Automatically generating the table of contents for PDF files
Large PDF files are often hard to navigate. If a PDF file does not include an outline structure, the only means for moving between pages are scrolling, eye-balling the pages, or jumping to typed page numbers. Is it not much more convenient to have the outline on a side, jump between sections, and know exactly where the current chapter ends, or search within a known section? Unfortunately, many files do not include the outline created by their authors: poorly scanned PDFs, articles for many research databases, etc. PDF Owl can help making those files easier to read by using the AI to generate the table of contents automatically.
PDF Owl works even on poorly scanned files.
PDF Owl is here to help: it uses computer vision to analyze the image for each page, finds the headers, and then creates the outline – the table of contents-like structure for the file. The outline is saved in the PDF file and can be used by any other reader, or on other devices.
To generate the outline, open the file in PDF Owl. If the file has no outline then on the right side there will be a prompt to generate the outline. Click the "Auto-Generate Outline" button:
If the PDF file does not include the table of contents,
PDF Owl will show the message on the right for generating it.
Generating a better outline
If the file already has an outline, but you want to regenerate it, then you can start the generation from the menu "Tools" → "Auto-Generate Outline...". Sometimes the file includes an outline that is poorly created, or makes no sense at all – then you may want to use PDF Owl to re-generate it. PDF Owl will generate a new outline under the separate three "(Auto-Generated Outline)". If you like the generated outline, you can right-click on the "(Auto-Generated Outline)" item, and select "Make Root Outline" – this will replace the old outline.
PDF Owl works for a variety of document types. Often research articles downloaded from research databases, such as JSTOR, contain poorly created tables of contents. PDF Owl fixes the problem making the PDFs more readable.
Batch processing of multiple files
If you have multiple files, you may want to generate the table of contents for all of them at once. PDF Owl supports a queuing mechanism for processing files one after another without involving the user:
- Open all files that you would like to process in PDF Owl.
- Click the "Auto-Generate Outline" button, or call outline generation from the "Tools" menu.
- Grab a coffee or tea of your choice.
- PDF Owl will process the files one after another. Come back to review the work.
Below you can watch a short video demonstrating the process of generating the outline:
PDF Owl is a tool for enhancing PDF files for better reading experience. It includes reading and annotating functions. It is available for MacOS.
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