Adobe Acrobat facts for kids
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| Developer(s) | Adobe | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Initial release | June 15, 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Desktop publishing | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| License | Proprietary (freeware or trialware) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Adobe Acrobat is a group of computer programs and online tools made by Adobe Inc.. These tools help people work with Portable Document Format (PDF) files. You can use them to look at, create, change, print, and organize PDF documents.
The main parts of Adobe Acrobat are Acrobat Reader, Acrobat Pro, and Acrobat.com. Acrobat Reader is free and lets you view, print, and add notes to PDF files. It works on many computers and mobile devices. Acrobat Pro is a paid version that lets you do much more. With Acrobat Pro, you can create new PDF files, edit existing ones, change them into other file types, and even add digital signatures. Acrobat.com offers online services for managing and sharing files.
Contents
What Adobe Acrobat Does
Adobe Acrobat is mostly used for making, viewing, and editing PDF documents. You can take documents or pictures from other programs and save them as PDFs. It can also turn things you scan, websites, or even text you've copied into a PDF.
Once a PDF document is made, it's like a digital printout. This means it's not easy to completely change how the document is laid out. Acrobat can help you change words or pictures inside a PDF. But it won't automatically rearrange the whole document if you add or remove a lot of text. You can also use Acrobat to crop pages, change their order, add links, sign documents digitally, or hide certain parts of the PDF.
History of Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat first came out in 1993. Back then, it had to compete with other programs that also wanted to create digital documents. Over the years, Adobe has changed the names of its Acrobat products many times. They have also combined, separated, or stopped offering some of them.
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Document Cloud
In 2015, Adobe started using the "Document Cloud" name. This showed that their programs were now using cloud storage and online services more. Programs under this new name got a "DC" added to their names. For example, "Reader" became "Acrobat Reader" again. Many of the features from Acrobat.com were moved into the desktop and mobile apps.
The way Acrobat looks changed a lot with Acrobat DC in 2015. Since then, the version numbers are based on the year they were released. For example, "DC June 2016" was a version from 2016. Adobe now offers two ways to get updates: "Classic" and "Continuous." Classic updates happen less often and don't add new features. Continuous updates happen more often and are installed automatically.
In September 2020, Adobe added a new feature called "Liquid Mode." This uses AI to make documents easier to read on phones.
Adobe Acrobat Products
Current Services
- Acrobat.com is the online version of Acrobat. You can use it in a web browser to edit, create, and manage PDF files. You need an Adobe ID to use it.
- Acrobat Distiller is a program that changes documents from a special format called PostScript into PDF files.
- Acrobat Pro is the full, professional version of Acrobat. It lets you edit, create, and manage PDF files. It works on Windows and macOS computers.
- Acrobat Reader is the free version of Acrobat. It lets you view, fill out, print, and format PDF files. It's available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
- Acrobat Standard is a standard full version of Acrobat. It helps you edit, create, and manage PDF files. It's available for Windows.
- Document Cloud is part of the Acrobat family. It helps you edit, create, save online, print, and format PDF files. You need a web browser and an Adobe ID to use it.
- Fill & Sign is a tool within Acrobat that helps you fill out, sign, and manage PDF forms. It works on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
- Scan is a tool that helps you scan, crop, and manage files as PDFs. It's available for iOS and Android devices.
- Sign (formerly EchoSign) is a tool that helps you fill out, sign, and manage PDF documents. It's available for iOS and Android.
Discontinued Services
Some Acrobat services are no longer available, including:
- Acrobat Approval
- Acrobat Business Tools
- Acrobat Capture
- Acrobat Distiller Server
- Acrobat eBook Reader
- Acrobat Elements
- Acrobat InProduction
- Acrobat Messenger
- Acrobat Reader Touch
- FormsCentral
- Send & Track
Hidden Helper Tools
- Acrobat Synchronizer helps keep Acrobat files accurate.
- RdrCEF (Adobe Reader Cloud Extension Feature) helps with online features.
Supported File Formats
Adobe Acrobat can open or use many different types of files. Here are some of them:
| File format | Extension |
|---|---|
| Acrobat Data File | ACRODATA |
| Acrobat Forms Data Format | FDF |
| Adobe Illustrator File | AI |
| Acrobat Index File | PDX |
| Acrobat Job Definition File | JDF |
| Acrobat Language Plug-in | LNG |
| Acrobat MIME Encoded Job Definition File | MJD |
| Acrobat Plug-in | ACROPLUGIN |
| Acrobat Plug-in | API |
| Acrobat Security Settings File | ACROBATSECURITYSETTINGS |
| Acrobat Sequence File | SEQU |
| Acrobat XFDF File | XFDF |
| Adobe Color Separations Table | AST |
| Adobe Dictionary Data File | ENV |
| Adobe Joboptions File | JOBOPTIONS |
| Adobe Linguistic Library Data File | LEX |
| Adobe MARS File | MARS |
| Adobe Portable Document Format File | |
| Adobe Profile File | APF |
| Apple QuickTime Movie | MOV |
| Design Web Format File | DWF |
| Drawing Exchange Format File | DXF |
| Encapsulated PostScript Format File | EPSF |
| Flash MP4 Video File | F4V |
| Flash Video File | FLV |
| Hypertext Markup Language | HTM, HTML |
| iTunes Video File | M4V |
| Plain Text File | TXT |
| PostScript File | PS |
| PostScript Image Data File | PSID |
| Product Representation Compact File | PRC |
| Shockwave Flash Movie | SWF |
| Universal 3D File | U3D |
| XML Data Package | XDP |
| XML Paper Specification File | XPS |
Languages Adobe Acrobat Supports
Adobe Acrobat is available in many different languages. These include Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and many others. Special versions are made for languages like Arabic and Hebrew, which are written from right to left. These versions help manage text direction and other features unique to those languages.
Keeping Adobe Acrobat Safe
Adobe regularly shares information about security updates for its products, including Adobe Acrobat. It's important to keep your software updated to protect your computer.
Since version 3.02, Acrobat Reader has included support for JavaScript. This allows PDF creators to add code that runs when you open a document. Sometimes, harmful PDF files can use this feature to try and attack your computer. These files might be attached to emails or linked on websites. While JavaScript is designed to be safe, there have been times when it was used to spread harmful code.
Important Security Warnings
- September 2006: A security issue was found with JavaScript in PDF files. You can turn off JavaScript in Acrobat's settings to help prevent this.
- February 2009: Adobe announced more JavaScript problems in older versions of Reader and Acrobat. Experts suggested turning off JavaScript and being careful with PDF files from unknown sources.
- February 2013: Critical problems were found in Adobe Reader and Acrobat XI. These could cause the program to crash or even let someone else control your computer. People were advised to update their software right away.
- January 2016: Adobe released more security updates for Acrobat and Reader. These updates fixed serious problems that could allow attackers to take control of a computer.
To stay safe, always make sure your Adobe Acrobat software is up to date. Be careful when opening PDF files from people or websites you don't trust.
See also
In Spanish: Adobe Acrobat para niños
- List of PDF software
- Adobe Acrobat version history
