PDFTone Documentation

Version: 1.0.0 | Platform: macOS 13.0+ (Ventura and later)

1. Introduction

What is PDFTone?

PDFTone is a professional macOS application for applying native Quartz filters to PDF documents. Unlike many PDF tools that rasterize (convert to images) your documents, PDFTone preserves text as text and vectors as vectors, maintaining the highest quality possible.

PDFTone uses the same filtering technology as macOS Preview.app, giving you professional-grade results with a streamlined, batch-processing interface designed for efficiency.

What Problems Does PDFTone Solve?

• Document Tone Conversion: Convert color PDFs to grayscale, sepia, or blue tone for printing or archiving
• High-Contrast Documents: Create black & white versions
• Brightness Adjustment: Lighten or darken PDFs for better screen visibility or print quality
• PDF/X-3 Compliance: Create press-ready PDFs for professional printing
• Batch Processing: Process hundreds of PDFs with a single click
• Quality Preservation: Native Quartz filters maintain text and vector sharpness

Key Features

• 7 Quartz Filters: Gray Tone, Black & White, Blue Tone, Sepia Tone, Lightness controls, PDF/X-3.
• Batch Processing: Batch Processing: Convert multiple PDFs in queue order
• Drag & Drop Interface: Simply drag PDFs or folders into the app
• Folder Scanning: Automatically process entire directory structures
• Share Extension: Send PDFs to PDFTone from Finder's Share menu
• Auto-Convert Mode: Optional automatic conversion on file import
• Smart Output: Choose where to save converted files via folder selection prompt
• Accessibility: Full Voice Control support

2. Getting Started

Installation

1. Download PDFTone from the official source
2. Open the downloaded file
3. Drag PDFTone to your Applications folder
4. Launch PDFTone from Applications or Launchpad

System Requirements

• Operating System: macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
• Processor: Any Intel or Apple Silicon Mac
• RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended for large batches)
• Storage: 10MB for app + space for converted files

Understanding the Interface

Main Window

• File List: Displays imported PDFs with status, size, and progress
• Filter Selection: Choose which Quartz filter to apply
• Import Button: Open file picker to add PDFs
• Convert Button: Start processing selected files
• Progress Indicators: Real-time conversion progress per file

Settings (⌘,)

• General: Theme, default filter, threshold, concurrency
• Console: Diagnostic logs for troubleshooting
• Feedback: Submit bug reports or feature requests
• About: Version info and system details

3. Quartz Filters Explained

PDFTone provides 8 professional Quartz filters that match macOS system filters:

Quality Preservation

PDFTone uses native Quartz filters on macOS, which means:

• ✅ Text remains selectable and searchable
• ✅ Vector graphics stay crisp at any zoom level
• ✅ No quality loss from rasterization

4. How to Use PDFTone

Basic Workflow

1. Import PDFs: Drag files/folders into the app, or click Import button
2. Select Filter: Choose your desired Quartz filter from the dropdown
3. Convert: Click the Convert button (or enable auto-convert in Settings)
4. Choose folder: Select where to save the converted files when prompted
5. Wait: Monitor progress bars as files are processed
6. Access Results: Converted files are saved in the folder you selected (with filter suffix)

Import Methods

Drag & Drop

• Drag PDF files from Finder directly into PDFTone window
• Drag entire folders - PDFTone recursively finds all PDFs
• Multi-select supported (Cmd+Click or Shift+Click)

File Picker

• Click Import button in toolbar
• Navigate to files or folders
• Select and click Open

Paste from Clipboard

• Copy PDF files in Finder (Cmd+C)
• Switch to PDFTone
• Press Cmd+V to paste

Share Extension

• Right-click PDF in Finder
• Select Share → PDFTone
• PDFTone launches and imports the file

Batch Processing

PDFTone is optimized for processing large batches:

• Folder Import: Drag entire folders - all PDFs processed automatically
• Smart Concurrency: Processes multiple files simultaneously (default: 8 on macOS)(reads in parallel, processes one by one)
• Progress Tracking: Real-time progress bar for each file
• Background Processing: UI remains responsive during conversion

Output Files

File Naming

Converted files are named: OriginalName_FilterName.pdf

Examples:

• Report.pdf → Report_GrayTone.pdf
• Invoice.pdf → Invoice_BlackAndWhite.pdf
• Manual.pdf → Manual_SepiaTone.pdf

Output Locations

Before conversion starts, PDFTone asks you to choose a destination folder:

• Output folder pre-selected: If you set a folder before importing (via the Choose… button in the footer), conversion starts immediately without any prompt
• No folder selected: A folder picker dialog appears — you choose where the converted files go

5. Settings Reference

General Settings

Appearance

• Theme: System (default), Light, or Dark mode

PDF Conversion

• Default Quartz Filter: Filter applied by default (default: Gray Tone)
• Auto-convert on import: Enable to start conversion immediately when files are imported. A folder selection prompt will appear shortly after import.
• Clear file list after conversion: When enabled, automatically clears the file list after all files are successfully converted and shows a completion notification. Disabled by default.
• Conversion Concurrency: Number of files read simultaneously (Auto/1–8, default: Auto). Conversion itself is processed in queue order.

