The File menu provides all the necessary commands for opening, closing and saving PDFs as well as image files. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 4: The File menu commands in the PDF Editor

A short explanation of each command:

• Open - command to open PDF files via Finder (macOS) or Explorer (Windows) - cmd + O (macOS) | ctrl + O (Windows).
• Go back to previous version - Changes made in a document are discarded and the last saved version is reloaded.
• Save - Changes made in the PDF can be saved with - cmd + S (macOS) | ctrl + S (Windows)
• Save Optimized - Conducted changes in a file will be saved incrementally or gradually. The size of the PDF file gets bigger, saving files, especially for complex ones happens faster.
• Save As... - Changes made in the PDF can be saved in a new file - cmd + shift + S (macOS) | ctrl + shift + S (Windows)
• Save All Files - Saves all changes made to all currently opened PDF files.
• Import Image File... - Opens image files of EPS, PostScript, PNG, TIFF, JPEG and PSD formats and converts them to a PDF file.
• Export Image File... - Renders the current page of the active PDF into an image file in the defined color space by resolution and saves it as PNG, JPEG or TIFF.
• Close - Closes the currently open document - cmd + W (macOS) | ctrl + F4 (Windows).
• Close All Files - Closes all open documents - cmd + shift + W (macOS) | ctrl + shift + W (Windows).
• Document Info - Opens the Document Properties dialog, where information about general and special metadata for the currently opened document can be viewed - cmd + D (macOS) | ctrl + D (Windows).
• Preferences (Windows only) - This opens the Preferences window, which is described in more detail in the article Preferences - cmd + , (mac OS) | ctrl + , (Windows).

In the Edit menu all commands for selecting and editing objects as well as functionalities of typical tasks of the printing industry are available. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 5: The Edit menu commands of the PDF Editor

Short explanation of each command:

• Undo - allows the user to undo current changes one step at a time - cmd + Z (mac OS) | ctrl + Z (Windows).
• Redo - undo steps that have already been conducted - cmd + shift + Z (mac OS) | ctrl + shift + Z (Windows).
• Cut - allows selected objects to be deleted and placed on the clipboard - cmd + X (macOS) | ctrl + X (Windows).
• Copy - this allows selected objects to be copied to the clipboard - cmd + C (macOS) | ctrl + C (Windows).
• Paste - allows the user to paste the contents of the clipboard into the current document - cmd + V (macOS) | ctrl + V (Windows).
• Paste at original Position - allows the content of the clipboard to be pasted at the original position in the current document - cmd + shift + V (macOS) | ctrl + shift + V (Windows).
• Delete - can be used to delete selected objects - Backspace (macOS) | Del (Windows).
• Select All - allows the user to select all currently displayed objects - cmd + A (macOS) | ctrl + A (Windows).
• Deselect All - can be used to eliminate a selection of objects made - cmd + shift + A (macOS) | ctrl + Shift + A (Windows).
• Select Objects - allows objects of the same appearance or type to be selected.
• Add Dieline - allows to create a Dieline for the selected Page Box or around the selected objects.
• Create Spot Color Separation - allows to create a Spot Color swatch - White, Primer, Varnish, etc. - for the selected Page Box or for the selected objects.
• Offset Path... – allows a selected path to be extended by the specified Offset.
• Edit Document Spot Colors... - can be used to create new spot color definitions in the currently open PDF or to delete, edit, convert to CMYK, and map existing spot color definitions.
• Convert Selected Text to Outline as Single Glyphs... - This converts selected text objects into paths. Each individual character is converted as a vector object.
• Convert Text to Outline - Convert all text in the PDF file (on all pages) to paths.
• Optimize Document... – allows you to flatten Transparencies, expand Form XObjects, delete unused Layers, and convert Colors to CMYK.
• Delete objects outside PageBox – allows you to delete objects that are completely outside a user-selected page box.
• Expand XObject References – if XObject references are present, they can be expanded using this command.

