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MacBH928

MacBH928

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 17, 2008
8,762
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Any one know a better app than Preview to make it my default app to preview pdf and images? Preview ain't bad but I feel like the built in editor tools could be more intuitive or better. One feature I am missing is a "pixelator" to censor some stuff.

Wondering if there is something more robust out there, please share.
 
MacBH928 said:
One feature I am missing is a "pixelator" to censor some stuff.
Click to expand...
Preview is a viewer with annotation functionality. An annotation does not modify the underlying PDF and so it is not much use for redacting or censoring. What you need is something that can edit PDF content.

Regarding pixelation: When redacting a PDF it is usually done with white or black bars (removing, not covering, the text underneath). Redacting with pixelation or blurring is usually done with an image editor (including many screenshot apps). But, with pixelated text, the original may well be partially recoverable. For unrecoverable redaction/censorship you need to remove all evidence of the redacted material.

Start with Adobe Acrobat (very not cheap). PDF Expert (less not cheap) is well liked. I use Nitro PDF Pro, but wouldn't really recommend it as value for money (I bought it when it was much cheaper).

As a viewer Preview is pretty good - it is fast and accurate for nearly all PDFs and image types. Adobe Reader is more accurate at following all PDF standards.
 
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gregmac19 said:
Perhaps you will find something to your liking on this list:

Click to expand...

Thanks. That site purpose is great but I find their suggestion are lackluster . They kind of throw everything on the wall and see what sticks. Can't complain when its free though.

gilby101 said:
Preview is a viewer with annotation functionality. An annotation does not modify the underlying PDF and so it is not much use for redacting or censoring. What you need is something that can edit PDF content.

Regarding pixelation: When redacting a PDF it is usually done with white or black bars (removing, not covering, the text underneath). Redacting with pixelation or blurring is usually done with an image editor (including many screenshot apps). But, with pixelated text, the original may well be partially recoverable. For unrecoverable redaction/censorship you need to remove all evidence of the redacted material.

Start with Adobe Acrobat (very not cheap). PDF Expert (less not cheap) is well liked. I use Nitro PDF Pro, but wouldn't really recommend it as value for money (I bought it when it was much cheaper).

As a viewer Preview is pretty good - it is fast and accurate for nearly all PDFs and image types. Adobe Reader is more accurate at following all PDF standards.
Click to expand...

Well not just PDF. I do more than PDF. I need annotation not image editing. I can use an image editor but an image editor is such a heavy app to load just to do some tiny additions like arrows, text, or blurs.

Those PDF editors are very expensive apps, I guess they assume its for business use and businesses are willing to shell the money. They are not wrong.
 
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bogdanw said:
I use qView for viewing images and Seashore for quick edits.

qView - “Practical and Minimal Image Viewer”
https://interversehq.com/qview/
https://github.com/jurplel/qView/releases

Seashore
https://apps.apple.com/app/seashore/id1448648921
https://github.com/robaho/seashore

Another image viewer
Fragment Image Viewer
https://www.fragmentapp.info
https://www.fragmentapp.info/download-fragment-mac.html
https://apps.apple.com/app/fragment/id551989875
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. Seashore is something closer to what I am looking for. I will give it a shot. As for the image viewers I do not see that viewing them in Preview any different from viewing them in any other.

What features do you find useful in Seashore over Preview? other than layers that is.
 
gilby101 said:
Preview is a viewer with annotation functionality. An annotation does not modify the underlying PDF and so it is not much use for redacting or censoring. What you need is something that can edit PDF content.

Regarding pixelation: When redacting a PDF it is usually done with white or black bars (removing, not covering, the text underneath). Redacting with pixelation or blurring is usually done with an image editor (including many screenshot apps). But, with pixelated text, the original may well be partially recoverable. For unrecoverable redaction/censorship you need to remove all evidence of the redacted material.

Start with Adobe Acrobat (very not cheap). PDF Expert (less not cheap) is well liked. I use Nitro PDF Pro, but wouldn't really recommend it as value for money (I bought it when it was much cheaper).

As a viewer Preview is pretty good - it is fast and accurate for nearly all PDFs and image types. Adobe Reader is more accurate at following all PDF standards.
Click to expand...
Preview supports redaction in PDFs. Under the "Tools" menu is "Redact". This removes the content from the document.
 
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svenmany said:
Preview supports redaction in PDFs. Under the "Tools" menu is "Redact". This removes the content from the document.
Click to expand...
So it does! I always thought (wrongly) that this was just an annotation, but checking more carefully it really does remove the offending content.

Apologies to all for attempting to lead you astray on this.
 
svenmany said:
Preview supports redaction in PDFs. Under the "Tools" menu is "Redact". This removes the content from the document.
Click to expand...

neat I didn't know about that. Although I thought if you edit the PDF , like adding a full color rectangle on something, then save it everything is permanent . You know like how you edit an image.
 
MacBH928 said:
neat I didn't know about that. Although I thought if you edit the PDF , like adding a full color rectangle on something, then save it everything is permanent . You know like how you edit an image.
Click to expand...
Nope. By default, PDF is at its core a vector format. It always contains and retains the text, font information, vector images, and pixel graphics.

If you just cover up with a rectangle, the text underneath is preserved and the rectangle just floats on top of it – and could still be removed.

When you really want to redact a PDF, you need a tool that actually removes the text completely.
 
Last edited:
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Janichsan said:
Nope. By default, PDF is at its core a vector format. It always contains and retains the text, font information, vector images, and pixel graphics.

If you just cover up with a rectangle, the text underneath is preserved and the rectangle just floats on top of it – and could still be removed.

When you really want to redact a PDF, you need a tool that actually removes the text completely.
Click to expand...

the more you know 🤦🏻‍♂️
I thought edits are permanent.

Can you save PDF annotation in way that is permanent?
any recommendations for PDF specific editor? no subscription and lightweight. I do not use the Adobe Acrobat but IIRC that thing is like launching a spaceship. So bloated and heavy.
 
MacBH928 said:
any recommendations for PDF specific editor?
Click to expand...
What I said earlier, though all are expensive:
Adobe Acrobat. PDF Expert is well liked. Nitro PDF Pro which I use but wouldn't really recommend it as value for money (I bought it when it was much cheaper than now).
 
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