Easy ways to draw in a PDF Document. Find the Best Tools to Annotate, Highlight, and Draw on a PDF with the Best Options for Mac Users and Free.
Introduction
Drawing on a PDF document is an activity that has become very necessary for professionals, students, and all those creative at large. Be it annotation of research papers, highlighting key points in a report, or just plain visual brainstorming; this functionality increases productivity and creativity. That requires finding intuitive tools that make drawing on PDFs not only possible but also easy and efficient. Now, in this article, we will discuss the best software and methods to draw on a PDF when using a Mac, if you are searching for a free tool, or if you are working with a tablet. Find out about the best tools to draw on a PDF here.
Various PDF Editors that Allow Drawing
Afirstsoft PDF
Afirstsoft PDF is quite a versatile tool that provides a user-friendly interface for drawing on a PDF. Afirstsoft PDF is designed for both casual and professional users; flexible editing tools are at one’s fingertips for effortless annotation, highlighting, or drawing shapes in any document. From custom annotations to sketching out ideas or using stickers to really make your notes pop, Afirstsoft PDF makes interacting with your PDFs pretty easy. It has enhanced drawing capabilities with a number of creative features, like customizable pens and brushes, to help users personalize their drawing experience to the best of their needs.
Key Features:
- Easy and intuitive drawing tools through customizable pens and brushes.
- Flexible editing for annotations and highlighting are given.
- Various bunch of creative stickers and shapes enrich your interaction with a PDF.
Pros:
- The user-friendly interface makes it easiest for beginners and expert users.
- An enriched variety of customizing drawing tools is available.
- Most of the features are at very affordable prices.
Cons:
- Some advanced features require a premium subscription.
- Not as widely known as some other tools, which may limit community support.
Adobe Acrobat DC
Adobe Acrobat DC is reckoned to stand among the most powerful and widespread editors for PDFs, mainly due to its effective drawing capabilities. It offers a fully functional advanced toolkit to people wanting exact and professional-level annotations. Drawing in Adobe Acrobat DC gives freehand drawing, shape tools, and color options. This great tool offers so much detail and accuracy for people needing their markups. However, its complexity and price will thwart some from adopting it for more basic drawing tasks.
Key features:
- Quite advanced drawing tools that give quite precise control over the markup.
- Pro-level shape tools Color customization.
- Integrates well with other apps from Adobe Creative Cloud.
Pros:
- Extremely accurate, customizable drawing tools.
- Full set of features for professionals.
- Great brand reputation and community support.
Cons:
- It’s expensive, and the subscription-based model doesn’t work for everyone.
- There is also a steeper learning curve, especially for new PDF editors.
Foxit PhantomPDF
Foxit PhantomPDF comes with strong annotation and drawing tools to make it a sturdy competitor among the available editing options for PDFs. More specifically, it is known for its fast workflow and good performance with big documents. Foxit PhantomPDF offers very nice drawing tools, from freehand drawing and insertion of shapes to detailed annotation tools. It will work very well for those users who need to add more complex markings to their PDFs. Meanwhile, much like Adobe Acrobat DC, Foxit PhantomPDF may have a steeper learning curve that may be a little hard to tackle for casual users.
Key Features:
- High-performance drawing and annotation tools
- Supports freehand drawing, shapes, and detailed text annotations.
- This tool strongly emphasizes workflow efficiency and document management.
Pros:
- Fast and responsive, even with large docs.
- A robust set of tools for professional-grade annotations.
- Thorough pricing plans that cater to the different needs of users.
Cons:
- Its richness may be overwhelming to new users.
- Drawing tools are less intuitive than some options.
PDFelement by Wondershare
PDFelement by Wondershare elements are the thin line between budget-friendly and feature-laden options, offering users the most basic yet effective drawing and annotation tools. This software is perfect for those users who only require a simple drawing over PDFs, and that too at pocket-friendly rates. The drawing features are limited to basic freehand drawing, insertion of shapes, and text annotations, so it is good for students, teachers, or casual users. While it does not have some of the heavy-duty features of more advanced—and expensive—tools, PDFelement provides a solid choice for those needing basic drawing capabilities without the higher cost.
Key Features:
- Freehand drawing, basic shapes, and text annotations
- More competitive pricing, focusing on essential features
- Easier to use interface, making it great for casual use
Pros:
- Very affordable, price-competitive
- Easy to use, thus anyone can use it
- Essential drawing tools are provided without overwhelming a user
Cons:
- Need to include a few advanced features of some of the more expensive software.
How top PDF editors Compare in Drawing Features
Ease of Use
In the case of ease of use, Afirstsoft PDF and PDFelement by Wondershare both have intuitive interfaces with easy-to-use drawing tools. Of the two, Afirstsoft PDF has a well-thought-out user interface that makes drawing, annotation, and editing in a PDF very easy, even for starters. The simplicity of PDFelement also makes it rather enticing to users looking for no-frills solutions for editing PDFs.
Customization
Of course, Adobe Acrobat DC and Afirstsoft PDF are at the top of the list for people who need advanced options for customizing drawing tools. With Adobe Acrobat DC, the possibility of customizing pen color, thickness, and opacity is extended, which makes it appropriate for minute work. Various customizable tools are available within Afirstsoft PDF, such as different pen and brush styles that a user can use to personalize their drawing experience.
Other Features
In extra features, Foxit PhantomPDF and Adobe Acrobat DC offer the most rounded packages, with advanced document managing and editing features. Afirstsoft PDF, though not so feature-rich, promotes creativity with its various stickers, shapes, and annotation tools to further enhance the experience of interacting with a PDF. On its part, PDFelement, though basic, does all the basic features that one would need in simple PDF editing and drawing.
Conclusion
The right tool for drawing in a PDF depends on your needs and the level of complexity you need. If you’re a professional who needs advanced, very precise drawing tools and you’re ready to pay for a premium solution, go for Adobe Acrobat DC. Foxit PhantomPDF offers comparable functionality and becomes a better choice where high efficiency and performance are required, especially while working on extensive documents.
Afirstsoft PDF is pretty good when users are looking for something easier and more pocket-friendly. It boasts a clean user interface, customizable drawing tools, and creative features like stickers and annotations to generate a balance between functionality and user-friendliness, making it very suitable for casual and advanced users alike.
Wondershare’s elements will definitely do for those who want some basic drawing at a lower price, especially if they don’t need those high-end features.
With all this in mind, Afirstsoft PDF is highly recommended to any person seeking to draw on a PDF quickly and more professionally for work, study, or creative purposes. Its powerful set of editing tools, intuitive design, and creative features easily drive this product to the top of the market.