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Advanced Tools

Advanced tools for power users, automation workflows, and complex PDF operations. These tools provide enhanced capabilities beyond standard PDF manipulation.

Automation Tools​

Automate (Pipeline)​

Tool ID: automate

Create sophisticated multi-step workflows that combine multiple PDF operations into automated sequences.

What it does​

  • Chain multiple operations into automated workflows
  • Save and reuse pipeline configurations
  • Process files automatically with predefined steps
  • Support for folder watching and automatic processing
  • JSON-based configuration for advanced users

Perfect for​

  • Repetitive multi-step PDF processing
  • Automated document workflows
  • Batch processing with consistent steps
  • Integration with folder scanning
  • Team workflow standardization

Example Workflows​

  • Document Processing: Split → Add watermark → Compress → Archive
  • Invoice Processing: OCR → Extract pages → Add metadata → Save
  • Report Generation: Merge → Add page numbers → Add stamp → Export
  • Bulk Conversion: Convert → Compress → Add password → Organize

📖 Read the complete Pipeline Automation Guide → for detailed examples, JSON configuration, folder scanning setup, and best practices.

Auto Rename​

Tool ID: autoRename

Automatically rename PDF files based on their content analysis.

What it does​

  • Analyze PDF content to determine appropriate filename
  • Extract title, header, or prominent text
  • Use largest font text as filename
  • Batch rename multiple PDFs at once
  • Configurable naming rules

Perfect for​

  • Organizing scanned documents
  • Renaming downloaded PDFs with generic names
  • Batch organizing document libraries
  • Creating descriptive filenames automatically

How it works​

  1. Upload one or more PDFs
  2. Algorithm analyzes each PDF for:
    • Document title in metadata
    • Largest font text (likely the header/title)
    • First prominent text on page 1
  3. Suggests filename based on findings
  4. Option to review and modify suggestions
  5. Batch rename and download

Naming Strategy​

The tool uses this priority order:

  1. PDF Metadata Title (if present and meaningful)
  2. Largest Font Text on first page
  3. First Heading or prominent text
  4. First Line of readable text

Tips​

  • Works best with documents that have clear titles
  • Scanned documents may need OCR first for better results
  • Review suggestions before batch renaming
  • Combine with OCR for scanned documents

Advanced Formatting Tools​

Adjust Contrast​

Tool ID: adjustContrast

Fine-tune brightness, contrast, and saturation of PDF content.

What it does​

  • Adjust brightness levels
  • Modify contrast for better readability
  • Change saturation (color intensity)
  • Apply adjustments to all pages or specific ranges
  • Preview changes before applying

Perfect for​

  • Improving readability of faded scans
  • Enhancing poor quality scanned documents
  • Adjusting over/under-exposed photos in PDFs
  • Creating high-contrast versions for accessibility
  • Fixing washed-out images

Repair​

Tool ID: repair

Attempt to repair corrupted or damaged PDF files.

What it does​

  • Fix structural PDF errors
  • Recover content from damaged files
  • Repair broken PDF streams
  • Reconstruct missing elements
  • Salvage readable content from corrupted PDFs

Perfect for​

  • Opening PDFs that won't load
  • Recovering important documents
  • Fixing corrupted downloads
  • Repairing files from failing storage
  • Salvaging partially damaged files

What it can fix​

  • Broken cross-reference tables
  • Corrupted object streams
  • Missing or damaged headers
  • Truncated files
  • Encoding errors

Limitations​

  • Cannot recover physically deleted data
  • May not work with heavily encrypted files
  • Success depends on extent of corruption
  • Some formatting may be lost in recovery

Scanner Image Split​

Tool ID: scannerImageSplit

Automatically detect and split individual scanned photos from multi-image PDF scans.

What it does​

  • Detect individual images/photos on pages
  • Automatically separate them into individual files
  • Useful for batch-scanned photo collections
  • Crop and extract each image separately
  • Support for various scan layouts

Perfect for​

  • Separating batch-scanned photos
  • Extracting individual images from collection scans
  • Processing multi-photo scanner output
  • Organizing photo digitization projects

Overlay PDFs​

Tool ID: overlayPdfs

Merge multiple PDFs by layering them on top of each other.

