Adobe adds new Acrobat extension PDF tools in Google Chrome
The updates let Google Chrome users alter PDF documents by adding comments, markups, highlights, signatures and image cropping all from the browser window.
Adobe upgraded its Acrobat extension for Google Chrome by adding new tools for users to alter a PDF's text and images directly from the browser. The tools are available now with a free seven-day trial or with the purchase of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, starting at $19.99 per month.
Adobe in 2021 released its Acrobat extension for Google Chrome and integrated Acrobat PDF tools with Google Drive. The free version of Adobe Acrobat extension for Google Chrome let users modify PDF documents by adding comments, markups and signatures.
Saving time by staying in the browser
The new subscription-only PDF capabilities in Acrobat extension for Chrome -- released on April 11 -- include editing text and images; converting PDFs to Microsoft Word document files and web pages to PDFs; and rotating, deleting and reordering PDF pages, all from the Chrome browser.
In addition to text formatting, the new tools within the extension also let users alter images, with options to crop, flip, replace or resize the graphic.
"Anything that reduces context switching improves the user experience and improves productivity," said IDC analyst Holly Muscolino.
Time spent switching between applications was ranked number one in an IDC poll asking digital workspace leaders to name the top efficiency challenges for their workers, according to Muscolino.
The new tools in the Acrobat extension for Chrome lets users save time while making changes to browser-based PDFs that are posted on an intranet or portal, Muscolino said.
"The application may streamline collaboration. The user does not need to download, edit, and upload or email the revised file," she said.
Adobe Acrobat extension for Chrome lets users edit text in a PDF while staying in the browser.
The continuing reign of PDF format
Other browser companies such as Microsoft also are noticing the continued prevalence of PDF documents, which were invented by Adobe in the early 1990s.
In February, Adobe revealed a new partnership with Microsoft to integrate Acrobat's PDF tools into Microsoft's Edge browser with the Adobe extension for Edge.
The browser developers themselves are slowly upgrading their support for PDF. So it's not surprising to see other companies investing in PDF-on-the-web as well.
Duff JohnsonCEO, PDF Association
"The browser developers themselves are slowly upgrading their support for PDF. So it's not surprising to see other companies investing in PDF-on-the-web as well," said Duff Johnson, CEO of the PDF Association. "The industry knows that demand for PDFs on the web is only going up."
Adobe Acrobat is widely known for its PDF editing platforms. Its name continues to dominate even while there are other document readers available, such as Sumatra PDF, which is free and open source, according to Dash Research analyst Keith Kirkpatrick.
"Acrobat has a built-in advantage in the market," Kirkpatrick said. "Its PDF technology is synonymous with the company and product names."
Mary Reines is a news writer covering customer experience and unified communications for TechTarget Editorial. Before TechTarget, Reines was arts editor at the Marblehead Reporter.
