How to insert image in PDF

Would you like to modify the content of a PDF file by adding an image to it? Have you drawn up a document in PDF format and would like to imprint a signature on it to protect it from tampering? No problem, these are two extremely simple operations to complete, the important thing is to rely on the right software.

I know, at this point you are already thinking of very expensive PDF editors or other super-professional software … but no! To insert images into PDF files, just use some free software freely available on the Net, many of which have very little to envy to paid programs. Impossible, you say? So take five minutes of free time and try to follow the tips I’m about to give you.

In no time at all, you will learn how to insert image into PDF on major computer operating systems and even on smartphones and tablets. All at no cost … or almost. I bet you will be surprised by the quality of the results you will be able to obtain and the simplicity with which you will obtain them. Come on, roll up your sleeves and get to work right away: there are PDFs that need to be edited!

Index

• How to insert image in PDF on computer
  • How to insert image in PDF on Windows
  • How to insert image into PDF Mac
  • How to insert image in PDF online
• How to insert PDF image into Word
• How to insert PDF image in AutoCAD
• How to insert image signature in PDF
• App to insert image in PDF

How to insert image in PDF on computer

If you need to insert an image in PDF on a computer, my advice is to rely on LibreOffice: if you have never heard of it, it is a complete, open-source and free office suite, available for Windows, macOS and Linux, which includes a series of programs used to create and modify documents of various types. As for PDF documents, the component of the suite to rely on to edit them is LibreOffice Draw.

How to insert image in PDF on Windows

To download and install LibreOffice on Windows, connected to the suite home page, click on the Download xyz version button and wait for the software installation package to be copied to your computer. When the download is complete, start the file obtained and follow the wizard that appears on the screen: click on the Next button, put the checkmark next to the item  Typical, if not already there, press the Next button again and complete the setup, click on  Install,  Yes and  Finish.

After completing the installation of LibreOffice, start the program, click on the Open file button located in the left sidebar and, using the File Explorer window, choose the PDF document to act on. Within a few seconds, Draw should automatically open.

Now, to insert an image into the document, click on the Insert> Image … menu (in alo), choose the photo to include in the document, using the next screen and, having made your selection, drag it to the exact point where you want to insert it using the mouse.

If needed, you can change its size using the indicators that appear on the edges and act on parameters such as the level of transparency, the alignment of the text and other details of this type using the functions available in the right sidebar.

Unlike Word files, where text automatically adapts to images, in PDFs edited with LibreOffice you have to manually set the position and arrangement of the text; in fact, each line is treated as a separate block of text.

To work around this problem, move or resize the text blocks with the mouse (you can also select multiple blocks at the same time), change the font size or just go back and forth. It is not very comfortable, I know, but with a little practice I assure you that you can get excellent results.

At the end of the changes, to save your document in PDF format, click on the disk icon located at the top left (the white sheet with the red Adobe Reader logo) and choose the folder in which to export the file.

How to insert image into PDF Mac

The procedure to install LibreOffice on macOS is slightly longer than the one seen for Windows, since, in addition to the actual program, it is necessary to install the Italian translation package.

In any case, to proceed, connected to this website, click first on the  Download the xyz version button and then on the Translated user interface button, in order to download both the necessary files.

When the download is complete, launch the first downloaded file (eg  LibreOffice_xx_MacOS_x86-64.dmg ) and, using the window that appears on the screen, drag the LibreOffice icon to the Applications folder on the Mac. Then, access this folder, right-click on the icon you just copied and press  Open twice in a row, in order to overcome the restrictions imposed by Apple on non-certified developers.

After starting the program for the first time (and consequently creating the related folders and configuration files), close its main window by pressing the combination of keys cmd + q or by going to the LibreOffice menu  > Exit LibreOffice.

Then start the package containing the translated interface downloaded just now (eg LibreOffice_xx_MacOS_x86_64_langpack_it.dmg ), right-click on the executable you find inside and press Open twice to start it. At this point, click on the Install button, put the checkmark next to the item  / Applications / LibreOffice.app from the window that opens, click again on the Install button and, if necessary, click on Yes, identify me and type the password of the your user account on macOS, to install the language pack. If everything went well, you should have translated the LibreOffice interface into Italian.

