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Question

How can I edit scans of handwriting

by Jun 13, 2011 5:04AM PDT

Ok so when we were teenagers me and my best friend wrote each other lots of letters. I am now involved in a project where I need to scan in the handwritten letters, and then anonymize them somehow. I scan them in as pdfs. I need to be able to blur out names and then replace them with code names. It doesn't matter if it doesn't look that great, just so long as I can quickly and easy cover over the names and then write something on the top. Has anyone got any idea of any software I could use to do this?

Discussion is locked

5 Posts
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Answer
Photoshop can do it
by Jun 13, 2011 6:39AM PDT

Open Photoshop, hit command-N (for new file), make it 11 by 8.5 inches, grayscale, 150 to 300 dpi resolution, hit OK. Then go to "File", choose "place" and in the dialog box choose a file from your archive. Hit "Open". The scan will now be placed as a layer into your new file window in Photoshop. Double click on it to place and make the grid disappear. Now go to "layers" and choose "Flatten image". You now have your scan in Photoshop that can be edited. You can just wipe out names using brush tool with white color and then add a text box and type a new name. Then hit "Save" and you can choose any format you want including pdf again.

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or if you want to do it the Free and Easy way,
by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Jun 15, 2011 1:35AM PDT

open the scanned PDF document in Preview.
Use Preview's annotating tools to add a text box over the top of the text you want to hide.
Type what you need into this text box.
Save the edited document as PDF, it will default to that, and you are good to go.

P

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Great!
by macnerd10 Jun 15, 2011 7:57AM PDT

Should be much easier indeed!

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Thank you!
by SuzyCat Jun 15, 2011 4:57PM PDT

Thank you for your replies. I can get it to work using photoshop, but I can't get it to work using preview (due to my own stupidity!!) If I use annotation then I get a speech bubble over where I want to type a name, and then the box off to the side. Am I using the wrong thing?

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Possibly.
by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Jun 15, 2011 10:04PM PDT

open the scan in Preview
In the Menubar, Tools > Annotate > Add Text

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