How-to guide
How to use Snapshot and Crop Pages in Bluebeam
Snapshot copies part of a drawing so you can paste it elsewhere, such as an enlarged detail or a section to compare. Crop Pages trims the sheet itself. They are easy to confuse, so here is each one.
Updated · 2 min read · Sources
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How to take a snapshot in Revu
- 1
Start Snapshot
Go to Edit > Snapshot, or press G.
- 2
Capture the area
Drag a rectangle, or click points to draw a polygon around the area.
- 3
Leave Snapshot mode
Press Esc.
- 4
Paste it
Press Ctrl+V or right-click and choose Paste. The lower-left corner lands at your cursor.
How Snapshot behaves when you paste
Pasted back into Revu, a snapshot keeps its vectors, so lines stay sharp and editable. Pasted into another program, it becomes a raster image. With Ctrl+V or right-click Paste, the snapshot's lower-left corner lands at your cursor. To change a snapshot's colours, right-click it and choose Change Colors.
Snapshot with or without your markups
Edit > PDF Content > Snapshot Content captures only the underlying PDF, leaving your markups out. It only makes a difference when Include Markups in Snapshots is turned on in the Markup preferences. Text inside a snapshot can't be changed with Edit Text until you flatten the snapshot.
Cropping pages without surprises
In Document > Crop Pages, choose the files and pages (All Pages, Current, Custom such as 1-3, 5, 9, or even, odd, landscape and portrait pages), then select Next. Choose Crop Box, and either type the Top, Bottom, Left and Right margins or select Get Window and drag the area. Set Proportional links the margins. After cropping, the page shrinks to the cropped area; keep the original size from the Page Setup tab.
Files that can't be cropped
PDF/A documents and documents that have been certified or digitally signed can't have pages cropped. If the crop option fails on a drawing set from a consultant, check whether it was signed before you assume Revu is broken.
Capturing part of a drawing in ContractorCounter
ContractorCounter has a Snapshot Region tool on the same key, G. Drag a rectangle, then copy it to paste onto another page, send it to the AI chat as context for a question, or erase that area from view. There's no page crop. It runs in the browser, from US$1 a week, billed US$4 every 4 weeks.
Questions about How-to guide
Why is my Bluebeam snapshot blurry in another program?
Outside Revu, a snapshot pastes as a raster image. Paste it back into Revu to keep the vectors sharp and editable.
How do I undo a crop in Bluebeam?
Bluebeam's crop page doesn't cover undoing it, so keep a copy of the PDF before you crop. The page also shrinks to the cropped area unless you keep the original size on the Page Setup tab.
Why can't I crop a PDF in Bluebeam?
PDF/A files and certified or digitally signed PDFs can't have pages cropped. Check the file's signature and security first.
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Sources
Every step, menu path, option name and plan requirement was read from Bluebeam's own support documentation on the date shown. The ContractorCounter section matches our support articles.
- Reviewed
- Checked by
- Tylar E., founder
Menu wording differs slightly between Revu 20 and Revu 21, and Bluebeam updates its documentation without notice. Check the linked pages for your version.
Published sources
- Bluebeam user manual: SnapshotEdit > Snapshot, rectangle or polygon capture, paste behaviour, vectors staying editable in Revu, Snapshot Content, Change Colors, and the Edit Text limit.
- Bluebeam user manual: Crop pagesDocument > Crop Pages, Crop Box, margins, Get Window, Set Proportional, page ranges, the page shrinking to the crop, and that PDF/A, certified or signed documents cannot be cropped.