Adobe PDF Redaction Software: How to Redact using Adobe and is it worth the effort

Confidential information is everywhere, from business documents and tax filings to employee and medical records. Keeping sensitive data confidential is critical for organizations of all sizes. In some cases, you may need to show your client a document but want to hide some data from them. It is where redaction helps!

Using the right tools and software, you can conceal content from any pdf document. For example, with Adobe PDF Redaction Software, you can easily redact confidential information from any PDF file. 

Alongside Adobe, other tools like Redactable ensure the data's security by issuing accredited redaction certificates to track redaction activities with time stamps. The platform also helps redact personal data in documents to avoid identity theft. 

We know how critical it is to protect sensitive information between clients and business communication. Therefore, we have curated this piece to educate you about the Adobe PDF Redaction Software and how to redact your sensitive data permanently. So, let's get started!

Adobe PDF Redaction software

Adobe Acrobat features Adobe Redaction allowing users to obscure sensitive information from a PDF. It can include text, images, and metadata. 

The feature can redact sensitive information such as personal identification numbers, financial data, and confidential business information. Once the information has been redacted, it can only be recovered from the original file. It is a useful tool for protecting sensitive information that is shared with your clients electronically. 

You have the option of using colored boxes in place of the blacked text or images or leaving the space empty. You can also customize the appearance of the redaction marks, such as the color, size, and style of the box or the text that appears.

Properties for Redacting Text

Redacting text is among the most vital features offered by Adobe Acrobat to all editors. Many different properties can be used while redaction such as:

• Font - Displays personalized text in the chosen typeface.

•  Font color - Specifies the color used to display customized text, and you may modify it by selecting the color swatch.

• Font size - Customized text is shown in the chosen point size.

• Text Size Adaption To Redaction Region - Custom text is resized to fit the region that has been redacted. 

• Text alignment - Sets text's alignment to the center, left, or right.

How to Redact Text using Adobe PDF Redaction software

PDFs can be a great source of information, but at the same time you must ensure before sharing the documents you have redacted sensitive information. 

Using Adobe Acrobat, follow these steps to redact sensitive text:

Step 1: Run Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF.

Step 2: Click on the "Tools" tab in the top menu and select "Redact."

Step 3: Click Redact Text & Images from the Edit menu.

Step 4:  To redact a word at a time, you can use the cursor to manually redact the highlight the text. 

Step 5: Right-click on the highlighted text and select "Redact.". 

Step 6: Now, you can choose Redact from the floating context menu after selecting the desired text in a PDF. And hover the cursor over the specified area to see how the redaction marks will appear.

To redact words or phrases in bulk, you can use the "Find" option to search for specific words or phrases throughout the entire document. Once the search results are displayed, you can select all the occurrences of the word or phrase and then redact them in one go.

How to Redact Image using Adobe PDF Redaction software

Redacting images from the PDF through Adobe PDF redaction software is seamless. Thinking how? Let’s dive-in:

Step 1: Run Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF.

Step 2: Click on the "Tools" tab in the top menu and select "Redact."

Step 3: Click Redact Text & Images from the Edit menu.

Step 4: Select the image you wish to redact. It will be highlighted in red to let you know it has been chosen.

Step 5: To complete and lock the redaction, save the PDF.

Another method of redacting photos is to open the PDF. Then, right-click the image, and select Redact from the context menu. Before sharing the PDF with another individual, always apply and save your modifications.

Customization of Adobe Redaction markings

Images and text that have been redacted have thin red outlines around them and are replaced with black boxes. Adobe PDF redaction software allows users to change the look of the redaction marks before they are applied to the document. 

 Step 1: Run Adobe Acrobat and open the file.

Step 2: Choose the "Redact" option under the "Tools" menu. Or, select Redact Text & Images from the context menu.

Step 3: The Redact toolkit will be featured in the secondary toolbar. Select the "Redaction Properties" option. The window for the redaction properties appears with the adjustable settings for the appearance of the redaction marks. These settings may include options such as the color and opacity of the overlay, the thickness of the redaction border, and more.

Step 4:- Choose the choices you wish to edit, then click OK.
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• Redacted Area Fill Colors - For the boxes that substitute deleted content, pick a fill color from the color palette. If you want the blacked area to be blank, select No Color.

