Highlighting & Annotations

Master the art of highlighting text and adding annotations to your PDF documents.

Introduction to Highlighting and Annotations

Highlighting and annotations are powerful tools for marking up PDF documents. Whether you're studying, reviewing documents, or collaborating with others, these features help you emphasize important information and add notes for future reference.

In this guide, we'll explore how to use EasyPdfViewer's highlighting and annotation tools to effectively mark up your PDF documents.

Text Highlighting

Highlighting text is one of the most common ways to mark up a PDF document. EasyPdfViewer makes it easy to highlight text with different colors.

How to Highlight Text

  1. Open your PDF document in EasyPdfViewer.
  2. Click the "Highlight" button in the toolbar or press the 'H' key on your keyboard.
  3. Select the text you want to highlight by clicking and dragging over it.
  4. The selected text will be highlighted with the current highlight color.

Tip: You can highlight multiple sections of text by keeping the highlight tool active and selecting different text areas.

Changing Highlight Colors

EasyPdfViewer offers several highlight colors to help you categorize your highlights:

  1. Click the "Highlight" button in the toolbar to activate the highlight tool.
  2. Click on one of the color options in the color picker that appears next to the highlight button.
  3. The available colors include yellow (default), green, blue, and pink.
  4. After selecting a color, any text you highlight will use that color.

Note: Different highlight colors can be used to categorize information. For example, you might use yellow for important facts, green for definitions, blue for examples, and pink for questions or areas that need further research.

Removing Highlights

To remove a highlight:

  1. Click the "Highlight" button in the toolbar to activate the highlight tool.
  2. Click on the highlighted text you want to remove.
  3. The highlight will be removed from the text.

Adding Text Notes

Text notes allow you to add comments and explanations to specific parts of your PDF document.

How to Add a Text Note

  1. Click the "Add Note" button in the toolbar or press the 'N' key on your keyboard.
  2. Click on the location in the document where you want to add the note.
  3. A note dialog will appear where you can enter your text.
  4. Type your note in the text area.
  5. Click "Add Note" to save the note to your document.

Formatting Text Notes

EasyPdfViewer allows you to format the text in your notes:

  • Bold: Click the "B" button or use Ctrl+B (Cmd+B on Mac).
  • Italic: Click the "I" button or use Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac).
  • Underline: Click the "U" button or use Ctrl+U (Cmd+U on Mac).
  • Bullet List: Click the bullet list button to create a bulleted list.
  • Hyperlink: Click the link button to add a hyperlink to your note.

Moving and Editing Notes

After adding a note, you can:

  • Move the note: Click and drag the note to a new location.
  • Edit the note: Double-click on the note to open the edit dialog.
  • Delete the note: Click the "×" button in the top-right corner of the note.

Drawing Annotations

Drawing annotations allow you to add freehand drawings, shapes, and lines to your PDF document.

Using the Drawing Tool

  1. Click the "Draw" button in the toolbar.
  2. Select the drawing tool you want to use (pen, line, rectangle, circle, etc.).
  3. Click and drag on the document to create your drawing.
  4. Release the mouse button to complete the drawing.

Customizing Drawing Properties

You can customize the properties of your drawings:

  • Color: Click on a color in the color picker to change the drawing color.
  • Thickness: Use the thickness slider to adjust the line thickness.
  • Opacity: Use the opacity slider to adjust the transparency of your drawings.

Warning: Drawing annotations are added as a separate layer on top of the PDF content. They do not modify the underlying PDF text or images.

Managing Annotations

EasyPdfViewer provides several tools for managing your annotations:

Viewing All Annotations

To view a list of all annotations in your document:

  1. Click the "Annotations" button in the sidebar.
  2. A list of all annotations in the document will be displayed.
  3. Click on an annotation in the list to navigate to its location in the document.

Filtering Annotations

You can filter annotations by type:

  1. Click the "Filter" button in the annotations sidebar.
  2. Select the types of annotations you want to view (highlights, notes, drawings, etc.).
  3. The list will be filtered to show only the selected annotation types.

Exporting Annotations

To export your annotations:

  1. Click the "Export" button in the annotations sidebar.
  2. Choose whether to export all annotations or only selected ones.
  3. Select the export format (PDF with annotations, text file, etc.).
  4. Click "Export" to save the annotations to your computer.

Best Practices for Annotations

  • Use consistent color coding: Establish a color system for your highlights to make it easier to identify different types of information.
  • Keep notes concise: Write clear, concise notes that provide context or explanations for the highlighted text.
  • Organize annotations: Use the annotations sidebar to organize and navigate through your annotations.
  • Save regularly: Save your annotated PDF regularly to avoid losing your work.

Next Steps

Now that you've learned how to use highlighting and annotations in EasyPdfViewer, you can explore more advanced features: