Skip to main content
B
Bert_AT
Participant
October 27, 2022
Question

Quality loss after redacting

  • October 27, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 1524 views

Hello community,

 

I have a problem with quality loss when saving PDF's:

 

I have a scanned PDF (created with the Android app "Adobe Scan") in which I would like to redact certain passages. As you know, the PDF must be saved as a new file after blackening. Unfortunately, the file is automatically reduced in size when saved. As a result, my redacted documents are very often very blurred.

 

The original files from the app, on the other hand, are very sharp.


Is there a way to disable automatic file compression after redacting?

 

I know that normally the compression can be controlled with a tick in the "Save As" dialog. Unfortunately, this checkmark does not exist when saving after redacting...

 

Attached is a scanned, sharp original file, as well as the blackened but blurred processed version.

 

Thanks in advance,

best regards,

Robert

2 replies

ZillyH26
ZillyH26
Participant
March 3, 2026

Were you ever able to solve this issue? I’m having it now.

JR Boulay
Community Expert
JR BoulayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 3, 2026

Do not use the ‘Sanitize...’ option after redacting the document, as this will cause it to be recompressed without any settings available to configure it.

After redacting, cancel the save-as operation suggested by Acrobat and instead choose Save as Other: Optimized PDF. This function allows you to choose the (re)compression settings.

Please note that whether or not you use the “Do not remove overlapping content while sanitizing document” option in Preferences does not really change the appareance problem, even if it slightly changes the size of the resulting document.

 

 

Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
T
Tom28009858d7ro
Known Participant
November 6, 2024

What you describe sounds like it might be caused by sanitization.

 

Firstly run one of your affected files through this free check. It will highlight pages where sanitization has caused the sort of degradation that you describe. http://pdf-analyser.edpsciences.org/

 

Also read this. https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/acrobat/kb/prevent-file-size-increase-after-sanitizing-pdf.html

 

BTW - the it is not about redaction, Adobe got the page title wrong.

 

 

S_S
Community Manager
S_SCommunity Manager
Community Manager
February 20, 2025

Hi @Tom28009858d7ro,

 

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for writing in!

 

Would you mind sharing more info about the page title and the changes you suggest? I can get it through with the concerned team for review and changed.

Please send me the necessary information over a private message. To do so, click on my profile name followed by the blue "Send Message" button on the next page.


-Souvik

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices