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Tutorial – Interactive PDF with Mouse Popups

Create an Interactive PDF with Popups

a Tutorial for Adobe Illustrator and Acrobat

create interactive pdf tutorial

In this tutorial we will learn how to create an interactive pdf with Adobe Illustrator CC (2020) and Acrobat Pro DC. The interactive pdf will have popup text that appears when the mouse hovers over certain areas that we specify. For this example we are going to use a simple holiday itinerary map and create some text popups that appear when we hover or rollover them. Watch the video tutorial or scroll further down to follow step-by-step instructions at your own pace. You can download the project sample files below to follow along and practice with. This simple technique is useful for creating more engaging and dynamic pdf presentations.

(1) Open Illustrator and create a basic background scene.

We will start by importing a simple background image into Illustrator. If you already have a scene created in Illustrator and want to skip straight to creating the popup elements then skip ahead to (2)
For our example we will use a simple map background that we will add some map pins and text popups to.

(1.1) Go to File > Place and select an image or illustrator project you have already created

create interactive pdf tutorial

(1.2) In the layers tab rename the background layer to something – its going to be important to rename all of the layers you import for this project so that they match and are easy to find because we are going to group them later on.

create interactive pdf tutorial

We will import some map pins that will be what the mouse hovers over to activate the popups. Select File>Place and import them. Place the pins where you like, duplicate them by copying and pasting.

create interactive pdf tutorial

Rename the map pin layers in the layers tab.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(2) Create Popup Layers

Now we have our background done, its time to add the layers that will serve as our pop up elements when the mouse rolls over the map pins in our scene.

(2.1) First lets create some lines protruding from the map pins using the Line Segment tool. Choose the Line Segment tool and draw some lines, you can make them more visible by increasing the stroke width or changing the stroke color

create interactive pdf tutorial
create interactive pdf tutorial

Ensure to once again give the lines a name consistent with your other layers to keep everything neat and easy to work with.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(2.2) Lets add some Text that will popup with the lines.

Choose the type tool and click and drag to create a text box, type your text and change the font or colour accordingly. Once again make sure to continue naming your layers.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(2.3) Lets add a simple solid background box to make the text stand out more
Use the rectangle tool, click and drag to draw a rectangle. Bring it underneath the text layer in the layers tab.

create interactive pdf tutorial

Create more rectangles for your text layers and then make sure they sit under your text layers in the layers tab. Also make sure to rename them.

create interactive pdf tutorial

We should now have a project that looks like this with our 3 different text boxes, lines and text box backgrounds

create interactive pdf tutorial

(3) Grouping rollover layers in preparation for export to Acrobat Pro

We need to group our layers that we want to popup. We need to make sure they sit above and outside of our original background group in the layers tab.

Click ‘Create New Layer in the layers tab’. Ensure this layer sits outside and above all other layers.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(3.1) Rename the layer and then select all layers for your first rollover popup and drag and drop them into this new layer.

create interactive pdf tutorial
create interactive pdf tutorial

(3.3) Now turn OFF all of the layer groups that will be made into popups.

(3.2) Repeat the process for the other layers that you would like to turn into rollover popups.

create interactive pdf tutorial
create interactive pdf tutorial

(4) Save the project as a PDF

Go to File > Save As, choose Adobe PDF. Then when the ‘Save Adobe PDF’ window appears, ensure that ‘Create Acrobat layers from Top-level layers’ is checked. This is vital. Choose the compression settings as you like and then Save it.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(5) Open Acrobat Pro

In Acrobat open the PDF you just saved.

(5.1) Now you need to ensure the popup layers we turned off in Illustrator prior to saving are visible in the Layers Tab: On the left hand side of screen click Layers: View layers and show/hide their contents. If this option or the popup layers you turned off are not visible as individual layers then you didn’t save the pdf correctly in Illustrator.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(5.2) Next, go to Tools > Prepare Form > and Click Start

create interactive pdf tutorial
create interactive pdf tutorial

(6) Create rollover zones/hover zones that will activate our popups.

Now we need to create the rollover or hover zones that our mouse pointer will hover over to activate the popups.

Turn on one of your popup layers and then select the ‘Add a Button’ tool

create interactive pdf tutorial

(6.1) Now, with the button tool selected, click and draw your hover zone where your mouse will activate the popup.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(6.2) In the Field name box that appears, type in a title.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(6.3) Double click on the box and it will open the button properties window

Now go to Appearance > Fill Colour > and set it to ‘No Colour’ to make the hover zone/rollover zone transparent.

create interactive pdf tutorial

Go the the ‘Actions Tab’ in the same window and choose the following settings

Click ‘Add’ and then click ‘Ok’ when presented with the window ‘The target layer states of the selected actions will be set to the current state.’

Choose Select Action > Set Layer Visibility

Choose Select Trigger > Mouse Enter

create interactive pdf tutorial

We have now setup the rollover zone we drew so that the popup appears when the mouse enters the zone. We can now close the Button Properties Window.

Now we need to set the action to make the popup disappear when the mouse exits the hover zone.

(6.4) Turn off the same layer we turned on earlier to create the button for.

create interactive pdf tutorial

(6.5) Double click on the hover zone we created to open the Button Properties Window once again.

Go to the Actions Tab and choose the following settings:

Click ‘Add’ and then click ‘Ok’ when presented with the window ‘The target layer states of the selected actions will be set to the current state.’ Then click ‘Close’.

Choose Select Action > Set Layer Visibility

Choose Select Trigger > Mouse Exit

create interactive pdf tutorial

This has now setup the rollover zone we drew so that the popup disappears when the mouse exits the rollover/ hover zone.

Now you need to repeat the steps we just completed for your other popup layers (Draw the button rollover/hover zones and then set the properties for the Mouse Enter and Exit states as we did throughout step 6.

(7) Preview the finished product

Once you have done all the steps you can click ‘Preview’ to see the finished product.

create interactive pdf tutorial

To clarify any steps watch the video at the top of page and feel free to leave a comment on its youtube page.