What it does​

  • Layer one PDF on top of another
  • Position overlay precisely
  • Control opacity/transparency
  • Place content on foreground or background
  • Apply to specific pages or all pages

Perfect for​

  • Adding letterheads to documents
  • Applying template backgrounds
  • Watermarking with complex designs
  • Creating layered composite documents
  • Merging forms with filled data

Overlay Options​

  • Position: Top, bottom, centered, custom coordinates
  • Mode: Foreground or background
  • Opacity: Full or partial transparency
  • Pages: All pages, specific ranges, or alternating

Replace Color​

Tool ID: replaceColor

Replace specific colors in a PDF or invert all colors.

What it does​

  • Replace one color with another
  • Invert all colors (create negative)
  • Adjust color schemes
  • Make PDFs printer-friendly
  • Create dark mode versions

Perfect for​

  • Creating negative images
  • Changing color schemes for printing
  • Making dark backgrounds light (and vice versa)
  • Correcting color issues
  • Accessibility improvements

Options​

  • Invert All: Complete color negative
  • Replace Color: Specify source and target colors
  • Threshold: Control color matching sensitivity

Add Image​

Tool ID: addImage

Add or overlay images onto PDF pages.

What it does​

  • Insert images into PDFs
  • Position images precisely
  • Resize and scale images
  • Add images to specific pages
  • Support for various image formats

Perfect for​

  • Adding logos to documents
  • Inserting photos into reports
  • Creating visual composites
  • Adding signatures or stamps as images
  • Enhancing documents with graphics

Scanner Effect​

Tool ID: scannerEffect

Apply realistic scanner-like effects to PDFs to make them appear scanned.

What it does​

  • Add authentic scan appearance
  • Slight rotation/skew effects
  • Simulate scanner artifacts
  • Adjust for realistic paper texture
  • Make digital documents look scanned

Perfect for​

  • Making digital documents appear scanned
  • Adding authenticity to digital forms
  • Creating realistic-looking scans from digital content

Developer Tools​

These tools provide access to technical documentation and setup guides.

Show JavaScript​

Tool ID: showJS

Display any embedded JavaScript code within a PDF document.

What it does​

  • Extract and display all JavaScript from PDF
  • Security analysis of PDF scripts
  • Identify potentially harmful code
  • Review PDF automation scripts
  • Debug PDF form behaviors

Perfect for​

  • Security auditing of PDFs
  • Identifying malicious scripts
  • Understanding PDF form logic
  • Debugging interactive PDFs
  • Compliance review

API Documentation​

Tool ID: devApi

Quick link to complete API documentation for integrating Stirling-PDF into your applications.

Access: API Documentation

Folder Scanning Guide​

Tool ID: devFolderScanning

Link to comprehensive guide for setting up automated folder scanning with pipelines.

Access: Folder Scanning Setup

SSO Configuration​

Tool ID: devSsoGuide

Link to Single Sign-On (SSO) configuration guide for enterprise deployments.

Access: SSO Guide

Air-gapped Setup​

Tool ID: devAirgapped

Link to guide for deploying Stirling-PDF in offline/air-gapped environments.

Access: Configuration

When to Use Advanced Tools​

Use advanced tools when you need to:

  • ✅ Automate repetitive multi-step PDF operations
  • ✅ Fix corrupted or damaged PDF files
  • ✅ Perform complex color or image manipulations
  • ✅ Organize large document collections automatically
  • ✅ Integrate PDF operations into existing workflows
  • ✅ Audit PDFs for security concerns
  • ✅ Create sophisticated document processing pipelines

Automation Best Practices​

For Automate/Pipeline:​

  1. Start simple - Test with one operation, then add more
  2. Use test files - Verify pipelines work before production use
  3. Save configurations - Reuse successful workflows
  4. Document workflows - Add descriptions to saved pipelines
  5. Monitor folder scanning - Check logs for errors

For Auto Rename:​

  1. Test first - Run on small batches to verify naming
  2. Use OCR first - For scanned documents without text layer
  3. Review suggestions - Check names before batch applying
  4. Backup originals - Keep copies with original names

For Advanced Formatting:​

  1. Preview changes - Always preview before applying
  2. Test on copies - Work with duplicates of important files
  3. Incremental adjustments - Make small changes and iterate
  4. Document settings - Note successful parameters for reuse

Tips for Power Users​

  1. Combine tools strategically - Use Automate to chain operations
  2. Leverage folder scanning - Set up watch folders for automatic processing
  3. Use API for integration - Integrate with your existing systems
  4. Save pipeline configs - Reuse proven workflows
  5. Monitor and optimize - Review performance and adjust settings
  6. Share configurations - Pre-load pipelines for team use