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With Acrobat 9, Adobe's PDF creation and editing program brings new Web relevance to print-ready PDFs by enabling embedded video and animation. Forms, security, and overall ease of use are also enhanced. This update should be worthwhile for security-minded businesses and creative firms.
The introduction of Adobe Acrobat 9 document-creation software could do for PDFs what the 'Jazz Singer' did for movies. For the first time, PDFs can 'talk' via embedded Flash video and Shockwave animation. In turn, users of Version 9 of the nearly ubiquitous and free Acrobat Reader will be able to watch movies, play interactive games, and run applications baked into PDFs without opening a third-party media player.
Among the many new, dynamic features to justify a business purchase of Acrobat 9 include dynamic maps, enhanced 256-bit encryption, and improved forms. On top of it all, Adobe offers an online community at Acrobat.com that facilitates online collaboration so users can store documents and literally work on the same page at the same time.
There are three versions of Acrobat 9: Standard at $299 or $99 to upgrade, Pro for $449 or $159 to upgrade, and Pro Extended for $699 or $229 to upgrade. Pro Extended also comes with Adobe Presenter, which plugs into Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 for adding interactivity to presentations. This review covers the costliest application, Acrobat 9 Pro Extended. However, unless otherwise noted, the features mentioned here can be found in Standard or Pro editions.
Acrobat 9 requires at least a 1.3GHz processor running Windows Vista or XP with Service Pack 2, with 256MB of RAM, screen resolution of 1,024x768 pixels, and 2.13GB of free hard-drive space at minimum. Adobe requires 512MB of RAM for Pro Extended and recommends video hardware acceleration.
Setup and interface
Installing Acrobat 9 Pro Extended took about 20 minutes on our Windows XP test computer. In our experience, uninstalling older versions of Acrobat took longer than adding the new application. The process was relatively smooth and unintrusive, although we did wind up with an Acrobat 9 icon on our desktop. During installation, Adobe offers the choice of opting into or rejecting its Product Improvement Program, which will send the company anonymous information about how you use the software. Although the company pledges anonymity, we were nevertheless glad that it presented the option not to participate upfront.
Installing Acrobat 9 Pro Extended took about 20 minutes on our Windows XP test computer. In our experience, uninstalling older versions of Acrobat took longer than adding the new application. The process was relatively smooth and unintrusive, although we did wind up with an Acrobat 9 icon on our desktop. During installation, Adobe offers the choice of opting into or rejecting its Product Improvement Program, which will send the company anonymous information about how you use the software. Although the company pledges anonymity, we were nevertheless glad that it presented the option not to participate upfront.
Features
This release of Acrobat makes PDFs more dynamic and packs in more new features than prior releases did. Although PDFs have been interactive for some time, such as with Version 8's support for Web-based forms, Acrobat 9 takes the print-ready document format into the so-called Web 2.0 era.
This release of Acrobat makes PDFs more dynamic and packs in more new features than prior releases did. Although PDFs have been interactive for some time, such as with Version 8's support for Web-based forms, Acrobat 9 takes the print-ready document format into the so-called Web 2.0 era.
The Portable Document format is maturing from print-readiness to a venue for multimedia content. For the first time, PDFs will play movies via the free Acrobat Reader 9, set for a July release. Acrobat Pro Extended users can convert eight formats, including MOV and WMV files, to Flash content that can be embedded within PDFs alongside audio content and even 3D models. And developers can tweak layouts with Flex Builder 3 or Flash CS3.
Integrating with Acrobat 9 is Adobe Systems' beta release of the online community, Acrobat.com. It includes the Buzzword word processor with collaborative editing and commenting features as well as 5GB of file storage. Conversion of five documents to Portable Document Format, sadly, doesn't include those neat capabilities for embedding movies. But Acrobat.com's solid ConnectNow Web-conferencing and desktop-sharing tool enables chatting via text, video, and voice. The site also can host data from forms created in Acrobat software. Business users could opt to access documents at Acrobat online or handle collaboration via SharePoint workspaces, network folders, or WebDAV.