The View menu provides the commands for selecting tools, all zoom options, and showing/hiding tools. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 6: The View menu commands of the PDF Editor

Short explanation of each command:

• Display Mode - the user can switch between the following display modes
  • Print Preview - the PDF is shown as it will be rendered for the printing process - ctrl + cmd + 1 (macOS) | ctrl + shift + 1 (Windows)
  • Text Editor - in this mode the text can be edited in text fields - ctrl + cmd + 2 (macOS) | ctrl + shift + 2 (Windows)
  • Wireframe - in the Wireframe view all objects are shown as an outline. Additionally, individual anchor points of the path can be changed punctually with the Direct Selection Tool -  ctrl + cmd + 3 (macOS) | ctrl + shift + 3 (Windows)
• Zoom In - the view is zoomed in on the center by 1.6 times - cmd + + (macOS) | ctrl + + (Windows).
• Zoom Out - the view is zoomed in on the center by 1.6 times - cmd + - (macOS) | ctrl + - (Windows).
• Fit Page - fits the entire page in the window - cmd + 0 (macOS) | ctrl + 0 (Windows).
• Original Size - this zooms the file to 100% (original size) - cmd + 1 (macOS) | ctrl + 1 (Windows).
• Fit Width - the file is zoomed to the window width - cmd + 2 (macOS) | ctrl + 2 (Windows).
• Fit Height - the file is zoomed to the window height - cmd + 3 (macOS) | ctrl + 3 (Windows).
• Zoom to selected objects - this zooms the file to the size of the selected items - cmd + 4 (macOS) | ctrl + 4 (Windows).
• Show Ruler - this shows or hides the horizontal and vertical ruler - cmd + R (macOS) | ctrl + R (Windows).
• Show tooltip for PDF object - this will automatically display the values of the inspector for the object lying on the cursor position after a defined time - cmd + T (mac OS) | ctrl + T (Windows).

The Arrange menu provides the commands for arranging as well as adjusting selected objects. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 7: The Arrange menu commands of the PDF Editor

Short explanation of each command:

• Align Left - aligns all selected objects to the left of the base object - cmd + shift + left Arrow (macOS) | ctrl + shift + left arrow (Windows).
• Align Right - aligns all selected objects to the right of the base object - cmd + shift + right arrow (macOS) | ctrl + shift + right arrow (Windows).
• Align Top - aligns all selected objects to the top of the base object - cmd + shift + up arrow (macOS) | ctrl + shift + up arrow (Windows).
• Align Bottom - aligns all selected objects to the bottom of the base object - cmd + shift + down arrow (macOS) | ctrl + shift + down arrow (Windows).
• Align horizontally centered - aligns all selected objects horizontally centered (at the center of the base object).
• Align vertically centered - aligns all selected objects vertically centered (at the center of the base object).
• Distribute Horizontally - aligns all selected objects horizontally with even spacing.
• Distribute Vertically - aligns all selected objects vertically, evenly spaced.
• Adjust Width - adapts all selected objects equal to the width of the base object.
• Adjust Height - adapts all selected objects to the height of the base object.
• Move to Front - moves all selected objects to the foreground.
• Move Forward - moves all selected objects one step forward - ctrl + shift + + (macOS) | ctrl + shift + + (Windows).
• Move Backwards - moves all selected objects one step backward - ctrl + shift + - (macOS) | ctrl + shift + - (Windows).
• Move to Back - moves all selected objects to the background.

The Page menu provides the commands to navigate to the desired page in a multi-page document, as well as to rotate, delete, move or duplicate the current page. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 8: The Page menu commands of the PDF Editor

Short explanation of each command:

• First Page – jumps to the first page of a multi-page document – Start (extended keyboard – macOS) | Home (Windows).
• Previous Page – jumps to the next page of a multi-page document – up arrow  (extended keyboard – macOS) Page Up (Windows).
• Next Page – jumps to the last page of a multi-page document – down arrow (extended keyboard - macOS) | Page Down (Windows)
• Last Page – jumps to the last page of a multi-page document – End (extended keyboard – macOS) End (Windows).
• Delete Current Page – deletes the currently displayed page.
• Duplicate Current Page – duplicates the currently displayed page and inserts it after the current page.
• Move Current Page – moves the currently displayed page to the entered position in the page order.
• Insert Blank Page Before Page(s) - inserts a blank page before the currently displayed page(s).
• Insert Blank Page After Page(s) - inserts a blank page after the currently displayed page(s).
• Scale current page... - the selected page can be enlarged or shrunken based on the referenced Page Box.
• Set MediaBox to Origin... - normalizes the coordinates of the MediaBox to 0/0.
• Set Page Boxes to Selected Objects... - makes it possible to set a chosen Page Box on a marked object.
• Set Page Boxes for Selected Pages... - allows you to place a page box of your choice on a marked element.
• Rotate Page Clockwise – rotates the currently displayed page 90° clockwise.
• Rotate Page Counter Clockwise – rotates the currently displayed page 90° counterclockwise.
• Flip Current Page... - the current page will be mirrored on the vertical or the horizontal axis.

