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Inspiring
March 17, 2020
Question

How to change files text in Photoshop or Ilustrator?

  • March 17, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 682 views

Perhaps this is obvious for experienced users, but, for my training, for example, if client/s gave you files with flyers, leaflets or business design, and wanted some changes to be made to the wording, would I apply these changes in photoshop or Illustrator?

 

If the file is a .pdf file what program is used to change it?

Also, what is used for changing  .Ai files?

 

How can you tel the font and size of the clients wording to then match it?

 

I noticed that when i have tried to practice this in Photoshop, the photoshop text button does not match the results already on the flyer and the only two options are horizontal or vertical but no way to know the font of the text already on the flyer?

How can i change the colour of the text to match the original and make it seamless into their originaltext etc?

 

Also, when i try to use the edit-replace text bar it either doesn't work altogether or it says no word found either though the word is right there?

 

Im not sure if all this should be done in photoshop or rather should be done in illustrator?

 

Also, if a person sends a text in .ai and requests editing done in photoshop what do you do?

 

I appreciate any help.

Thanks

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

jane-e
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 17, 2020

Hi

If they give you a .psd, edit it in Photoshop.

If they give you an .ai, edit it in Illustrator.

 

If it's a PDF, it depends. Best practice is to edit in the source file and make a new PDF. That being said, editing in Acrobat became pleasant in Acrobat XI and is quite nice in Acrobat DC.

 

If the file came from Illustrator and maintained Illustrator capabilities during the Save As > PDF, then you can edit the PDF with Illustrator. They are both based on the PostScript©.

 

Open one of your PDFs and go to File > Document Properties. Show us a screen shot from this section.

 

Not all PDFs are made by Adobe, and those made by other applications may not be easy to edit. Some folks make proper PDFs and some don't.

 

"How can you tel the font and size of the clients wording to then match it?"

In Photoshop and Illustrator, use the Type tool (T) and click in the text. Look in the character panel or the bar at the top (options bar in PS; Control panel in Illustrator). In Acrobat, use the Edit PDF tool > Edit tab and click an insertion point in the text to see what was used (Format section). The text will flow within a frame, but not across frames or pages in Acrobat.

 

 

"Change the color"

This is easier in PS and AI because there is an eyedropper tool. In Acrobat it's harder, but if you are editing, it will pick up the current color.

 

"Edit-Replace"

Which program? And is it text or does it just look like text?

 

"text in ai > edit in ps"

I would try both and tell the person why Illustrator works better!

Some of these are generic answers. Start a new thread for each specific issue with screenshots, but ask again here for clarification.

 

~Jane

 

Inspiring
March 17, 2020

Thanks for your help Jane.

 

Which program? And is it text or does it just look like text?

How would i know the difference please?

 

There seems to be no comments that i can see.

All they have wrote is to "change the information and add some new information on the attached PDFs"

Then they provided 1 x pdf file 1 x ai file (same writing and layout) and 1 x jpg which has some new wording that they wanted added.

 

This is the screenshot:

 

 

 

Mylenium
Legend
March 17, 2020

An AI file is by its nature an Illustrator file, so edit it there if you have the program. The rest is 100% irrelevant. PDFs are not meant for editing, of course there will be differences in how e.g. Photoshop rasterizes images vs. how Acrobat displays text and so on. PDF "text" may not evcen be searchable/ editable text and be made up of individual characters, so it's natural that sometimes search & replace won't work. Anything you do to actually edit PDF content more or less qualifies as atrocious hacking (outside the dedicated functions of specific PDF tools for print production). The rest is about communicating with your client and previous agencies as well as obtaining native InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop files to implement your changes if and when possible. Again, mucking around with PDFs has its limitations and isn't a viable workflow to the point where most people will simply re-create the artwork from scratch to have full control over it.

 

Mylenium

Inspiring
March 17, 2020

Thankyou Mylenium,

 

So just to confirm, does this mean the client has made a mistake if the client requests " Change the information on the attached PDF's" with Photoshop and then the attached files they send are  1 x ai file and 1 x pdf file?

 

Both files have the same exact information so I'm not understanding what/why he wants changed the pdf?

 

Legend
March 17, 2020

PDF is an output format. If the design was created in Illustrator, use that and output a new PDF with the edits.