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• Custom Text - The text you wish to see in the blacked area should be typed there.

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• Redaction Mark Appearance - Select either the Fill Color or Outline Color icon. Pick a color from the color wheel for the pictures and text you've highlighted for redaction. To change the color's opacity, use the slider. To keep the chosen section without color, pick No Color.

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• Use Overlay Text - If you want to choose the redaction code or custom text, choose the text's alignment, size, and typeface.

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•  Redaction Code - Choose a code from a pre-existing set, or press Edit Code to create a code set.

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Image and Text Redaction in Password protected PDF

PDFs are one of the most secure documents, and, in many cases, they're used to protect sensitive information. However, sometimes you may encounter a secured PDF with passwords or editing restrictions. You might get stuck if you need to redact the text or images in those files. 

In these cases, you must remove the security and follow the same steps mentioned above. However, to remove the security, follow the instructions listed below:

Step 1: Launch Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF.

Step 2: Select "protect" from the drop-down menu under the "Tools" tab.

Step 3: Go to the "Encrypt" option and click on the "Remove Security" option.

Step 4: If you weren't required to enter a password to access the file, you could be prompted to do so now. To disable encryption and permit redacting, select OK.

Step 5: To redact text or photos in the PDF, follow the above instructions. And save your file to ensure your redaction is secure.

FAQs

1. Does Adobe Acrobat provide a free version?

Yes, adobe acrobat offers a trial version for seven days. However, you must subscribe to the premium plan for the first seven days. The monthly bill will automatically be deducted from your debit/credit card after the free trial version ends.

2. Is redaction the same as deletion?

No, "redact" and "delete" are not the same. To "redact" something means to obscure  sensitive information from a document or text. To "delete" something means to remove it entirely. 

3. Why would you redact a PDF?

A PDF may be redacted to conceal sensitive data, such as financial data, personal identification numbers, social security numbers, or classified information. This can be done by using a redaction tool to black out the text or images containing sensitive information.

   4.   Is it possible to prevent PDF editing?

You can prevent a PDF from being edited by applying specific security measures. One way to do this is to use a PDF editing program to set permissions on the document. It can include setting up a password to prevent unauthorized access and disabling certain features such as editing, copying, and printing.
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Follow the instructions to prevent PDF editing-

Step 1: Run Adobe Acrobat and open the file you want to prevent.

Step 2: Select "Tools" and then "Protect" from the menu.

Step 3: To prevent modifications, you can secure the file using a passcode.

Step 4: Set a password or other security measure as desired.

Step 5: Select "OK" and "SAVE."

    5.  Is PDF redaction safe to do?

PDF redaction can be a safe and effective way to remove sensitive information from a PDF document. However, it is important to use a reliable and reputable tool or service, such as Adobe PDF redaction software, Redactable, etc.

Why choose Redactable

In this article, you have learned about Adobe PDF redaction software. You can use Redactable to redact pdf files at a much lower cost than Acrobat. Best part about Redactable? It lets you redact PDF files without changing your original file format.
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Redactable Redaction Wizard:

Redactable provides:

Total and thorough redaction that is quick and secure. Redactable uses software that can handle large amounts of data while highlighting sensitive information even in subtle contexts, eliminating the hassle and uncertainty of previous redaction processes. 

Redactable introduces one-click redaction for all your PDF documents, ushering in the second generation of artificial intelligence-driven redaction software by moving past Patterned data and manual search-and-selection.

We immerse in the grey area and highlight sensitive data that would otherwise have to be manually searched or ignored because previous software could not recognize subtleties in language, effectively providing a partially redacted document with the risk of data leaks.

Benefits:

• Redactable uses Sentiment Analysis, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, which have been the subject of years of research, to provide a seamless user experience that requires little effort without sacrificing data security or accuracy.
• With an average user time of 2.5 minutes for a 10-page document, our Redaction Wizard offers One-Click redaction for multi-page documents.
• Our software prevents the introduction of any viruses to your system because it is cloud-based. Customers who want to purchase the software for their cloud can do so with the help of an enterprise package, which guarantees complete security.
• Your sensitive data, meta-data, and hidden elements are completely removed, just like that.

For businesses to keep and share their sensitive data securely becomes hassle-free with Redactable. The platform is a great web-based alternative with free and premium plans that can redact your documents with a few clicks.