The new PDF Portfolios feature in Acrobat 9 lets users drag and drop content into a PDF bundle. Myriad layout and presentation options include a flip-through view similar to Apple's Cover Flow for the iPhone. Adobe also tried to make it easier for companies using Pro and Pro Extended to make pages match visually with themes and custom logos, and it improved tools for comparing documents. We created PDF Portfolios without a snag in some experiments. Unfortunately, in a couple of cases Acrobat wouldn't let us add some Flash movies, and it didn't offer a solid explanation.
Acrobat 9 also will take snapshots of Web pages and convert entire pages or chunks of them to a PDF that preserves links and animation. We were able to use this in Internet Explorer, but the command described by Adobe seemed to be missing from Firefox 2 or 3.
Mapping features only in Acrobat Pro Extended 9 preserve geospatial coordinates and enable users to mark locations and measure distances. In addition, architects and other designers using CAD software can embed 3D models within PDFs. These creative options are cool for professionals, but we wish you didn't need to pay $699 to use them. At least you can view the dynamic content, once Pro Extended users drop it into a PDF, within Acrobat Reader 9.
For creating online forms, Acrobat 9 adds intelligence to recognize content for conversion to fillable fields. Potentially delighting conference planners, a forms-tracking dashboard will show, for example, the status of responses to a mass party invitation e-mail and let a user send reminders to guests. Responses can be sorted, filtered, and exported to spreadsheets.
Acrobat 9's security enhancements enable users to add 256-bit encryption, which online banks use, for PDFs. Locking down PDFs can't get much more thorough, given the digital signatures and metadata removal also available. New comparison features, not in Acrobat Standard, highlight the edits between versions of a document. Redaction tools in the Pro editions, a key selling point of Acrobat 8, will offer searches for numeric patterns in addition to multiple words and phrases. A company could, for example, find every accidental mention of a Social Security number or top-secret product being developed and black out the potential leaks from a PDF with one blow.
Service and support
Adobe's Web site support pages include Flash tutorials, user forums, FAQs, and a searchable knowledge base. These resources are well-organized and thorough. However, Adobe's four support plans, from Bronze to Platinum, are costly. Installation help by phone is available only via a toll telephone number, for instance. You'll need to sign in to get customized help online.
Adobe's Web site support pages include Flash tutorials, user forums, FAQs, and a searchable knowledge base. These resources are well-organized and thorough. However, Adobe's four support plans, from Bronze to Platinum, are costly. Installation help by phone is available only via a toll telephone number, for instance. You'll need to sign in to get customized help online.
Verdict
As with Acrobat 8.1, Adobe Acrobat 9 offers myriad features that the average consumer seeking to create a basic, print-ready PDF won't need. However, we find this update of Acrobat to be the most important in recent years for business users as well as interactive designers. The metadata removal, 256-bit encryption, and ease of redactions alone easily could justify the purchase for, say, a law firm. Those who specialize in making presentations with moving images and sounds will find plenty of options at their fingertips, especially given the integration with Adobe Creative Suite 3.3.
As with Acrobat 8.1, Adobe Acrobat 9 offers myriad features that the average consumer seeking to create a basic, print-ready PDF won't need. However, we find this update of Acrobat to be the most important in recent years for business users as well as interactive designers. The metadata removal, 256-bit encryption, and ease of redactions alone easily could justify the purchase for, say, a law firm. Those who specialize in making presentations with moving images and sounds will find plenty of options at their fingertips, especially given the integration with Adobe Creative Suite 3.3.
Adobe has laid the groundwork for rich PDF documents, although some of the coolest tools come at a premium. Could Acrobat Reader 9's support for Flash turn PDFs into a one-size-fits-all multimedia delivery venue? In the near future at least, we suspect that interactive PDFs won't necessarily sweep the Web. That's because only users of the paid software can make those singing, dancing documents, and only the Pro flavors convert multiple video formats to Flash. Although Acrobat.com has many free features, its PDF maker won't fold in video and animation. The application's cost may be a barrier for some emerging digital artists who might otherwise tinker with the dynamic tools.