The Window menu provides the commands for closing, arranging open documents and switching between them. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 9: The Window menu commands of the PDF Editor

Short explanation of each command:

• Close – closes the currently opened document –  cmd + W (macOS) | ctrl + F4 as well ctrl + W (Windows).
• Close All – closes all opened documents –  cmd + shift + W (macOS) | ctrl + shift + W (Windows)
• Tile – displays all documents in their own windows, arranged next to or below each other in the window.
• Cascade – stacks all documents in their own windows in a slightly staggered order.
• Next – switches to the next window (document) –  cmd + shift + < (macOS) | ctrl + Tab  (Windows).
• Previous – switches to the previous window (document) –  cmd + < (macOS) | Strg + shift + Backspace  (Windows).

The Help menu provides access to the license information as well as to the program version information. The following menu commands are available:

Figure 10: The Help menu commands of the PDF Editor

Short explanation of each command:

• License Information...  – Opens the dialog to the information about the license or activation of the program.
• Send Feedback - Opens an e-mail with a predefined text to give feedback about the program.
• Help – Opens the browser to this user manual.
• About the PDF Editor (on Windows) – Opens the dialog to the program version information. For macOS, this menu is available in the PDF Editor menu item.

The View and Analyze tab [17] shows at a first glance which components are found in the currently displayed page. The individual components can be hidden or displayed and some areas can be modified. An overview of the settings areas is given in the following passages. A detailed description of this tab can be found in the article View and Analyze.

Figure 13: The View and Analyze tab with the corresponding settings

The following setting areas are included in the "View and Analyze" tab:

• Options [18] - The user can find specific states of objects on the page by activating individual options and expand the display area.
• Layers [19] - Display the existing layers in the PDF file. Objects on the layers can be quickly hidden or shown.
• Process colors [20]  - Display the used process colors of the current page. The individual separations can be quickly shown or hidden, and the color values for the current cursor position can also be displayed.
• Spot Colors [21]  - Display of the used spot colors of the current page. The individual spot color separations can be quickly shown or hidden, and the color values for the current cursor position can also be displayed. Spot color definitions can be adjusted, deleted or converted to CMYK.
• Color Spaces [22] - Display of the existing color spaces of the current page. The objects belonging to each color space can be quickly shown or hidden in it. The number of objects that belong to the corresponding color space is displayed in the right margin.
• Page Objects [23] - Display of the existing page objects of the current page. The objects belonging to each object type can be quickly shown or hidden in it. The number of objects of an object type is displayed in the right margin.
• Page Boxes [24] - Display of the existing page geometry frames of the current page. The individual page geometry frames can be shown or hidden and the size of the page geometry frames can be changed.

The Object Inspector [25] tab provides detailed information about specific page objects. Read the article Tab "Object Inspector" to find out what functionalities are provided.

Figure 14: The tab Output Preview of the PDF Editor

The following functionalities are available to analyze an existing Print Item in the dropdown [26]:

• All Page Objects of the Cursor Position: The user can analyze all page objects, visible and non-visible objects in more detail with a single mouse click.
• Visible Items on Cursor Position: This functionality displays all visible elements via mouse click.
• Selected Objects: Several selected page objects can be analyzed with this functionality
• All Objects: All page objects that are present in this theme are displayed; therefore the probability that this list will be longer is increased

By clicking on + or - [27] the individual nodes in the hierarchy can be enhanced or closed. By selecting the option Show PDF Hierarchy [28] the selected object will be shown within the entire stack of the objects hierarchy.

