Here we summarize the appearance of annotations.
Tools with markup effects only: Highlight, Underline, Cross-out; Line, Rectangle, Pencil, Oval, Polygon, Polygon Line, Cloud.
Tools with annotation effects only: Note, Text Box.
Tools with markup and annotation effect: Callout, Insert text at cursor, Replace selected text, Add note to selected text.
Tools with special effect: Attach file, Attach sound.
Commenting tools are offered on the Comment Toolbar. Text windows (if any) have the same color scheme as the associated markup effects. Right-click and choose Properties to change future coloring.
Make a Note (without highlight). A Note icon is placed and a Note text window pops up for you to type your note text:
While you are writing, a linking shape is displayed that connects the window with the icon. If you close the window and hover over the icon, the note text is displayed in a box.
Place a Callout (special text box) somewhere in a clear place, point with the arrow to a certain object in your PDF and make your comments. When done, both the callout and the text remain visible. The Text Box tool works practically the same way, but without the arrow.
Click the down arrow next to the Active Markup tool at Comment > Annotate to see its drop-down menu. The multi-purpose Text Markup tool at the top of the menu lets you show suggested changes. Click it, then:
Place a cursor and enter text.
Make a text selection and enter replacement text
Make a text selection and press Delete.
The menu also offers three separate tools to add, delete or replace text.
It also offers tools that operate on a text selection:
Add Note to Selected Text: The selected text appears highlighted with a Note icon indicating there is a comment to it. Everything else is the same as for making a note, except for the text window name: here, it reads Comment on Text.
Highlight Selected Text: The selection gets highlighted, nothing else happens.
Underline Selected Text: The selection gets underlined, nothing else happens.
Attach file as comment: Find this at Advanced Processing > Attachments. Use it to select a file to appear as an attachment at a defined point in your document. A file attachment icon shows the place:
Double-click this icon to open the file. A note is linked to the icon, so you can enter text explaining the contents or purpose of the file. This text later appears along with your name as a pop-up to the attachment icon.
Attach Sound as comment: Find this at Advanced Processing > Attachments. Browse for the desired wav file and click Open. Replay it before attaching if you want to, and then click OK. A tip: Click the red Record button to create an “empty” wav file, and then click OK to attach it.
A sound file attachment icon shows the place:
Double-click this icon to start playing the file. A note is linked to the icon, so you can enter text explaining the contents or purpose of the file. This text later appears along with your name as a pop-up to the attachment icon.
See also: Attach File Tools.
Draw tools: Use the tools in the drop-down list: Line, Rectangle, Pencil, Oval, Polygon, Polygon Line, Cloud items to mark a place or area.
They work practically the same way, so a note can be attached to a drawing object, it can be replied to and the object is listed in the Comments Panel.
Stamps can be considered as special annotation and markup tools with fully or partly fixed contents.
Remember that annotations are used to suggest changes only: use the Edit Object Tool to actually make limited changes directly in the PDF document. Use Advanced Edit mode or convert the file to an editable format to make larger changes.
Annotations can be chosen to become part of a PDF prior to distribution with the command Flatten Document. This means the selected elements are transformed from annotations to document objects and are removed from the Comments Panel list.