What do you need to know about free software?
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the brand’s newest PDF editor.
Advertised as an all-encompassing solution, it seems great for heavy-duty PDF users. But it also costs $14.99/month after a free, week-long trial. If you’re an equally cost-conscious and tech-savvy person, you may be wondering about free alternatives.
A Free Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Alternative
One Adobe alternative that I’ve used in the past is PDFescape. For this post, I’m going to compare PDFescape to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, just to see if Adobe really is better.
PDFescape is available in three versions, including PDFescape Basic. This version is free, and it’s the version I’ll be comparing to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC below. I’ve downloaded the desktop version of this PDF tool for WindowsThe 6 Best PDF Readers for Windows in 2019The 6 Best PDF Readers for Windows in 2019The best PDF readers don't cost any money. Read our roundup of feature-rich PDF viewers that out perform even Adobe Reader.Read More rather than using the web version. I think this will give me the most accurate comparison.
If you want to splurge for the Premium or Ultimate versions of PDFescape, those cost $2.99 or $5.99 per month respectively, billed yearly. Otherwise, pay $5.99 or $8.99 on a monthly billing cycle.
PDFescape lets you manipulate PDFs for a drastically lower price than what Adobe Acrobat Pro DC costs. (That is, for free.) But how does this free PDF editor stack up against Adobe Acrobat Pro DC?
Let’s take a look.
Download:PDFescape (Free Basic version for Windows users) | Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Works with both Windows and Mac platforms and costs $14.99/month after a two-week free trial)
User Interface
Both Acrobat Pro DC and PDFescape have a similar, multi-pane interface structure.
The main pane in each program lets you view your uploaded PDF. There are tools to edit it on the right and left bars.
In PDFescape, there’s also a toolbar at the very bottom of the software window.
Check out the top pane and the tools inside it, also. PDFescape uses the Ribbon interface you’ll recognize from Microsoft Word and other Microsoft product, perhaps as a way to make the software more intuitive for users.
In contrast, Adobe doesn’t mirror any other commonly used software programs, unless you frequently use Adobe products. Acrobat Pro DC features tool menus that are set up similarly to older versions of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.
This is nice if you’re already familiar with Adobe productsYour Guide to Choosing the Right Adobe ProductYour Guide to Choosing the Right Adobe ProductWhen most people think of Adobe, they either think of Photoshop or Acrobat Reader. But the company has a plethora of other useful software packages that most people know nothing about.Read More, but if you’re not, it can be a little difficult to get used to Acrobat’s setup.
The features on the right side of Acrobat’s interface let you access additional commands and manipulation options, whereas the features on the right and left side of PDFescape seem to offer a few additional feature, but otherwise don’t reveal much.
The options at the top of the interface offer more features, but some of these are a bit redundant. For example, there are several Edit and View buttons, which contribute to the toolbars being overly cluttered.
Looking back to Acrobat, you may notice that Adobe’s Home interface has more words than icons. The file list in the middle pane shows you all the files that you’ve recently uploaded to Acrobat Pro Dc.
PDFescape has a similar feature, though instead of a list the software lists your recent documents in thumbnail views.
And the winner is: PDFescape.
Despite my dislike of PDFescape’s redundant menu options, I do like that this software makes it extremely easy to navigate through the different PDF options, all from the top menu bar.
In contrast, Acrobat only lets you review certain options at one time.
You can easily just click the X to get out of any PDF management pane you have open, but I like being able to see all my options in one location, which PDFescape allows.
Editing Capabilities
The Tools tab in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC reveals a wealth of well-organized options.
Combine Files allows for combining material from several PDF files into one. After clicking the Combine Files button, you’ll be prompted to upload the PDFs you want to combine. Then just click Combine.
