All posts tagged: PDF

I used ChatGPT to build a free PDF editor because I didn’t trust it to change my files – it’s glorious

I used ChatGPT to build a free PDF editor because I didn’t trust it to change my files – it’s glorious

Published by skeptic

David Gewirtz/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Yellow sheet music can confuse playback apps. A command-line Python script solved the PDF problem. Sometimes AI is best used to write the tool. Recently, my wife, Denise, started singing with her church’s choir. She has a lovely singing voice. She needed to practice all the new songs. The songs came in booklets, about the size of a trade paperback, printed on yellow paper. She wanted to scan those booklets into her computer as a PDF, remove the color, and reprint them larger, on 8.5-by-11-inch paper so she wouldn’t have to wear her reading glasses to see them. So one afternoon she came to me. She asked how she could remove the yellow background, but preserve the music itself, so that she could print it out without wasting a huge amount of color printer ink. If she printed it out in black and white, she’d still be using a lot of ink to print out a gray background, which would …

Here’s a fix for your PDF frustrations

Here’s a $30 fix for your PDF frustrations

Published by skeptic

TL;DR: Conquer PDFs forever with this AcePDF Converter and Editor lifetime license, now only $29.99 (reg. $99.99). PDFs don’t have to slow you down. In fact, you can even start to like this complicated file format with a little help from AcePDF Converter and Editor. This app makes working with PDFs a whole lot easier, and right now a lifetime license can be yours for just $29.99 (reg. $99.99). We’ve all been there — totally in the zone, when a PDF crosses our desk and slows down our workflow. AcePDF Converter and Editor sets out to change that, making the PDF experience more pleasant. Mashable Deals By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Whether you’re trying to convert your PDF to another file format or you’re looking to split, merge, or …

This App Makes Even the Sketchiest PDF or Word Doc Safe to Open

This App Makes Even the Sketchiest PDF or Word Doc Safe to Open

Published by skeptic

Word documents, and even PDF files, aren’t necessarily safe. These normally innocuous files can be injected with malicious “poison” code or simple scripts of code that can be a serious security risk. You probably already know it’s dangerous to open files from sources you can’t necessarily trust. If you’re an activist or journalist—or anyone who occasionally depends on anonymous tips to do their jobs—you might run into a situation where potentially useful information is inside a Microsoft Word document or PDF file that you can’t exactly vouch for. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could open those files and read them without exposing your device to potential security risks? Dangerzone is a free and open source tool built for this purpose. Originally built by journalist and security engineer Micah Lee, this application opens files in a sandbox environment with no internet access, then converts the file to an image-based PDF with no scripting enabled. The resulting PDF has any malicious code stripped out and should be safe to open—at least, as safe as anything can …

5 hidden Microsoft Word features that make PDF editors obsolete

5 hidden Microsoft Word features that make PDF editors obsolete

Published by skeptic

There are plenty of great PDF apps for Windows, including PDFgear and my personal favorite, SumatraPDF, which also doubles as an eBook, comic book, and CHM document reader. However, if you are a heavy Microsoft Word user, like I am, you can get by without using a PDF editor and rely on the Word app for your PDF needs. From editing existing PDFs to creating password-protected ones, Word quietly handles tasks that most people assume require dedicated PDF software. I’ve been using these features for a while now, and they’ve saved me from installing yet another app on my PC. Edit PDF files Open and modify PDFs like any other document image credit – self captured (Tashreef Shareef) – No Attribution Required If you didn’t know already, you don’t need a dedicated PDF app to open a PDF, as even a web browser handles that just fine. The real challenge comes when you need to make changes to the document, and that’s where dedicated PDF editors typically step in, but even they aren’t perfect. Most …

Google Chrome Gets Built-In Split View and PDF Annotations

Google Chrome Gets Built-In Split View and PDF Annotations

Published by skeptic

Google has added three new features to the Chrome desktop browser, including split view for multitasking, PDF annotations, and a Save to Google Drive option. Split view for Chrome is a built-in tool that supports using two tabs at the same time side-by-side. Google says that it provides a more streamlined, flexible way to work. There is a split view icon in Chrome that can be clicked to enter the new view. With PDF annotations, the Chrome PDF Viewer can be used to highlight text, insert signatures, and add notes. The Save to Google Drive feature is meant to make it easier for users to locate their downloads. PDFs can be saved to Google Drive from Chrome without redownloading and re-uploading them. Google Drive has a “Saved from Chrome” folder for downloaded files. Popular Stories Apple Announces Special Event in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4 Apple today announced a “special Apple Experience” in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Apple invited select members of the …

