Adobe has been on the forefront of digital innovation in the creative space and in the documentation space. They are the creators of the portable document format, more commonly known as PDF. This was revolutionary in its time, but technology has advanced significantly since 1991. The PDF, however, has lagged behind. PDFs are often difficult to view on mobile devices, even when using Adobe software.
Understanding the problem, Adobe has begun to make some changes to the PDF. Collectively, these changes are referred to by the company as Liquid Mode.
What is Liquid Mode?
Liquid Mode is a collection of improvements that have been made to PDF viewing on mobile devices. Adobe likes to reference the similarities between Liquid Mode and the reader modes that are found on some websites. The aim is to make reading PDFs a more enjoyable experience.
Most of the time, Liquid Mode is found on smartphones and tablets. However, it has become available on some Chromebooks and e-readers as well, making it versatile in its application.
More Than Just a Reader
Liquid Mode offers more options than just a reader mode, however. When using Liquid Mode, you’ll find a number of enticing features. PDFs are able to be customized in their view, allowing text sizes to be changed, along with spacing. This makes the PDF viewing experience for the reader a bit easier and allows them to change things to their liking.
It offers more than just that, though. Liquid Mode is equal parts reader and artificial intelligence. While the PDF itself remains unchanged, Liquid Mode alters the appearance when it’s being used, and generates decisions for the user. These decisions are based on the device being used, as well as past preferences.
When you think it is all said and done, it provides one more feature. Liquid Mode makes outlines for PDFs specifically for mobile use. This makes scrolling through large documents a breeze, something that was once an arduous task.
Activating Liquid Mode on Your Mobile Device
Activating Liquid Mode on a tablet, smartphone, or Chromebook is easy to do. When using Adobe Acrobat, it only takes a few taps on your screen or clicks on your mousepad.
In Adobe Acrobat, open any PDF file that you need to view. In the toolbar, you’ll find an icon that looks like a water droplet. Tapping this icon activates Liquid Mode. Acrobat does the rest of the work, adding all of the following features to your PDF:
- Layouts that mimic webpages, meaning that documents scroll smoothly
- Images that allow alteration and zooming, without zooming in on the entire PDF
- Linked outlines for faster navigation options
- Collapsible content, simplifying the PDF’s view even further
- A quick, “back to top” button that eliminates endless scrolling from deep within a document
Are There Any Complications When Using Liquid Mode?
Liquid Mode can handle almost any document you throw at it. However, Adobe does warn against documents with specific details, noting that problems may occur. Many of these criteria won’t fit the average user’s needs, like PDFs totaling more than 200 pages or larger than 10MB in size.
Some of the common issues that may arise are converted files, namely from slideshow presentations or files with complex layouts. These include PDF versions of tickets to events, large invoices, or receipts.
Overall, Liquid Mode is an update to the classic document file that is long overdue. Adobe has had competitors offer similar features, but Acrobat’s PDF handling is still more adequate, even if it’s a bit late.
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Bio: As a long-time freelance author, Mira has based her work on finding topics that overlap the use of modern-day technology and different writing tools. When she is not her favorite coffee shop doing her new piece, Mira spends most of her time reading, watching movies and travelling. She’s also a proud animal rights activist and takes care of abandoned pets, with her latest rescue being a chameleon called Jura.
