Once a PDF is created, it is unlikely you'll get an easy solution to edit a scanned image even on a Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan system. The Preview app within the system allows you to manage and review media and text documents. Basic editing functions such as merge, arrange, and split can be performed. However, scanned images cannot be converted into a format that allows editing unless a third party PDF editing tool is used. In this article, you will learn how to edit scanned PDF on Mac OS X El Capitan with ease.

Part 1. Best PDF Editor for Mac OS X 10.11
Part 2. How to Edit Scanned PDF on Mac OS X 10.11

Part 1Best PDF Editor for Mac OS X El Capitan

Wondershare PDFelement for Mac is the solution you are looking for and is already considered one of the best tools to edit files on systems working on Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Important features of well-designed software are:

Convert files in different file formats into a single PDF with absolute ease.
Use the powerful optical character recognition (OCR) feature to convert scanned PDF into editable document quickly.
Add, edit and manage texts, images and pages on a PDF.
Add annotations to increase comprehension and boost understanding.
Convert a PDF file in many other formats for reusing.
Add handwritten digital signatures or predefined instantly.

Free Download

Part 2How to Edit Scanned PDF on Mac OS X El Capitan

Here is the simplified process to edit scanned PDFs on your Mac OS X 10.11 system.

Step 1. Import Scanned PDF into the Program

Scanned PDFS can be easily imported into the system to open as an editable PDF file. Go to the "Home" window and click on "Open File", which is located to the right at the bottom of the screen.

Alternatively, you can go to "File > Open" or try "File > Open Recent". The "File" menu is seen on the Quick Access Bar.

Step 2. Perform OCR

The integrated OCR plug-in is designed to work specifically with Wondershare PDFelement for Mac. Once the file is imported, a notice appears in the Information Bar indicating if OCR is required. This happens when you work with a scanned PDF.

Click on "Perform OCR" available on the information bar. The other option is to go to the top Toolbar and click on the "OCR" button. The system takes over and converts the whole PDF document into an editable format.

Step 3. Edit Scanned PDF

After all the PDF pages are ready for edit, the system indicates they are ready for edit. To edit texts, you can click on "Edit" found at the top Toolbar and then make changes on your PDF. To edit images, you can click "Edit" and then double click on the image to get editing options like extract, crop, replace etc.

PDFelement for Mac allows users to insert, extract, delete, crop, rotate PDFs and more. Go to the right side "Pages" menu. From here choose any of the options including Insert, Rotate, Extract, Delete, Replace, or Crop.

Part 3Useful Tips While Working with Scanned PDF Documents

Use industry-standard OCR software available with brands like Wondershare PDFelement to ensure editing scanned PDFs is 100% accurate on the Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan system.
Use tags to include alternate text for images, header and footer, data tables, and charts within the PDF file. It helps in preventing unwanted and out-of-order segments occurring without tags.
Use a reliable scanner and follow guidelines to gather an accurate scan. The ideal format is TIFF for a high-quality scanned PDF.