Never open a PDF without checking these 3 things first

Never open a PDF without checking these 3 things first

Published by skeptic

Most people already know the basic checks before opening a file. They also apply to PDFs: verifying the sender looks legitimate, exercising caution before opening or downloading unexpected attachments, and avoiding PDFs with double extensions (.pdf.exe, for instance). These are great habits that make it harder for you to fall prey to low-effort phishing attempts. However, PDF attacks are evolving and don’t always follow the obvious route. These documents are structured containers capable of carrying hidden objects, digital signatures, and encryption metadata; they can execute actions. Treating them like passive documents means trusting them without even understanding them. This can be dangerous. Even though modern PDF readers may protect against some risks, they are not infallible. You should perform deeper checks to determine risks before opening any PDF. Check the PDF’s execution capability before opening it Active objects, automatic actions, and embedded payloads Afam Onyimadu / MUO PDFs are object-based formats built by linking objects like dictionaries, streams, arrays, and references. These documents are capable of supporting scripting and embedded files. They can be launch …

One lifetime tool, endless PDF fixes

One $25 lifetime tool, endless PDF fixes

Published by skeptic

TL;DR: Convert, edit, OCR, and manage PDFs with a $24.97 AcePDF lifetime license — one tool that replaces multiple document apps. $24.97 $99.99 Save $75.02   PDFs are one of those file types everyone uses, but almost nobody enjoys working with. That’s why all-in-one tools like AcePDF Converter & Editor exist — to turn PDFs from “locked document headaches” into files you can actually work with. Mashable Deals By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The biggest advantage here is flexibility. AcePDF lets you convert PDFs into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, HTML, and text while keeping original layouts, formatting, and links intact. It also works in reverse, letting you create PDFs from Office files or images in just a few clicks. Built-in OCR is another big win. It allows text …

NotebookLM has a feature that turns any PDF into a conversation

NotebookLM has a feature that turns any PDF into a conversation

Published by skeptic

Reading long PDFs is boring and draining. Especially when you are staring at a dense 50-pager with technical facts on every third line. It’s here, Google’s NotebookLM has several powerful research and learning features that can help. The Audio Overview button in the Studio alone can turn any dry document into an engaging, podcast-style conversation. Instead of passively reading, you can now actively listen to two AI hosts discuss the content in an absolutely human-like conversation. I am more of a visual learner than an auditory one, but letting our ears do the work can also make it easier to absorb complex information. But there’s some prep involved before you can lean back and listen. Curate your sources before you generate Source your files well, as quality input equals quality audio output I used to dump every PDF or other document related to a topic into a notebook, but the resulting audio was often unfocused and rambling. NotebookLM also follows the “garbage in, garbage out.” To get the best results, you must curate your sources …

Adobe Acrobat now lets you edit files using prompts, generate podcast summaries

Adobe Acrobat now lets you edit files using prompts, generate podcast summaries

Published by skeptic

Adobe has been aggressively adding AI features to all its products in the last few years. The company is now adding more AI tools to Acrobat, including the ability to generate podcast summaries of files, create presentations, and a way for users to edit files using prompts. The company launched Adobe Spaces last year, which is a collection of files and notes that multiple users can access. Now, Adobe is allowing users to use the information stored in these files and notes to create a presentation using text prompts. For instance, if a user has financial details, product plans, and competitor analysis available in a Space, they can build a pitch deck for clients that focuses on why their product can solve problems better than rivals. Acrobat’s AI assistant first generates an editable presentation with points that the deck would cover. You can then use Adobe Express’s theme library, stock photos, or use your own images to build the presentation. Plus, you can easily apply your brand’s theme or edit individual slides using Express. Image …

A lifetime PDF editor for Mac just dropped to .99

A lifetime PDF editor for Mac just dropped to $79.99

Published by skeptic

TL;DR: PDF Expert is a fast, full-featured PDF editor for Mac, and its lifetime license is on sale for $79.99 (reg. $139.99) — no subscriptions required. $79.99 $139.99 Save $60.00   PDFs aren’t going anywhere, and neither is the frustration that comes with dealing with them. Whether it’s a contract that needs signing, a form that won’t let you type anything, or a document that suddenly needs edits five minutes before a deadline, PDFs have a way of showing up at inconvenient times. If you’re going to need a PDF editor anyway, it helps to have one that actually makes the process easier. PDF Expert does exactly that — and its lifetime license for Mac is currently down to $79.99 (reg. $139.99). At first glance, most PDF editors seem interchangeable. But as the youths would say, PDF Expert is not like the other girls. Used by more than 30 million people worldwide, it stands out for how fast, polished, and straightforward it is. The app was even a runner-up for Apple’s App of the Year …