Finally we are there: once the translation of the program is completed, start it, click on the Open file … button located in the left sidebar, choose the PDF document on which to act through the Finder window and wait for the Draw program to open the chosen file. From this moment on, you can proceed in an almost identical way to what we saw for Windows, as the interface is practically the same.

How to insert image in PDF online

If you don’t feel like installing new programs on your PC, you can insert image into PDF  using  PDFEscape, a free online service that allows you to edit PDF files directly in your browser. It works with all the most popular navigation programs, does not require registration and allows you to process any document with a maximum number of 100 pages and/or a maximum weight of 10MB.

Its only real limitation is that it does not allow you to modify or move the texts, so it should only be used if the images to be inserted in the document do not affect the readability of the texts.

To find out how it works, linked to its home page, click on  Upload PDF to PDFescape and drag the PDF to be edited into the browser window, or click on the Choose file button to select it manually.

Now, select the page where you want to insert the image, click on the Image button located in the left sidebar and drag the photo to add to the PDF in the box that opens or insert it manually using the Choose file button.

Once the upload is complete (it should take a few moments), click on the point on the page where you want to insert the image and use the indicators that appear on the edges to resize it. Repeat for all the images you want to insert in the PDF and that’s it.

When you are satisfied with the result, click on the green icon with the two white arrows located in the left sidebar and the output document will be downloaded immediately to your PC.

Note:  PDFEscape is not the only PDF editor available online. There are also other sites that allow you to edit a PDF file online. Check out my post on the subject to find out more.

How to insert PDF image into Word

If you’ve created a PDF image and want to insert it into Word, you can use the software’s Insert Object function. To use it, start the program, create a  new document (or open the document in which you want to add the image), position yourself on the exact point where you want to insert the photo and click on the Insert tab, which resides in the upper toolbar.

Now, click on the Object button located at the top right (the icon of the white rectangle with the blue borders ), move to the Create from file tab, press the Browse button … and select the PDF image to insert in the document. Finally, make sure that the Link to file and Display as icon boxes are not checked and press the OK button, to add the chosen image.

If you wish, you can resize the image by “grabbing” it by the small squares located on the edges. To learn more about the subject, feel free to check out my guide on how to insert a PDF into Word.

How to insert PDF image in AutoCAD

If you need to insert a PDF image in AutoCAD and modify its distinctive features (useful if you have, for example, a vector in PDF format), you can use the “direct” import function introduced in the most recent versions of the program.

To be able to do this, start AutoCAD and, after creating a new drawing (or opening an existing drawing, depending on your needs), click on the button with an  A located at the top left, to call up the main menu of the software.

Then select the Import item, then the Import PDF option and choose the file to add to the drawing. Then indicate the number of pages and the characteristics/data to be imported and click on the OK button to start the process: once the import is complete, you can act on the elements of the PDF using the CAD tools.

However, if you are interested superimpose a PDF file to your drawing, like a raster image, click on the tab  Insert, then on the button  Attach and, after setting the drop-down menu type files to  PDF, select the document that interests you add as underlay.

Finally, using the next screen, indicate the number of pages to be submitted to the document, the insertion point and any scaling and rotation factors.

How to insert image signature in PDF

If you need to insert image signature in PDF I suggest you use the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC program, which is  Adobe’s official and free solution designed for reading documents in PDF format, which, among other things, also allows you to sign them with an existing image.

To download the software, connected to this web page, remove the checkmark from the items relating to  McAfee Security Scan and  McAfee Safe Connect or any other promotional program in the central pane of the page and click on the Download Acrobat Reader button, to download the package program installation.

When the download is complete, if you are using  Windows, launch the file obtained (e.g. readerdc_it_xa_crd_install.exe ) and click on the Yes button, to start the automatic installation of the software (which should be completed within a few minutes). At the end of the installation, click on the Finish button to exit the setup and start Acrobat Reader.

If, on the other hand, you are using a Mac, open the .dmg package obtained previously, double-click on the .pkg format file that you find inside and wait a few minutes for the program installation files to be downloaded and installed on your computer. Once this procedure is completed, press the Finish button and that’s it. To find out more about the steps to take to download Adobe Reader, I invite you to read the guide I have dedicated to the subject.