Your combined PDFs will show up in a new Binder tab. You can easily adjust the order of the combined pages by clicking Organize Pages. Just drag and drop the pages the way you’d like them ordered, and close the pane.
You can also combine files in PDFescape. From the main interface, go to Create PDF, then click Combine Files.
Upload both PDF files you want to merge and click Combine.
Just like with Acrobat, this combines both PDFs into a single document.
Unfortunately, you can’t further adjust the page order with the Basic version of PDFescape. If you want to use the Page Preview panel to reorder your PDF pages, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid account.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the case for a lot of PDFescape’s features.
Here are a few more things you can’t do with the free version that you can unlock with the paid versions:
- Insert or edit images
- Add page numbers
- Add a header or footer
- Split the PDF’s pages
- Convert your PDFs to other formats (such as Word, Excel or HTML)
- Highlight text or add review notes
- Password secure your PDF or set secure permissions
And these limitations are just to name a few.
However, it is worth pointing out that some of these features can be accessed with the (still free) online version of PDFescape.
You can’t do anything complicated, but you do gain the ability to highlight, comment, and annotate the PDF, though the editing features here are less powerful. Additionally, you can use the online PDF editor offered by PDFescape to encrypt your PDF, which the desktop version doesn’t give you free access to.
Conversely, editing PDF text and images in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is a straightforward process. This is likely because Acrobat Pro DC is a paid PDF editor already.
You can easily crop photos, enjoy a convenient automatic spell check feature, and watch formatting automatically adjust to added text.
And the winner is: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
I found it super inconvenient that PDFescape would allow me to combine filesHow to Edit, Combine, and Sign a PDF File for FreeHow to Edit, Combine, and Sign a PDF File for FreeWe show you how to split, merge, downsize, and do all kinds of magic with PDF files. Read on if you're ready to take your PDF documents to the next level!Read More, but then not let me rearrange those file pages. I also don’t think that giving users image editing permissions is too much to ask of a free tool, so I have to say I found PDFescape really lacking here.
I’m also just straight up confused by the inability to comment or highlight in the desktop version of the free software when these features are offered for free on the software’s online version.
There’s no way around it, Acrobat Pro DC is just way easier to work with when editing PDFs.
Signature Capabilities
There are many instances when you might need to sign a PDFThe Best Apps to Sign, Annotate, and Edit PDFs on iPadsThe Best Apps to Sign, Annotate, and Edit PDFs on iPadsIf you find yourself dealing with a lot of PDF files, it's only natural you'll want something other than Apple's basic iBooks before long. Here are our favorite PDF tools for your iPad.Read More. After filling out a W-2 form for tax purposes or reviewing your rental contract, for example.
Unfortunately, the complimentary, basic version of PDFescape does not offer a native PDF-signing feature. You’d have to upgrade to a PDFescape Ultimate membership in order to unlock those features.
You can, however, sign PDFs in PDFescape’s web interface. Go back to the web platform we discussed in the previous section and upload the PDF you need to sign. Click on the Text feature to type out any information you need to include in blank fields throughout the document.
Then, when you’re ready to sign, just use the dropdown font menu to select the Signature font.
Sign your name, and click the double green arrow button to automatically save and download your signed PDF file.
To add a signature in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, click the Fill & Sign option in the right-hand menu.
Choose Sign from the top toolbar. If you’ve previously signed something in Acrobat Pro DC, the software will remember your signature, as you can see in the screenshot below.
If this is your first time signing a PDF in Acrobat, all you have to do is click Add Signature. Then, simply type, draw, or upload an image of your signature to the software and click Apply.
You’ll then be able to place your signature on the appropriate line and adjust the size.
And the winner is: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
Okay, both of these programs can work equally well to sign your PDF documents, but PDFescape will only let you sign your documents if you upload them to the web platform. If you already have the free software downloaded on your computer, this just creates an extra step.
With Acrobat Pro DC, however, you get easily accessible and convenient signing features right at your fingertips.
