How do I embed Audio and Video in PDFs for FREE?

Learn how to embed audio and video files in PDFs for free with five different tools: open-source PDF editors, PDFsam Basic, PDFescape, Smallpdf, and Google Slides. Enhance your digital documents and make them more engaging with multimedia elements.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• #1 Using Open-Source PDF Editors
• #2 Using PDFsam Basic
• #3 Using PDFescape
• #4 Using Smallpdf
• #5 Using Google Slides
• Conclusion

Introduction

In today’s world, digital documents are becoming increasingly common. With this, the ability to embed audio and video files into PDF documents has become a necessary feature for many users. Whether it is for presentations, reports, or other types of documents, adding multimedia elements can enhance the reading experience and make the content more engaging. Fortunately, there are several free tools available that can be used to embed audio and video files in PDFs.

Comparative Table:

Open-source PDF editors offer advanced editing tools for creating and editing PDFs, and can also be used to embed multimedia elements such as audio and video. PDFsam Basic is a free tool that allows users to split and merge PDFs, and it also supports embedding audio files in PDFs. PDFescape is a web-based tool that offers form-filling features and the ability to add audio and video elements to PDFs. Smallpdf is another web-based tool that offers a variety of PDF-related features, including the ability to add audio and video to PDFs. Finally, Google Slides is a free presentation creation tool that can be used to embed multimedia elements and export as PDFs.

When choosing a tool to embed audio and video in PDFs, consider the file formats supported, maximum file size, and any additional features offered by each tool. Also, keep in mind the platform on which the tool is available and the ease of use.

#1 Using Open-Source PDF Editors

LibreOffice and OpenOffice are popular open-source office suites that offer a range of features, including the ability to add multimedia to your PDF files.

Here’s how to embed audio and video in PDF files for free using these programs:

1. Open your PDF document in LibreOffice or OpenOffice.
2. Click on “Insert” in the menu bar and then select “Media“.
3. Choose whether you want to add audio or video to your PDF file.
4. Browse your computer to locate the audio or video file you want to embed.
5. Customize the settings of your audio or video file. You can set it to play automatically, loop, or have a specific start and end time.
6. Once you’re satisfied with the settings, click “OK” to embed the audio or video file in your PDF document.
7. Save your document as a PDF file.

It’s important to note that not all PDF readers support multimedia files, so make sure to test your document in different readers to ensure compatibility. Additionally, embedding multimedia files can increase the file size of your PDF document, so be mindful of this when sharing or uploading your file.

#2 Using PDFsam Basic

PDFsam Basic is a free, open-source PDF editor that allows users to manipulate PDF documents in a variety of ways. One of its features is the ability to embed audio and video into PDFs, which can be a useful tool for those who want to add multimedia elements to their documents.

To embed audio and video in PDFs using PDFsam Basic, follow these steps:

1. Install PDFsam Basic: The first step is to install PDFsam Basic on your computer. You can download it for free from the PDFsam website.
2. Open the PDF document: Once you have installed PDFsam Basic, open the PDF document that you want to add audio or video to.
3. Click on the “Edit” tab: In the main toolbar, click on the “Edit” tab to access the editing tools.
4. Select “Multimedia”: From the “Edit” tab, select “Multimedia” from the drop-down menu. This will open a new window with options for adding multimedia elements to your PDF.
5. Choose the multimedia type: From the “Multimedia” window, choose the type of multimedia that you want to add to your PDF. You can select “Sound” to add audio, or “Video” to add video.
6. Select the multimedia file: Once you have selected the type of multimedia you want to add, click the “Browse” button to select the file from your computer.
7. Adjust the settings: You can adjust the settings for the multimedia element, including the size, position, and playback options.
8. Click “Add”: Once you have adjusted the settings for the multimedia element, click the “Add” button to embed it in the PDF document.
9. Save the PDF: Once you have added the multimedia element to the PDF document, save it to preserve the changes.

Adding audio and video to PDFs using PDFsam Basic is a simple process that can enhance the multimedia elements of your documents. This feature can be useful for presentations, training materials, and other types of documents that require multimedia elements.

One thing to keep in mind when using PDFsam Basic to embed audio and video in PDFs is that not all PDF viewers support multimedia playback. Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most common PDF viewer that supports multimedia playback, but other viewers may not. It is also important to ensure that the multimedia file is properly encoded and compressed to ensure that it can be played back smoothly.

#3 Using PDFescape

PDFescape is a online PDF editor that allows users to create, edit, and manipulate PDF documents. One of its features is the ability to add multimedia elements such as audio and video to PDFs, which can be a useful tool for those who want to enhance their documents with multimedia elements.

