As a Bluebeam Certified Instructor, I’ve come across many daily users of Bluebeam Revu who taught themselves how to use the program through trial and error. Revu’s interface and accessibility of tools do make the program easier to navigate, but there are many reasons why even intermediate to advanced users can benefit from attending a Bluebeam Revu Training course. Here are ten reasons why attending a Bluebeam Revu training course may be useful for increasing the efficiency of your workflows.

1. You’ll learn about all sorts of Keyboard shortcuts, tips, and tricks

Bluebeam Revu features a variety of keyboard shortcuts and tools that can help with project efficiency and accuracy. Many of these keyboard shortcuts are not immediately apparent from Bluebeam Revu’s interface. In fact, most users would not know about these useful tools without taking a training class. In both our Bluebeam Revu Essentials, and Advanced training courses, we go over all the ways you can use your keyboard to speed up processes. For example, using the shift key to keep a straight line for accurate measurements or using the ctrl key to switch between PDF navigation defaults.

Tip: Holding down the shift key will keep your lines at 90 or 45 degree angles when placing markups or taking measurements!

2. You may find an easier way to do what you do

One thing I’ve learned through teaching Bluebeam Revu is that no matter what you are doing, there is probably a faster way to do it. The program gives you a variety of ways to perform any one task. For example there are many ways you can access your markup tools  and multiple methods you can use to customize your count tool. The great thing about Revu is that you get to choose the way you want to do the work you do. Knowing which method is most efficient for you is best done once you are aware of all your options. In all my Bluebeam Revu training courses, I highlight many different ways to do any one task. This will help you be sure that you know which way is preferable in your workflows.

Tip: There are 3 ways to access any of your markup tools – the toolbar, the Tools dropdown menu, and the keyboard shortcuts!

3. You’ll learn how to customize your interface to fit your work

One of the most unique aspects of Bluebeam Revu is the way you can customize almost every part of your interface. Not only can you use Profiles for any of your specific workflows, but the toolbars, panels, and tool sets are all completely customizable. You can turn them on or off and move them around with ease. Even if you already familiar with customizing profiles, our Bluebeam Revu Essentials training course reviews every possible method to customize Revu. This includes some methods that you probably didn’t know about. Before becoming a Bluebeam Certified Instructor, I was familiar with customizing the viewing space by moving toolbars and panels, but I had no idea you could go further by splitting each panel space. The amount and depth of customization in Revu is something you can learn by taking a Bluebeam Revu Training course.

Tip: You can split the panel space by clicking and dragging another panel tool into the open panel. You can do this multiple times to have several Panel Access buttons be visible at once.

4. You’ll be able to connect with other users and share experiences

What I love about teaching Bluebeam Revu courses is that I get to meet people from a variety of industries and learn how they use the program. Revu was designed to be flexible and accommodate many different backgrounds and workflows. (It even allows users to be creative!) Users often discover ways of manipulating the software to aid their everyday tasks that aren’t taught by Bluebeam. Connecting with other users in a training environment lets you share and discover workflows and tips that you otherwise may have never known about.

Tip: The default Revu profile features several preloaded tool sets made for different industry reviews, including Architect, Engineer, and Contractor tools.

5. You’ll have direct contact with a Bluebeam Certified Instructor

Have you ever been working in Bluebeam Revu and wondered if you can perform a certain workflow or modify a tool in a way that would benefit your projects? You could go through pages and pages on Google to find that answer- if it’s even there. By taking a Bluebeam Revu training course, you’ll have direct access to a Bluebeam certified Instructor, who can answer all of your questions. At any point during training, I take any and all of your questions and demonstrate workflows that students may be curious about. Additionally, at the end of the training I always save time for a Q&A, so you have even more opportunity to ask questions.

Tip: Did you know you can access the internet directly from Revu? Open up a Web tab from the Window dropdown menu or by using CTRL+T.

6. You’ll learn tips and tricks for navigating through PDFs in Revu

The first time I took a Bluebeam Revu training course, I was surprised by how intuitive the navigation defaults were when zooming and panning through PDFs. The depth of navigation features available would be impossible to discover by exploring the program myself. Revu tries to make every process as easy as possible to ensure that you are able to do your work, and navigating through PDFs is no exception. In my Bluebeam Essentials training course, I go through how the navigation defaults change depending on the size of your document so that you are able to understand and use these features. Additionally, I cover how to change these defaults to ensure that students are always able to look through their documents the way they would like. 

Tip: The navigation defaults will change depending on the size of the document you’re working with – but you can switch the navigation mode by holding down the Ctrl key while rolling your mouse’s scroll wheel.

7. Your contact with a Bluebeam Certified Instructor won’t end after class is over

I want to emphasize that as your Bluebeam instructor, our contact does not have to end after the course is over. At the end of my Bluebeam Revu training courses, I always provide my email for all participants. I want to continue to help them throughout their exploration of the program. I always take any questions about Bluebeam Revu, whether it’s how to perform a process or solving issues that may arise. I am always happy to provide as much extra support as I can. By attending a Bluebeam Revu training course, students will have access to a Bluebeam Certified Instructor who will continue to support them even after the course has ended.

Tip: Did you know you can email PDFs directly from Revu? If you use a local email client, you can share PDFs via email from the File dropdown menu without even needing to leave Revu.

8. You’ll find out about tools you didn’t even know existed

Beyond the Markup Tools and Stamps, Bluebeam Revu features a large selection of tools that you can use for tracking changes in revisions, editing aspects of your PDF, performing estimations, and so on. With the program so loaded with different tools and functions it can be difficult to know how to use them without some guidance. In both my Bluebeam Revu Essentials and Bluebeam Revu Advanced training courses, we will cover a wide variety of tools and how to use them. After the course, you will know exactly what tools are available and where to locate them when using Bluebeam Revu. 

Tip: If you want to be able to use tools over and over again without deselecting the tool, you can turn on Reuse in the Tools menu. This will allow you to continue placing the same markup without pause.

9. With Revu, there is always more to learn

Although Bluebeam Revu is intuitive and features a clean and simple interface, there are numerous features and functions that you may not even be aware of. No matter how much you think you know about Revu, there is always more to learn! Even as a Bluebeam Certified Instructor and a daily user of the program, I continue to learn new things about Revu about every time I use it. By taking a Bluebeam Revu training course, you can cut down the learning curve and have what you need to do your work.

Tip: You can switch between Symbol view and Detail view in the Tool Chest by selecting the Tool Set Property cog button. This can be useful for symbol tool sets if you don’t know exactly what the symbol meant to show.

10. You’ll understand how to put all of the pieces together

One of my favorite parts of teaching Bluebeam Revu training courses is  that I can show how all the aspects of the program fit together. The course is designed to highlight specific features, such as the Markups List and Profiles, and show how they work together. Although it may be easy to learn about individual features like the Tool Chest and Markup Tools on your own, a training class can help you use them with the greatest efficiency. Once you understand how these tools relate to each other, you can begin using them with ease and increase your productivity.

Tip: The profile you are in will not only affect the set up of the toolbars and panels, but it will also change the Tool Sets available to. Switch between the different preloaded profiles to find the tool set you need – or make your own!

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please use the comment section on the bottom of this page, and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to get more Bluebeam tips & tricks directly in your inbox!

Lauren Hecker is a Bluebeam Certified Instructor and teaches Onsite Bluebeam Certified Courses, virtual Bluebeam Basics and Advanced courses, and custom onsite or virtual courses. To see her next open enrollment course, please visit our calendar. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!