How do I highlight graphics in Adobe Acrobat?

May 3, 2007 1:00 PM

How do I highlight graphics in Adobe Acrobat?

I'm trying to replace the buggy PDF viewer/editor that my father uses with the Lacerte DMS tax document organizing software. The only function that I haven't been able to replace is highlighting.

I can highlight text, but most of the documents he works with are non-OCR scans. I've tried the shape tool, but I can't find an option to make it translucent. I need to make translucent rectangles in yellow or another highly visible color anywhere on the page in as few steps as possible.

He's using version 5.0, but he can upgrade if he has to.

Thank you very much.

posted by concrete to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Best answer: In Acrobat Professional 7.0 there is a "Drawing Markup" toolbar which lets you draw rectangles. Right-clicking on a drawn rectangle lets you set it's border/fill color and opacity (translucence). You can also set the settings of one drawn and edited rectangle as the default rectangle style.

So ya, upgrade. Pricey I'm sure, but Acrobat Pro is the best you can ever do with PDFs.
posted by cowbellemoo at 1:50 PM on May 3, 2007

Are you trying to put this into effect in Lacerte DMS (whatever that is) or Acrobat?

In Acrobat, if you have to you can create a floating comment.
posted by joeclark at 1:52 PM on May 3, 2007

There are a million other possibilities for markup in 7.0 Pro, too. "sign here" stamps and popup bubbles and a ridiculous lot of other things that might come in handy for complex forms. Good luck!
posted by cowbellemoo at 1:54 PM on May 3, 2007

Foxit PDF Editor is a lot cheaper than Acrobat. You can try it free here.
posted by desjardins at 2:13 PM on May 3, 2007

Response by poster: joeclark writes "Are you trying to put this into effect in Lacerte DMS (whatever that is) or Acrobat?"

I'm trying to do it in Acrobat.

Lacerte DMS is document management software that works with Lacerte tax preparation software. It's used to store electronic copies of clients' support documents and tax returns. It includes a program that organizes document files (usually PDFs) and a specialized PDF editor used to view and make limited modifications (notes, highlighting, checkmarks) to documents. The editor is extremely buggy and has rendered several dozen document files unusable over the course of this year's tax season.

Highlighting is the only feature that I haven't been able to replicate in Acrobat, and it's used a lot in the office. If I can find a way to make it work, it'll save everybody in the office a lot of very frustrating work next tax season.
posted by concrete at 4:50 PM on May 3, 2007