How to edit PDFs with AI: Work smarter, not harder

AI has completely changed how we handle PDFs. What once took entire afternoons can now be done in minutes with an AI PDF editor.

In this article, we’ll explore how you can save time and make complex tasks easier by editing your PDFs with AI. From summarizing dense reports and chatting with contracts to redacting sensitive information and organizing pages, we’ll show how AI PDF editing tools help you work faster, more accurately, and with less effort.

1. AI text editing: Quickly update text throughout your document.

What it does:

Using the Lumin AI chat interface, you can apply changes across an entire document in a matter of seconds. This enables you to replace repeated names or phrases, standardize spelling, or correcting outdated terminology.

Example:

You’re updating an internal policy document that refers to your business as “Anders Group” — but the company recently rebranded to “Anders & Co.”

Instead of manually finding and updating each instance, you tell Lumin AI:

“Replace every mention of ‘Anders Group’ with ‘Anders & Co’.”

The AI finds 84 instances of “Anders Group” across 40 pages, including footers, section headings, and paragraphs. It presents a list for your review. You deselect four mentions in legal citations that need to stay unchanged, then apply the edit.

In under two minutes, your document is updated throughout — with no missed references and no manual Ctrl+F work.

Edit your PDF text with Lumin

2. AI PDF annotation: Markup text in moments

What it does:

Lumin’s annotation tools let you highlight, underline, or strikethrough text in your PDF. But with AI, you don’t need to do this all manually — simply type in what annotations you need and watch as it’s executed in seconds.

Example:

You’re reviewing a project proposal document that’s 25 pages long. You need to highlight all delivery dates, assigned tasks, and names of responsible team members for internal review.

Instead of manually scanning the whole document, you prompt Lumin AI:

“Highlight all delivery dates, task names, and team member references.”

Lumin scans the document and suggests annotations. You review and approve the annotations and you can export the annotated version for your team to use in the next planning meeting.

This saves you 30–45 minutes of manual highlighting while still giving you full oversight.

Get started with our annotate PDF tool.

3. PDF OCR: Convert scanned documents into text

What it does:

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) lets you turn scanned PDFs or image-based documents into searchable and editable files. It’s essential when working with legacy documents or printed material saved as flat images.

Example workflow:

A supplier sends you a scanned invoice as a PDF. It includes key details like invoice number, payment due date, and itemised services,  but the content is all locked in an image. You need to extract the total cost and update some of the formatting.

You upload the document into the Lumin PDF OCR tool which runs OCR on each page, detecting text across the scan and converting it into selectable content.

Now you can highlight values, search for invoice IDs, correct formatting errors, and even redact pricing information before sharing the updated version with your accounts team.

Try PDF OCR and make your PDF text searchable.

4. Split and extract: Organize PDFs with AI

What it does:

Split a PDFs into smaller sections, extract specific pages, or rearrange them. Just describe what you need to Lumin AI, and it will make the necessary changes in moments — no manual work required.

Example:

You’ve been given a 160-page operations manual and need to send only the safety protocols and maintenance schedules to a contractor. These are buried in Sections 3 and 5.

Instead of manually finding page numbers, you tell Lumin:

“Extract all pages between 88 and 104.”

The AI actions those changes and creates a new PDF with those pages only. You confirm, and the new document is created in seconds, ready for download.

You now have a concise, relevant PDF containing just the information you need.

Split your PDF file now for free.

5. AI redaction: Redact personal or sensitive information

What it does:

With Lumin AI, you can help identify and redact private data, such as names, email addresses, ID numbers, or addresses, across your document. You get a preview before anything is permanently removed, so you stay in control.

Example:

You’re sharing a customer case study externally, but need to hide client names and email addresses to comply with privacy rules.

You upload the document and ask Lumin AI:

“Find and redact all names and email addresses.”

Lumin highlights 18 personal names and 12 email addresses, showing you each one in a sidebar preview. You check the list, unselect three internal team names you want to keep, and approve the redaction.

In one click, all selected information is blacked out and permanently removed from the PDF, leaving no data behind and eliminating the need for tedious page-by-page searching.

Protect sensitive information and redact your PDF for free.

6. PDF Summarization: Instantly see the main points.

What it does:

The Lumin PDF AI Summarizer reads your document and generates a concise, accurate summary, ideal when you need a quick overview without having to read the entire file.

Example:

You’ve just received a 40-page government report about industry compliance regulations. You’re short on time and want to understand the big picture before your afternoon meeting.

You click Summarize, and in under 10 seconds, Lumin generates a summary of the report — outlining the key compliance updates, policy deadlines, and enforcement changes.

You now know what to focus on and whether the whole document needs deeper reading.

Summarize your PDF using AI now.

7. Chat with your PDF: Ask questions and get answers from your document

What it does:

Lumin’s Chat with PDF feature allows you to ask questions in plain language about your document. Instead of searching manually, just ask — the AI will read and respond based on the document content.

Example:

You’re reviewing a software licensing agreement and need to know what happens if you terminate the contract early.

Instead of scanning each clause, you open Chat with PDF and ask:

“What are the penalties for early termination?”

Lumin reads the document and returns the relevant clause from Section 14, along with a simplified explanation:

“Termination before the 12-month mark requires a cancellation fee equivalent to one month’s license cost.”

You get the answer instantly, with no manual searching and no risk of missing critical fine print.

Chat with your PDF today.

Edit smarter with AI

Whether you’re redacting sensitive information, summarizing long reports, or updating a contract in seconds, Lumin’s AI tools are built to save you time and effort.

With a Lumin Pro plan, you’ll unlock full access to all AI-powered PDF editing features — including AI text editing, redaction, summarization, page organization, and more.

Upgrade now and start working with PDFs the smart way.