The macOS Preview app is an application used for simple viewing of a wide range of file formats. You can also edit PDF files with this application. If you aren't aware of the things you can do with Preview, this article will outline what Preview is and the simple steps for how to use Preview on Mac.
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Jul 21, 2016 3) This will open the PDF file in the Preview app, and you’ll see the multiple pages on the left side of the app in the sidebar. 4) Pick a page from the sidebar and then click on it to select it. We’ll be using page 2 in this document. Preview app free download - App Store Preview, Zip Preview, AppsVolcano Preview, and many more programs. Preview, search and find Mac apps from the Mac App Store right from your Mac OS.
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Operating system | macOS |
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Website | support.apple.com/guide/preview/welcome/mac |
Part of a series on |
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From version 10.0 to version 10.15: From version 11.0: |
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Preview is the vendor-supplied image viewer and PDF viewer of the macOS operating system. In addition to viewing and printing digital images and Portable Document Format (PDF) files, it can also edit these media types. It employs the Aqua graphical user interface, the Quartz graphics layer, and the ImageIO and Core Image frameworks.
History[edit]
Like macOS, Preview originated in the NeXTSTEP operating system by NeXT,[1][2] where it was part of every release since 1989.
Supported file types[edit]
Preview can open the following file types:
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The version of Preview included with OS X 10.3 (Panther) could play animated GIF images, for which an optional button could be added to the toolbar. As of OS X 10.4 (Tiger), Preview lost playback functionality and animated GIF files are display as individual frames in a numbered sequence.[3][4]
Features[edit]
Editing PDF documents[edit]
Preview can encrypt PDF documents, and restrict their use; for example, it is possible to save an encrypted PDF so that a password is required to copy data from the document, or to print it. However, encrypted PDFs cannot be edited further, so the original author should always keep an unencrypted version.
Some features which are otherwise only available in professional PDF editing software are provided by Preview: It is possible to extract single pages out of multi-page documents (e.g. PDF files), sort pages, and drag & drop single or multiple pages between several opened multi-page documents, or into other applications, such as attaching to an opened email message.
Editing images[edit]
Preview offers basic image correction tools using Core Image processing technology implemented in macOS, and other features like shape extraction, color extraction, cropping, and rotation tools. When annotating images, Preview uses vector shapes and text until the image is rasterized to JPEG, PNG or another bitmap format. PDF and image documents can also be supplied with keywords, and are then automatically indexed using macOS's system-wide Spotlight search engine.
Import and export[edit]
Preview can directly access image scanners supported by macOS and import images from the scanner. Preview can convert between image formats; it can export to BMP, JP2, JPEG, PDF, PICT, PNG, SGI, TGA, and TIFF. Using macOS's print engine (based on CUPS) it is also possible to 'print into' a Postscript file, a PDF-X file or directly save the file in iPhoto, for example scanned photos.
Beginning with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Preview restricts the Format option popup menu in the Save As dialog to commonly used types. It is possible to access the full format list by holding down the Option key when clicking the Format popup menu.[5] (GIF, ICNS, JPEG, JPEG-2000, Microsoft BMP, Microsoft Icon, OpenEXR, PDF, Photoshop, PNG, SGI, TGA, TIFF)
New features in Version 7[edit]
Preview 7.0 screenshot
A new 'edit button' where the picture can be edited is introduced in Version 7. The 'edit button' allows options to insert shapes, lines, do cropping, and among other things.
Issues[edit]
As of OS X 10.9.2, Preview does not support ISO-standardized PDF (ISO 32000), and when saving, destroys aspects of PDF files without warning to the user.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^NeXTSTEP promotional brochure from 1995.
