Editing Path Content

Path content are lines and shape objects within the PDF. Paths are two-dimensional shapes created using a set of points to generate lines or shapes. Paths can be used to create anything from shapes and dividers to even text and images. The Content editing tool is capable of editing paths that are a part of the PDF. Paths can be moved, edited, or deleted using the content editing tool.

How to Edit Path Content

  1. Activate the tool by clicking on the Edit Content button on the Document Tab making sure the "Path" option is selected in the  drop down arrow.
  2. Then click or drag an area with the mouse to select the desired content. Once selected, content can be edited, moved or deleted following the instructions below.
    • Note: Selecting multiple pieces of content will let you update the properties for all pieces at once
  3. Once complete, to exit Content Editing mode, simply click on the hand tool or Esc on the keyboard

Move or Edit Properties

Move or Edit the path by doing the following

  • Move: Click on the path and drag it to its new location on the page.
  • Edit: To access the path properties, right click (Mac: Ctrl + Click) and choose Properties in the mouse menu or double click on the selected path.

Path Content Properties

Path Content contain the following property settings:

Fill Color: the fill color of the path

Fill Transparency: Sets the transparency of the fill color

Stroke Color: the border color of the path

Stroke Transparency: Sets the transparency of the stroke color

Border Width: the width of the border line of the path

Line Cap: Sets the shape to be used at the end of the line

Line Join: Sets the shape to be used on the corners or joints of the line

Blend Mode: settings to determine how the path object colors will be blended together when overlayed on top of each other

  • Normal: edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. This is the default mode.
  • Multiply: multiplies the RGB channel numbers for each pixel from the top layer with the values for the corresponding pixel from the bottom layer. The result is always a darker picture; since each value is less than 1, their product will be less than either of the initial values.
  • Screen: values of the pixels in the two layers are inverted, multiplied, and then inverted again. This yields the opposite effect to multiply, and results in a brighter picture.
  • Overlay: overlay combines Multiply and Screen blend modes. The parts of the top layer where the base layer is light become lighter, the parts where the base layer is dark become darker. Areas where the top layer are mid grey are unaffected. 
  • Darken: creates a pixel that retains the smallest components of the foreground and background pixels.
  • Lighten: the opposite action of Darken. It selects the maximum of each component from the foreground and background pixels.
  • ColorDodge: divides the bottom layer by the inverted top layer. This lightens the bottom layer depending on the value of the top layer: the brighter the top layer, the more its color affects the bottom layer. Blending any color with white gives white. Blending with black does not change the image.
  • ColorBurn:  divides the inverted bottom layer by the top layer, and then inverts the result. This darkens the top layer increasing the contrast to reflect the color of the bottom layer. The darker the bottom layer, the more its color is used. Blending with white produces no difference.
  • HardLight: a combination of Multiply and Screen. Hard Light affects the blend layer's relationship to the base layer in the same way Overlay affects the base layer's relationship to the blend layer. The inverse relationship between Overlay and Hard Light makes them "commuted blend modes".
  • SoftLight: closely related to Overlay and is only similar to Hard Light by name. Applying pure black or white does not result in pure black or white
  • Difference: subtracts the bottom layer from the top layer or the other way round, to always get a non-negative value. Blending with black produces no change, as values for all colors are 0.
  • Exclusion: Creates an effect similar to Difference but lower in contrast. Blending with white inverts the base color values. Blending with black produces no change.

Cut, Copy, & Paste Path Content

Cut or Copy path by doing the following

  • Cut: Cut the path by using the shortcut key Ctrl + X (Mac: ⌘ + X) or right-click on the path ( Ctrl + Click on Mac) and choose Cut in the context menu.
  • Copy: Copy the path by using the shortcut key Ctrl + C (Mac: ⌘ + C) or right-click on the path ( Ctrl + Click on Mac) and choose Copy in the context menu.
  • Paste: Navigate to the location you wish to paste the path and use the shortcut key Ctrl + V (Mac: ⌘ + V) or right click (Mac: Ctrl + Click) and select Paste in the context menu

Remove Path Content

Delete the path by pressing the Del key or right-click on the path ( Ctrl + Click on Mac) and choose Delete in the context menu.