Once you have reached the main program screen, click on the File> Open … menu  (top left), to open the PDF file of your interest, then click on the Tools tab and then on the icon with  a pencil symbol (  Compile and signature ): at this point, click again on the Fill and sign button and, later, on the Signature button that appears in the upper toolbar.

Now, select the Add signature item that appears in the menu displayed on the screen, go to the Image tab and, using the next screen, select the image file that contains your signature. Finally, put the checkmark next to the Save signature item, click on the Apply button and, moving the mouse, decide where to place the newly imported signature in the PDF.

To learn more, check out my guide on how to insert image signature on PDF.

How to apply a watermark

If, on the other hand, you prefer to insert your “signature” in the form of a watermark, that is, as a logo to be imprinted on all pages of the document, you can use  PDFill FREE PDF Tools, a software for Windows that can apply various changes type to PDF documents (including adding watermarks).

To download it on your PC, connected to its official website and first click on the Download now button which is located under the heading  Get FREE basic version and then on the same button located in the center of the page that opens.

When the download is complete, open the PDFill_FREE_PDF_Editor_Basic.exe file that you just downloaded on your PC and click first on  Yes and then on  Next. Then put the checkmark next to the item  I accept the terms in the License Agreement, click on the Next button and put the checkmark next to the item Free PDFill PDF Tools (No Watermark), leaving the others unchecked, in order to install only the program you need.

Finally, click on the Next button two more consecutive times and then on Install and  Finish, in order to complete the software installation process. If you are asked to download  GhostScript and  .Net Framework, accept: these are two essential software for the correct functioning of PDFill FREE PDF Tools (both free and safe).

At the end of the setup, start the program and click on the Add watermark by Image button. Select, therefore, the PDF on which to operate, choose the image to use as a watermark and adjust the settings relating to the position and size of the latter.

By typing a percentage in the Width and  Height fields you can adjust the size of the logo, while putting the checkmark next to the  Center of the page item or next to the Any position item you can choose whether to imprint the logo in the center of each page or in a more position. decentralized (adjusting it more precisely through the Left and  Bottom fields  ).

Finally, click on the Save as button, choose the folder in which to save the output file and wait a few seconds for the export of the document to be completed.

If you want, by clicking on the  Add watermark by text button of PDFill FREE PDF Tools you can add a text watermark (therefore a text instead of an image) to all the pages of your document. The choice is yours.

If you are using a Mac, you can watermark PDFs without resorting to external software or better, using the Automator utility which is included “standard” in all versions of the operating system and which can be called up via the Launchpad.

All you have to do is open Automator and create a new workflow using the following combination of actions.

• PDF documents with watermark, whereby clicking on the Add button you have to select the logo to insert in your PDFs and using the x  and y options you have to specify its position within the documents. To resize the watermark and make it semi-transparent use the Scale and  Opacity adjustment bars.
• Copy Finder items, wherein the drop-down menu  A:  you must indicate the default path in which to save the output files (eg  Desktop ) while clicking on the Options button and placing the checkmark next to the option  Show this action when the workflow is in progress you can make the service ask you from time to time where to save the output files.

Finally, set the PDF value in the drop-down menu  The service processes the selection of  (above), go to the File menu  > Save and save the service by assigning it the name you prefer (eg  Imprint PDF watermark ).

At this point, all you have to do is select a PDF (or multiple PDFs at the same time) by right-clicking and choosing the name of the script you just created from the macOS Services menu. Then select the folder in which to save the output files and wait for your PDFs complete with watermarks to be created.

App to insert image in PDF

If you prefer to insert images in PDFs using your smartphone or tablet, know that there are applications that allow you to directly edit documents of this type, performing multiple operations, including adding notes, images and watermarks. Here are some of them.

• Xodo PDF( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – is, in my opinion, one of the most complete PDF editors available for free mobile platforms.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – is the official Adobe application that, among its many features, allows you to sign PDF documents, even with images already present in the device memory. It’s free.
• eZ PDF Reader( Android ) – this is an application that can perform multiple operations on PDF files, including adding images. The app can be tried for free for 15 days, after which it is necessary to purchase the full version (which costs € 3.99).
• Notability( iOS / iPadOS ) – is an app that allows you to add annotations and other elements to PDF files, including images. It costs € 9.99.