In Bluebeam Revu, you are able to compare differences between two similar documents. For example, you can compare what changes have occurred between an original drawing and its revision. Revu makes this very easy; instead of having to look back and forth between two documents, you can use the Compare Documents tool. Compare Documents will scan the two PDFs and highlight changes with cloud markups. Not only will this save you time, but it will also give you trackable data for the comparison via the Markups List.

This article will show you the basics of using Compare Documents in Bluebeam Revu. The following examples are from Bluebeam Revu 21, but the process will be the same for all versions of Revu. This demonstration will focus on comparing two documents of the same size. If you need to compare different sized documents, refer to our article on Aligning Points for Comparison here.

Within Bluebeam Revu, use the Documents menu to select Compare Documents.

Using the document menu to Compare Documents in Bluebeam Revu 2019

The Compare Documents window will open. Here, we can choose the documents we want to use for the comparison. Generally, we will use the original drawing as Document A, and the revised drawing as Document B.

Select the ellipses button in each section to find the desired drawing on your computer. Below the input documents, you can choose which pages you want to compare within each.

The Compare Documents will create a new PDF highlighting the changes. Under Output Folder, use the ellipses to select a location on your computer to place the document.

If the documents you’re comparing are different sizes, you can still run the comparison. To do this, you can press Select Window, which allows you to choose a part of the drawing to compare on each PDF. You can also select Pick Points, which allows you to select three points on each document to align them.

Under Other Options, you can customize how the comparison will display. Split-screen view (synchronize) will open the documents in MultiView, side by side. On one side, you’ll be able to view the original drawing, while the other side will show the marked up comparison. I recommend turning on this setting to more easily analyze changes. You can also Turn on Dimmer here, which will dim the original document to highlight the changes.

Under Comparison Type, you can choose between three default comparison profiles. When comparing vector documents, either of the Printed Documents options will work. If you’re comparing raster documents, you should use the Scanned Documents option.

You can adjust or make your own comparison type profile by selecting Advanced. Here, you can adjust how Revu scans the documents, renders the output file, and the creates comparison markups. For the most part, you can generally leave these settings as they are.

Once you have made your selections, press OK to perform the comparison.

The comparison document will open – either in one screen, or in a split screen depending on your settings. If you chose to split the screens, the comparison document will appear on the left, with the original copy on the right. Any changes between the two versions will display a cloud markup. The markups will be locked by default, ensuring that they aren’t moved. Within the Markups List, these markups will have the subject of Difference, indicating differences.

Just like that, we have quickly identified all changes between two document versions. Because they’re noted with markups, we also have trackable data for these changes. If needed, we now create a Markups List Summary report to share the revisions with other team members.

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!

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How to Use Compare Documents in Bluebeam Revu

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