Accessibility Options
Initially, PDFescape was a purely cloud-based application (i.e. the web platform was its only platform). More recently, the service developed the offline-friendly desktop version, which I’ve been using throughout this article. A blog post about the desktop version mentions using PDFescape “on the go.” However, PDFescape does not have a smartphone or tablet app, so you’re still dependent on a laptop.
Furthermore, only Premium or Ultimate users get offline access; as a free user, you’re out of luck.
As for Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, it has both Android and iOS apps. The apps are free with your Adobe subscription, so if you really feel like editing PDFs from your iPhone or Android device, you certainly can.
And the winner is: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
The sheer convenience of having access to your PDFs from a mobile app gives Acrobat Pro DC a clear advantage over PDFescape here.
The Final Verdict…
While PDFescape is convenient if you just need to combine a few PDFs or use the web portal to sign a contract, the free software fell tremendously short in this comparison.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is your best choice for extensive PDF editingThe Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Mini Guide for Managing PDFsThe Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Mini Guide for Managing PDFsAdobe Acrobat Pro DC is a comprehensive solution for managing PDFs. This article covers the key features you must know to create and edit PDFs like a pro.Read More, signing, and manipulation since you can do pretty much anything you want to your PDFs with your Acrobat subscription. It’s also easy to use and has a beautiful interface.
In comparison, PDFescape isn’t necessarily difficult to use, but its crowded interface isn’t always the most intuitive, and many of the tools in the software are inaccessible with the free software.
Also, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC boasts even more features not covered here in detail. There is a Compare feature that contrasts differences between two PDFs. You can also integrate with Dropbox or track PDF forms sent to others.
Purchasing the Premium or Ultimate version of PDFescape unlocks numerous capabilities, too. But as far as its free version goes, there’s really no contest. The free version of PDFescape has numerous limitations where the Adobe program performs easily.
Is Acrobat Pro DC Worth the Money?
I think it is, but what do you think? Would you still rather jump through hoops with a free PDF editor, or have all of the features you need in one place? Or can you recommend another free PDF editor with more options and fewer limitations?
And for Adobe apps that are worth installing7 Lesser-Known Adobe Apps Worth Downloading7 Lesser-Known Adobe Apps Worth DownloadingEveryone knows Adobe offers apps for mobile platforms, but do you know about these hidden gem Adobe apps on Android and iOS?Read More, check out this helpful list.
Explore more about: PDF, PDF Editor.
- I use Nitro pdf editor at work. All I need to be able to do is add text to pdf's and it does the job for me, as the newest version of Adobe (Free) doesn't allow any editing. Nitro pro does cost equivalent if not more than Adobe Pro, but you can get a week free trial (bonus: no credit card required!) and then have option to buy or not. If you don't you can still add text at least. http://www.gonitro.com
- PDF was created as a drug to cause an addiction for it's users. This has the wonderful effect of ensuring a constant stream of revenue to it's pusher.Perhaps, the solution is to use a program that is free and available to all without pawning the TV!
Just silly thought! - 'And the winner is: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.'
It would be a shocker if it wasn't. After all, Adobe just about owns PDF. The comparison seems unfair. You are comparing a Pro version of Acrobat with a light-weight, basic version of PDFescape. It's like comparing MS Word against Notepad++ and declaring that Word is better. Like DUH!For the past few months I have been using MasterPDFeditor to massage my PDF files. Originally I downloaded and installed the Linux version but have since found out that it is included as part of the default application suite of many Linux distros.Since I have not pushed MasterPDFeditor to the limit of its capabilities, I cannot speak to its abilities or how it compares with other PDF editors. So far it has done the job for me. - Most of the commonly needed options for Acrobat are available in various freeware programs. Unfortunately, if you need color separation previews and to edit layers, you need the full Pro version and to spend the money. Worse, getting the 'cloud' version to work with good security and a corporate firewall that allows Adobe to do what they want for authentication/licensing can be a pain in someplace beside your wallet.