you can try UPDF for free through the button below.

Part 3: How To Edit a PDF in Bluebeam

You probably clicked on this article because you want to know how to edit PDF in Bluebeam itself, which is what this section's all about.

We still think UPDF is the best bet for most people's PDF-editing needs, but Bluebeam is also great at editing PDFs.

• Open the PDF in Bluebeam.
• Go to Edit > PDF Content. This will bring up all the tools available for editing PDFs in Bluebeam.
• From that menu, choose the appropriate tool:
  1. Snapshot - This lets you copy all the content in a selected area of the PDF. You can then paste it elsewhere in the document.
  2. Cut - This lets you cut selected content to paste it elsewhere.
  3. Erase - Just as you'd expect, this removes an area of content completely.
  4. Select Text / Edit Text - These features allow you to select and alter text within the PDF.
• Tap the Escape key to exit the editing mode.

Finally

As you've seen above, Bluebeam is a powerful tool. It contains a huge array of features that make it the go-to choice for many people in construction and engineering roles. For most users, though, it's too complex. It's not that easy to figure out how to edit PDF in Bluebeam.

Most people don't require the more advanced features of Bluebeam and will find an alternative PDF tool far easier to work with. UPDF offers a simple interface that's easy to navigate, you could download it now and be saving your first edited PDF in less than five minutes.