- ^'The many superpowers of Apple's Preview app: Part 1'. Macworld. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
- ^Use Preview to play animated GIFs
- ^Preview for Mac: View animated GIF files in Preview
- ^'Convert Images in Mac OS X: JPG to GIF, PSD to JPG, GIF to JPG, BMP to JPG, PNG to PDF, and more'. OS X Daily. 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ^Duff Johnson. 'Apple's Preview: Still not safe for work'. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
External links[edit]
- AppleInsider review from 2003
- MacProNews article: PDF and Panther: The Hidden Role of PDF in Mac OS X 10.3 from July 2004
- Sams Publishing sample chapter on Preview from Mac OS X Panther Applications and Utilities. Includes some instructions for use, with screenshots.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Preview_(macOS)&oldid=963000274'
Preview is the default application in macOS for image files, like JPG and PNG, and PDF files. While it's primary purpose offers you a quick and easy way to see various documents, it has several pretty cool editing and markup features you may not even be know are there.
How to view photos and PDFs in Preview on Mac
Preview is the default app for viewing images and PDF files on your Mac. So, any time you double-click on, or otherwise launch, one of those files, it'll open in Preview.
If, for some reason, another app has taken over responsibility for a certain file type, and you want to give it back to Preview, you make the change right in the Finder.
- Right/Control - click on the file you want to open.
- Hover on Open With…
- Click Preview
How to crop documents in Preview on Mac
Preview can help you do some simple edit your photos and PDFs.
- Open the file you want to crop in Preview.
- Click the Show Markup Toolbar button. It's the button with the little toolbox icon.
- Click, hold, and drag on the file to create a selection.
- Click, hold, and drag on any of the blue dots to resize the selection if needed.
- Use the Command - K keyboard shortcut to crop the image.
How to show markup tools in Preview on Mac
Preview has several tools to choose from to edit your photos including Selection, Sketch, Text, Color Adjust, and more. You just need to show the Markup Toolbar to see them all.
- Open the file you want in Preview.
- Click the Show Markup Toolbar button. It's the button with the little toolbox icon.
How to highlight PDFs in Preview on Mac
- Open the PDF you want to highlight in Preview.
- Click the Highlight button.
- Select the text you want to highlight.
- Repeat as necessary.
How to annotate a document in Preview on Mac
Preview can allow you do various different types of annotations to documents, so whether you're going through a draft of a proposal or marking papers, you can make all the notes and marks you want.
- Open the file you want to annotate in Preview.
- Click Tools in the top menu bar.
- Hover over Annotate
- Click on the type of annotation you wish to perform.
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From here you have a few options of what you can do, here's a quick breakdown.
Highlight Text
Allows you to highlight any selected text.
Underline Text
Allows you to underline any selected text.
Strike Through Text
Allows you to strike through any selected text.
Rectangle
Places a rectangular on the document, which you can move around and resize.
Oval
Mac app black friday 2019. Terminal server on mac. Places an oval on the document, which you can move around and resize.
Line
Places a line on the document, which you can move around and resize.
Arrow
Places an arrow on the document, which you can move around and resize.
Polygon
Places a Polygon on the document, which you can move around and resize.
Star
Places a Star on the document, which you can move around and resize.
Text
Places a Text box on the document.
Speech Bubble
Places a Text box on the document, which you can type a message inside the bubble.
Mask
Places a layer mask on the document, so you can make a passage stand out.
Loupe
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Creates a magnifying circle, perfect for calling out small icons.
Note
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Creates a note, so you can leave comments.
How to add your signature to a document in Preview on Mac
If you ever type up letters or need to sign a digital contract you can save your signature in Preview and then add it to any document you want. You can add your signature using a the trackpad or even using the built-in camera.
- Open the file you want to sign in Preview.
- Sign your name on a piece of white paper
- Click the Show Markup Toolbar button. It's the button with the little toolbox icon.
- Click the Sign button.
- Click Camera
- Hold that **signed paper* up to the camera.
- Click Done.
- Click your signature.
- Reposition and resize the signature to your liking
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How to share documents from Preview on Mac
- Open the file you want to share in Preview.
- Click the Share button.
- Choose the option you want. Your choices include:
- Messages
- AirDrop
- Notes
Questions?
Anything else you'd like to know about Preview? Let us know in the comments below.
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