# editing pdf files in photoshop



## textbook (Dec 4, 2010)

If I put a PDF file into photoshop and then I want to erase some parts of it how do I do that?   How do i design logos to put in and write in it as well?


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## tremmor (Dec 4, 2010)

what do ya want to do. Edit a picture of the PDF file?
It won't be a PDF after that. It will be a picture of it.
check the freeware section for editing PDF. http://www.computerforum.com/180799-freeware-list.html


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## Nanobyte (Dec 5, 2010)

I've not tried editing a PDF in Photoshop so I had a go.  You open the PDF directly in Photoshop.  What I found was that I could not edit the existing content. As I noted in your other post, that could be due to the original being locked by the author.   I could add text or images just like you normally do in Photoshop and save as a Photoshop PDF.  The original PDF layer seemed uneditable.  The final PDF file size seemed way larger than the original.

If you seriously want to edit a PDF, use an application that is more appropriate.


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## textbook (Dec 5, 2010)

Nanobyte said:


> I've not tried editing a PDF in Photoshop so I had a go.  You open the PDF directly in Photoshop.  What I found was that I could not edit the existing content. As I noted in your other post, that could be due to the original being locked by the author.   I could add text or images just like you normally do in Photoshop and save as a Photoshop PDF.  The original PDF layer seemed uneditable.  The final PDF file size seemed way larger than the original.
> 
> If you seriously want to edit a PDF, use an application that is more appropriate.





yeah I don't mind the original staying the same, that is fine.  But I want to alter it for 'another PDF' file.   Also it is really slow to open and use things in photoshop, is this cos I only have 1GB of memory on my laptop?


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## Nanobyte (Dec 5, 2010)

I'm no expert on this but all that seems to be happening when you import a PDF into Photoshop is that it sees the PDF as the background to a new image.  You add stuff over the top as new layers.  The exported file is a Photoshop PDF which judging by the file size is basically an Adobe PSD image that can be opened with Adobe Reader.  I took a 100kB PDF, added 2 short text strings and a small bmp and the exported file size was 8MB.  One of the main benefits of PDF format is the small file size.  This method of editing is really poor.

From my example, if you are trying to open a PDF which has 100 pages, that is the size of the image that is going to be created in Photoshop.  Like any huge image, it will be slow to work with.


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## textbook (Dec 5, 2010)

Also how do you get a smaller/ thinner pen or eraser?  (I know some people use the pen with colour setting the same as the background.  I think I was using the brush.   When I tried to use want I thought was the pen it keeps drawing these lines from one block to another (vectors or something)  How do I just get the pen and set it to colour white, therefore erase the black written in stuff?  Also how do i write or insert text using photo shop? onto a PDF file?


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## Nanobyte (Dec 5, 2010)

It sounds like you are a bit out of your depth.  I doubt you have the Brush Tool selected if you cannot figure out the brush setting nor how to do text.  I have CS3 which may be slightly different.

If you hover over the tool in the toolbox at left, it says what it is and gives the shortcut letter.  The Brush Tool is B, the Text Tool is T.  When you select a tool, the context-sensitive toolbar below the Menu bar at the top of the screen changes to show the basic settings for that tool.

You can also use the Rectangle tool to cover the background which contains the PDF text (if you insist on using this editing method!)

For each tool, the little triangle in the bottom right of each tool icon may reveal options when clicked (if there are any options).


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