As you well know, we like to keep you updated on the software we review, and a new update comes from Investintech.com, makers of their all-in-one PDF suite, Able2Extract. They just released their latest version – Able2Extract Professional 15.
When we last wrote on Able2Extract Professional, the software was updated with PDF signatures and PDF to Excel conversion templates that utilise Artificial Intelligence.
This time around, the company has added handy features and improved existing ones – all aimed at boosting your PDF productivity. Let’s take a look.
Newly Redesigned User Interface
Toolbar & Side Panel
The first thing you’ll notice is the change in interface. It is completely redesigned. The new ribbon-style tabbed menu toolbar makes it easier to accomplish PDF tasks, grouping all the PDF tools you need in one place.
It works in conjunction with the new Side Panel which provides you with additional settings and options for those PDF tools. It allows you to further refine whatever PDF task you need and get the most out of each feature.
New Start Page
Also new to the interface is the Start page. Here, you get a dashboard to help you get started. You can access recent files, customise the work space and even access hands-on walk-through tutorials for whichever task you’re trying to accomplish.
Clicking on one of the tutorial buttons will close the Start page and start directing you each step of the way. All you have to do is follow the the tip balloons. You can close them off easily and revisit them whenever you wish.
From here, you can easily choose and select Theme, Language and Scale options to tailor the UI as you want. We cover a couple of these in more detail below.
Support for Light and Dark Themes
One of the customisations possible from the Start page is the new support for light and dark themes. This means you can switch the interface theme from Light to Dark to help prevent eye strain when working in dimly lit environments or when working long hours spent in front of the screen.
Simply click on the Dark/Light icons on the Start page or in the footer bar in the bottom right-hand corner to toggle between both themes.
Different Languages Support
Another exciting customisation? Support for different languages. You can specify in which language you want the interface to appear in. Now, you can choose from French, Spanish, and German.
To switch, select one of the languages in the drop down menu on the Start page. Note that switching languages will require you to restart your computer. Afterwards, you can enjoy working in an interface that speaks your language!
Batch PDF Creation
The software has also stepped up the PDF creation feature and added capabilities for batch PDF creation. You can create PDFs from multiple file formats, and in addition, you can merge the batch created PDFs into one file output.
Support For OCR Languages
Able2Extract Professional has long been capable of converting scanned PDF documents. Up until now the software could only convert scanned PDFs in English. Well, this latest version has given that feature a boost and now allows you to convert scanned PDFs that are in French, Spanish or German.
This feature can be accessed from the Conversion Options dialog (via the Convert Document tab). You can select which languages you’d like the OCR engine to detect.
Batch Converter Improvements
The Batch conversion tool has also received some improvement. The first being that it can now batch convert PDF to HTML. Secondly, the tool now allows you more control over the files you select when uploading whole directories to convert with a filter file type tool. And like the Batch Creator tool, the batch converter can merge batch converted PDFs into one file output.
Custom Excel Tweaks
As if you didn’t have enough control over your custom Excel conversions, this newest version provides you with control to apply header, footer and text splitting settings for each individual table structure. You can also simply double-click to erase row and column lines, making your custom Excel setup that much easier.
Other Notable Features
There are also a few other enhancements that make PDF tasks easier. For one thing, you can split documents into even parts for quicker, more efficient document assembly. In addition, you can create a new PDF from blank pages and build your PDF content from scratch.
The Search PDF function has also been improved. It works faster, showing all occurrences of your search query, and lets you search your document in reverse. Lastly, the OCR has been tweaked to enhance bitmap quality before OCR.
Verdict
With each version, this software packs on more and more features that you need and will need, whether you know it or not. This PDF suite has got you covered.
Want to give the above features a test drive? Get a 7day trial from the developer’s website here.