Console Settings

Access diagnostic logs for troubleshooting:

• View Logs: See all app activity (errors, warnings, info)
• Log Levels: Debug, Info, Warning, Error, Critical
• Copy Logs: Export logs to clipboard for bug reports
• Clear Logs: Reset log history
• Privacy: File paths are masked in logs

Feedback Settings

Submit feedback directly to the developer:

• Feedback Types: General, Bug Report, Feature Request
• Email: Optional contact email for follow-up
• Include Logs: Option to attach diagnostic logs
• Privacy: Requires GDPR consent before submission

6. Advanced Features

Keyboard Shortcuts

Concurrency Control

PDFTone uses intelligent concurrency for optimal performance:

• Auto Mode (Recommended): Reads up to 8 files in parallel, with sequential processing (one by one), optimized for macOS and SSDs
• Manual Mode: Choose 1–8 concurrent file reads (processing is sequential)
• Lower Concurrency: Better for HDDs or slow storage (try 2–4 concurrent reads)
• Higher Concurrency: Faster file reading on fast SSDs with multi-core CPUs (processing remains sequential)

Share Extension

PDFTone integrates with macOS Share menu:

1. Right-click any PDF file in Finder
2. Select Share → PDFTone
3. PDFTone launches (or comes to foreground)
4. File is automatically imported
5. Conversion starts if auto-convert is enabled

This is useful for quick one-off conversions without launching PDFTone first.

7. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Permission Denied" Error

Problem: PDFTone can't save converted files to the selected folder.

Solutions:

• Choose a different output folder when the folder selection prompt appears
• Use the Choose… button in the footer to pre-select a writable folder
• Check if the destination is read-only (e.g., mounted disk image)

Conversion Is Very Slow

Possible Causes:

• Large PDF files (100+ pages, high-resolution images)
• Slow storage (HDD, network drive, USB 2.0)
• Too high concurrency setting

Solutions:

• Copy files to local SSD before processing
• Lower concurrency to 2-4 in Settings
• Close other applications to free CPU/RAM
• Be patient - large files simply take time

Files Appear in Unexpected Location

Explanation: PDFTone always saves to the folder you selected in the output folder prompt. If you are unsure where files went, check the footer bar — it shows the current output folder path.

Tip: Use the Choose… button in the footer to set a fixed output folder before converting so files always go to the same known location.

Error Messages

"Invalid or corrupted PDF file"

• File may be damaged or not a real PDF
• Try opening in Preview.app to verify it's valid
• Re-download or obtain a fresh copy

"Filter failed"

• Quartz filter couldn't be applied to this specific PDF
• Try a different filter (e.g., Black-and-White or Gray Tone)
• Check Console logs for details

"Conversion cancelled"

• You clicked Cancel during processing
• Files processed before cancellation are saved
• Remaining files are skipped

8. Privacy & Security

Local Processing Only

PDFTone processes all PDFs locally on your Mac:

• ✅ No internet connection required for PDF conversion
• ✅ Your PDFs never leave your computer
• ✅ No cloud services or external servers
• ✅ Complete offline functionality

No Data Collection

PDFTone does not collect personal information:

• ✅ No usage tracking or analytics
• ✅ No file names or content sent to developers
• ✅ No crash reports (unless manually submitted)
• ✅ Feedback submission is optional and requires consent

Entitlements

PDFTone requires these permissions:

• User-selected file read/write: To process your PDFs and save to your chosen folder
• Security-scoped bookmarks: To remember your selected output folder between sessions
• Network client: Only for optional feedback submission
• App Group: Share Extension integration

9. Technical Specifications

Supported Formats

• Input: PDF only (.pdf extension)
• Output: PDF (maintains format)
• UTI: com.adobe.pdf

Accessibility

• Voice Control compatible

10. Legal Information

License

PDFTone is proprietary software. Copyright © 2026 . All rights reserved.

No Warranty

User Responsibility

Limitation of Liability

The developer is not liable for any damages arising from the use of PDFTone, including but not limited to data loss, business interruption, or any other pecuniary loss.

Third-Party Services

PDFTone may use Supabase for anonymous feedback submission (optional). Your use of feedback features is subject to Supabase's terms and Apple's privacy policies.