The Images [29] tab displays all images of the current page in the PDF, including the respective Color Space, the compression used and the resolution. Images can be exported, edited in other image processing programs such as Adobe Photoshop and exchanged in the PDF. Find out how to edit images in the article "Images" tab.

Figure 15: The tab Images with a list of all images of the current page

The following functions are available by right-clicking on an image:

• Export... [30] - With this function, you are enabled to export the selected image as JPEG, PNG or TIFF.
• Export and Open... [31] - With this function, the selected image can be exported as a JPEG, PNG or TIFF and opened immediately in the assigned image editing program.
• Replace... [32] - This function can be used to replace the selected image with any JPEG, PNG or TIFF image.

Preview images for all pages of the PDF are displayed in the Thumbnails [33] tab. In addition, all settings can be made that affect the entire page and therefore also its content. For example, individual or multiple pages can be rotated, deleted, duplicated or extracted.

Figure 17: The Thumbnails tab

The following functions are available to manipulate pages:

• Thumbnail [34]: In addition to a thumbnail image, the size of the page, the rotation factor and the page scaling factor are displayed. Right-click to open a context menu with the same functions that are represented by icons in the footer of the settings area.
• Rotate pages clockwise [35]: With this functionality, selected pages can be rotated clockwise by 90°.
• Rotate pages counter clockwise [36]: Rotate selected pages 90° counterclockwise.
• Flip Pages Horizontally [37]: Mirror selected pages along the horizontal axis.
• Flip Pages Vertically [38]: Mirror selected pages along the vertical axis.
• Delete Pages [39]: Remove selected pages from the PDF.
• Sort ascending / descending [40]: Controls whether the display of pages starts with the first page or the last page in the PDF.
• Select All [41]: Selects all pages in the Thumbnails tab.
• Select Page Range [42]: Allows a precise selection to be made about the page range to be selected.

In the Edit tab [43], PDFs can be edited to some extent. Among other things, you can apply various actions to the selected page. Further descriptions of the functions can be found in the article Edit PDF.

Figure 18: The Edit tab with all functionalities in detail

The following functions are available to edit an existing surface:

• Transform [44]: In this settings area, the width and height of objects can be adjusted. Subsequently the objects can be repositioned by using the coordinate system. Mirroring and rotation are also possible for individual objects and selected object groups.
• Color [45]: When selecting an existing object with the Selection Tool, carry out the following changes in this settings area:
  • Change color values of Fill or Stroke Color
  • Convert Colors to Spot Color
  • Convert Spot Colors to Process Colors
  • Create and edit DeviceN colors
  • Determine the tonal value of the Fill or Stroke Color
  • Determine opacity of Fill or Stroke Color
• Attributes [46]: Here, in addition to the Color options, you can set options such as Line Width, Corner Type, Overprint or assign to an existing or new layer.
• Other [47]: Set whether changes should be applied immediately or must first be confirmed.
• Arrange [48]: Align or place selected objects in the foreground or background.
• Actions [49]: Perform various manipulations on objects. Herewith it is possible to add a Dieline or a Spot Color. Furthermore, it's possible to delete all objects that are not completely within a selected Page Box.

In the Workflow tab [50] Print Items can be checked out, edited and checked in again from the Workflow by Durst and PixFile. Find out more about the functioning of this tab in the article "Connect to "Workflow".

Figure 19: The Workflow tab with all its functionalities in detail

The following functions are available to connect to the workflow and to search for, check in and check out Print Items:

• Server [51]: By clicking on Connect, you must enter your access data such as Host, Port and Password to connect to a Workflow.
• Status [52]: When the connection to the Workflow is upright, the list of Print Items is displayed. Sort by status, set sorting in ascending or descending order, sort by certain parameters, set search criteria and refresh the view.
• Selected item [53]: This window displays the Print Items that match your search. You can select Print Items and check them in and out.
• Check out/check in [54]: These two functions are used to check out the respective Print Item of the workflow for editing. As soon as editing is complete, a new version of the Print Item can be checked back into the Workflow.

Article update: PDF Editor 1.9  05/2024