Apple introduced Quick Actions with the release of macOS Mojave, which was a new feature that helped you enhance your productivity. Quick Actions allows for easy Finder access to common tasks, such as rotating an image or compiling a multitude of images into a single PDF file. It essentially uses Automator workflows to process the files.
The option to watermark PDF files is not present by default in Quick Actions, but it can be added by using a few Automator customizations. The result is the ability to watermark a PDF file easily using Finder without any additional third-party software.
Adding a watermark to a PDF file can be very helfpul. For example, if you’re making a company report and want the company logo on every page, instead of using your editing software to manually add it to every page, you can simply watermark the final PDF file.
Also read: How to Add a Watermark to your Word Documents
1. Open up Automator on your Mac. You can do this easily by searching for it in Spotlight.
2. Click on “New Document” in the bottom left. Select “Quick Action” and click Choose.
3. At the top of the Automator window in the “Workflow receives current” drop-down field, select “PDF files” from the drop-down list.
3. From the first sidebar, select “PDFs.” From the second sidebar, select (double-click) on “Watermark PDF Documents.”
4. Click on “Add” in the top-right corner and select the image you want to use as a watermark.
We recommend using a .png file with a transparent background as your watermark to ensure that there is no coloured background in your watermark.
Once the file is added, you’ll see it listed underneath “Watermarks.”
5. You’ll see the option to adjust your watermark and can adjust its offset (position), scale (size), angle and opacity. To adjust the offset, simply enter in a value in the x or y boxes which will displace the image along the x or y axes respectively.
You can also choose whether you want the watermark to be placed over or under your PDF. In most cases you’ll place over the PDF, as unless your PDF page is transparent, placing it “under” the PDF will simply hide it.
6. From the first sidebar, select “Files and Folders,” and from the second sidebar choose “Move Finder Items.”
7. In the “Move Finder Items” action, you now need to specify the location where you want your watermarked PDF files to be saved on your Mac. By clicking on the default specified location (Desktop) and selecting “Other,” you can choose a location.
8. Once you’re done, click on “File -> Save” and save the workflow using a name that is easily identifiable in Quick Actions, such as “Watermark PDF.”
Also read: How to Watermark Photos on Android
How to Watermark a PDF File in Finder
Now that we have the Quick Action set up, watermarking PDF files directly in Finder is very easy.
1. Open Finder and select the file you want to watermark.
2. Right-click on the file and select “Quick Actions.”
3. From the list, select “Watermark PDF” (or the name you specified for the Quick Action above).
4. Finder will now automatically watermark your PDF file and save it in the location you specified.
Quick Actions is a very useful tool on macOS! Did you find this tutorial helpful? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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