Add Text Comment - fades and grays out

[leasehound]

I've used the "Add Text Comment" feature for years with no problem, but now when I've finished putting in the text and leave the box the letters fade and gray.  I've tried everything I can find in the format bar.  When the box is active, the text is perfect.  When the box is not active the text washes out similar to as being set behind an image.  I tried the Chat Tech, but that was very time absorbent and proved to be totally useless. 

Help please?  Any ideas?

[Dave__M · Accepted solution]

I just tried to recreate this issue on my Acrobat XI installation (Windows), and could not get it to behave like yours.  I have heard of a similar bug in earlier versions of Acrobat.  I would recommend you report this as a possible bug in Acrobat XI using the following link:

Adobe Acrobat - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

If something else comes to mind, I'll be sure to let you know here.

My best,

Dave

[Barb Binder]

Did you look at pop-up opacity in Preferences > Commenting?

Pop-up Opacity

Determines the opacity of comment pop-up notes in values from 1 to 100. When a pop-up note is open but not selected, an opacity value of 100 makes the note opaque, while lower values make it more transparent.

—Commenting in PDFs, Adobe Acrobat DC

[leasehound]

Thank you, but that doesn't fix it.  I checked that.  My problem is the typewriter feature.  I'm not sure they call it that anymore, but that's the only feature where I have a fading problem. 

I also went to the register to check the dopacity, but it was set at less than 1.  I'm not seeing anything in preferences that specifically refers to the typewriter.

I appreciate you trying.  I need this for work so I'm getting at the end of my rope.  😕

[Barb Binder]

What version are you on?

Typewriter Tool Opacity Bug

Typewriter tool - text color after entry fades from color selected? 

Typewriter Tool's Text color is no longer black

[leasehound]

Pro 11

[Dave__M · Accepted solution]

I just tried to recreate this issue on my Acrobat XI installation (Windows), and could not get it to behave like yours.  I have heard of a similar bug in earlier versions of Acrobat.  I would recommend you report this as a possible bug in Acrobat XI using the following link:

Adobe Acrobat - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

If something else comes to mind, I'll be sure to let you know here.

My best,

Dave

[Barb Binder]

I couldn't recreate it either. I'd go ahead and report it, leasehound

[leasehound]

I will.  Thank you both.

[sdc44227731]

This is NOT a correct answer. It just says that he can't recreate it on his version. It happens on the cloud version, and is really annoying.

[austinh46164382]

Hi, I work in IT and have had several users come to me with this issue as well. This may not have been your issue, but I've noticed that they're using the Commenting tool as a means to add text to a PDF, rather than using the Edit PDF option. I'm assuming this is why your text is appearing to show as grey, since it's not text on the PDF per say, but rather a comment.

Try using the Edit PDF tool instead of the commenting tool to accomplish your text goal and see if that solves your issue.

Goodluck!

[Jess5FC5]

i have this issue when specifically using the comment feature to add text to the white space in a document. i am not trying to edit the document, thus your fix doesn't work for me. i need to be able to add comments that are not sticky notes - comments that live on the document - but they become transparent when clicking out of the box. 

[Michelle31179753c37d]

@good_RocketB837 - bless you. The faded text has been driving me insane for a month now. I'm so accustomed to using the comment feature "Add Text" for years! Everything showed up perfeectly when I switched to Edit PDF as you mentioned! It never occurred to me to even open the Edit PDF. 🙂 Ty ty!!

[PCEmily]

Hopefully you've found a fix for this issue since posting. I'm running Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and an update in the last month has started doing this to me too, it worked perfectly before. It doesn't give the option to set opacity on comments. Here's my work around: Put the text in a text box (set background & boarders to white) instead of a comment. Text boxes don't fade out. This won't work if you're trying to get close to other text and your white backgroud box starts covering the document text, but it's something. 

[NutritionNut]

I've been having this problem for a few years now as well. Please find a fix to this!

[stanobethere]

It's been happening to me for over a year and I'm certain there must be a fix and not just a work around.

Can Adobe please reply to all of their users who experience the issue while using their app?

[Mark5CFE]

This issue just started happening to me also. Has NEVER happened before. Just started all of a sudden.

And, no, the answer that mentioned it is just because you are commenting is irrelevant. I expect to have my comments visble when marking up a set to be corrected by the author. They should be visible.

This is one of the reasons I HATE Adobe Acrobat. Bluebeam is soooo much better for marking up drawings, but my company only has Acrobat. 

[sharroun5E1B]

I ran into this problem as well--so frustrating! There are 2 other ways you can add text to your document, without the text being faded. 

DO USE:

Tools menu, Content Editing section, Add Text. Click anywhere in document. This is a text box with no fill (transparent background)

Comment menu, Drawing Markups section, Add Text Box. Insert the box in document. This is a text box with white background fill.

DON'T USE:

Fill & Sign menu, Add Text. This is a "comment" text, and show in faded text. 

Comment menu, Annotations section, Add Text comment. This will show in faded text. 

[Mech Engineer]

I ran into this same problem the other day, after making thousands of text comments without issue. I finally figured out what happened. I think I managed to accidentally group a text comment with a rectangle that I then changed the opacity on. This also changed the text opacity and set the default text opacity to be 50 percent.

I fixed the problem by selecting a rectangle comment, cntrl-right clicking on the text comment and selecting "Group" from the pop-up menu. Select the rectangle again, which will select the grouped text comment as well. Pick the change color circle and then change the opacity to 100 percent. Right click on the rectangle again and select "Ungroup". Now, if you create a new text comment, it won't be under-intensified. Weird, I know, but it fixed my problem.

[koliv12]

YES! This did it for me. Not OP, but THANK YOU!

[John Pavliga]

Thank you so much for solving this issue!  I've had this problem follow me around for the past several YEARS at two different jobs.  Finally a solution.

[Karen23775293m4jv]

I cannot do any of the suggestions. Any other ideas? I set the Pop-up Opacity to 100 that was all I could do. 😞

[sFL]

the solution provided above worked for me too

i could not select the Textcomment in the document tho, so i just selected the Popups (Comment 1 comment 2) on the right sidebar by holding ctrl+RMB

then in the docuemtent both have been selected, grouped them (option not available in the sidebar) and changed some colorsettings. i ungrouped them and the textcomment was not faded and works like normal again.

genious

[Carolina Biazzetto]

Thank you very much! I was trying to solve this problem for ages....

[kay_1484]

What do you mean by a "rectangle comment?"   Do you mean a text box?  If so I don't have the option to group in a drop down. 

[Info27778376q2vk]

I have no idea to fix this, but I use "Add text box", then type my text, click outside, right click on the box, go to "Properties", change the "Border Color" to white, and 100% Opacity, and tick the box for "Make Properties default".