To embed audio and video in PDFs using PDFescape, follow these steps:

1. Open PDFescape: Go to the PDFescape website and open the PDF document that you want to add audio or video to.
2. Click on the “Add Media” icon: In the main toolbar, click on the “Add Media” icon which looks like a small filmstrip. This will open the “Add Media” dialog box.
3. Select “Audio” or “Video”: From the “Add Media” dialog box, select “Audio” or “Video” depending on which type of multimedia element you want to add.
4. Upload the multimedia file: Click the “Browse” button to select the multimedia file that you want to add from your computer. PDFescape supports a variety of multimedia formats, including MP3, WAV, MP4, and AVI.
5. Adjust the settings: You can adjust the settings for the multimedia element, including the size, position, and playback options.
6. Click “Save”: Once you have adjusted the settings for the multimedia element, click the “Save” button to embed it in the PDF document.
7. Save the PDF: Once you have added the multimedia element to the PDF document, save it to preserve the changes.

PDFescape is a free online PDF editor that offers a variety of features, including the ability to embed audio and video in PDFs. By following these simple steps, users can add multimedia elements to their PDF documents and enhance their overall impact.

#4 Using Smallpdf

Smallpdf is a web-based PDF editor that offers a variety of features, including the ability to add multimedia elements.

To embed audio and video in PDFs using Smallpdf, follow these steps:

• Open Smallpdf: Go to the Smallpdf website and click on the “Edit PDF” option.
• Upload the PDF document: Click on the “Choose Files” button and select the PDF document that you want to add audio or video to.
• Click on “Add Media”: Once the document is uploaded, click on the “Add Media” button located in the top toolbar.
• Select “Audio” or “Video”: From the “Add Media” dialog box, select “Audio” or “Video” depending on which type of multimedia element you want to add.
• Upload the multimedia file: Click the “Upload” button to select the multimedia file that you want to add from your computer. Smallpdf supports a variety of multimedia formats, including MP3, WAV, MP4, and AVI.
• Adjust the settings: You can adjust the settings for the multimedia element, including the size, position, and playback options.
• Click “Apply”: Once you have adjusted the settings for the multimedia element, click the “Apply” button to embed it in the PDF document.
• Save the PDF: Once you have added the multimedia element to the PDF document, click on the “Download” button to save the edited PDF document to your computer.

#5 Using Google Slides

Google Slides is a powerful tool for creating and sharing presentations, and it also offers the ability to embed audio and video into your slides. While Google Slides was not specifically designed for PDF creation, you can still use it to create PDFs that include multimedia elements.

To embed audio and video in PDFs using Google Slides, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Slides: Go to the Google Slides website and create a new presentation or open an existing one.
2. Insert a slide: Click on the “Insert” menu and select “Slide” to add a new slide to your presentation.
3. Add an audio or video element: Click on the “Insert” menu again, and select “Audio” or “Video” depending on which type of multimedia element you want to add.
4. Upload the multimedia file: Click on the “Select files from your device” button to upload the multimedia file that you want to add from your computer. Google Slides supports a variety of multimedia formats, including MP3, WAV, MP4, and AVI.
5. Adjust the settings: You can adjust the settings for the multimedia element, including the size, position, and playback options.
6. Repeat for additional slides: If you want to add multiple multimedia elements to your PDF, repeat steps 2-5 for each slide in your presentation.
7. Export your presentation as a PDF: Once you have added all of the multimedia elements that you want to include, click on the “File” menu and select “Download” > “PDF Document (.pdf)” to export your presentation as a PDF file.

In addition to embedding audio and video elements, Google Slides also offers a variety of other features that can enhance your PDF document. You can add text, images, charts, and other elements to your presentation slides, and you can also customize the design of your slides using themes, fonts, and colors.

Overall, Google Slides is a versatile tool that can be used to create PDF documents with embedded multimedia elements. By following these simple steps, you can create engaging and informative documents that include audio and video elements, making them more dynamic and engaging for your audience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, embedding audio and video files in PDFs can be a powerful way to enhance the reading experience and make content more engaging. Whether you are creating a presentation, report, or any other type of document, there are several free tools available that can help you to achieve this. From open-source PDF editors to web-based tools like PDFescape and Smallpdf, there is a range of options to choose from based on your needs and preferences. With the ability to add multimedia elements to PDFs, you can create more dynamic and impactful documents that are sure to capture the attention of your audience.

If you want to learn about the impact of PDFs on the print and publishing industries, you can read about it in our previous blog article.