To show an annotated PDF page in a Pages report, flatten a copy in Preview, export the required page as a PNG, then insert that image into Pages. This preserves a static view of the page; keep the original PDF for editable annotations.

This workflow is for a Mac user who needs readers to see marked-up diagrams, highlighted passages, or visible comments beside report text. It covers preparing the PDF, inserting selected pages, arranging them with the report, and checking the exported result.

What can Pages and Keynote preserve from an annotated PDF?

Apple’s file compatibility documentation does not list PDF among the document formats Pages can open, or among the presentation formats Keynote can open. Opening a PDF as an editable report or slide deck is therefore outside that documented compatibility. This is separate from placing visual content inside an existing document. Apple’s file format compatibility guide.

For the outcome here, Apple documents the necessary operations separately: Preview can flatten PDF annotations and extract an individual PDF page as an image; Pages can insert images. Combining those operations provides a supported route to displaying annotated pages in a report. It does not establish a way to import the PDF’s annotation objects as editable Pages comments. Annotate a PDF in Preview, extract a PDF page as an image, and add an image in Pages.

Decide what your reader needs before preparing the files:

Reader’s need Approach for this report
See an annotated page beside your explanation Insert a prepared image of that page.
Read the wording of a PDF note Include the wording as report text as well as any useful page image.
Continue changing the original annotations Keep the editable PDF alongside your report files.
See several selected PDF pages Prepare and insert one image for each required page.

The image is a static representation: its marks become part of the picture. Plan any later annotation changes in the original PDF, then regenerate the report image. This distinction matters when a report will go through several revisions.

Prepare a copy with the annotations visible

Start by opening the annotated PDF in Preview and checking the exact pages you intend to include. Confirm that each highlight, arrow, text label, and other useful mark communicates its meaning at the size you expect to use in the report.

Pay particular attention to notes. Apple documents that a Preview note can be closed, clicked to view, or displayed with other notes through View > Highlights and Notes. A note icon alone may not communicate the note’s wording to a report reader. Review that wording before making a static copy, and put essential explanations into the report text. Add notes and speech bubbles to a PDF in Preview.

For example, suppose a synthetic diagram has a highlighted rectangle and a closed note reading “Use the larger label in the next draft.” A useful report figure should show the rectangle, while the accompanying paragraph states the requested label change. Do not assume that a small note symbol supplies that explanation.

Flatten a separate PDF copy

Apple distinguishes saving editable annotations from flattening them. In Preview, File > Save, File > Export, and File > Export to PDF preserve editable annotations. To flatten annotations so they cannot be edited, Apple specifies File > Print, followed by Save as PDF. Annotate a PDF in Preview.

Use that distinction deliberately:

  1. Save the annotated original so you can return to its editable marks.
  2. Choose File > Print in Preview.
  3. Select Save as PDF.
  4. Give the output a distinct name, such as diagram-report-copy.pdf.
  5. Open the saved copy and inspect the required pages before continuing.

Flattening removes the ability to edit those annotations in the resulting copy. Treat the original and the report copy as separate working files. Inspect the copy rather than assuming that every kind of annotation has become a readable on-page explanation; add any missing meaning to the report prose.

Export each required PDF page as an image

Preview’s documentation includes a specific procedure for extracting a PDF page as an image. It uses the thumbnail sidebar to select the page, which makes it suitable for choosing a particular page from a longer annotated PDF. Remove a background or extract an image in Preview.

Follow these steps on the flattened copy:

  1. Open the PDF in Preview.
  2. Choose View > Thumbnails.
  3. Select the required page in the thumbnail sidebar.
  4. Choose File > Export.
  5. Enter a meaningful filename and choose a save location.
  6. Open the Format pop-up menu and choose PNG.
  7. Click Save.

Open the PNG and compare it with the selected PDF page. Check the page identity, the visible annotations, and the edges of the diagram or text. Repeat the process for every page your report needs; this procedure prepares individual page images rather than importing an entire PDF into the report.

For a three-page source where only pages one and three matter, use names such as diagram-p01.png and diagram-p03.png. Keeping the source page number in each filename is an editorial aid: it helps you avoid swapping figures and makes later replacement easier. If you renumber figures in the report, retain the source page reference in your working notes or caption.

Avoid processing the whole PDF before checking one representative page. Choose a page containing the smallest text and most detailed annotations first. If that page is difficult to read in the intended report layout, resolve the presentation before preparing the remaining images.

Insert and position the page image in Pages

Open your report in Pages and drag the prepared PNG from the Finder onto the intended page. Apple documents dragging an image from your computer either to a media placeholder or elsewhere on the page. For an annotated page, inserting it into an open area makes the complete figure easier to inspect before arranging it. Add an image in Pages on Mac.

Set the size without stretching the page

Select the inserted image, then open Format > Arrange in the sidebar. Under Size, select Constrain proportions. You can drag a corner selection handle to resize proportionally or enter dimensions in the Width and Height fields. Resize, rotate, and flip objects in Pages.

Judge the result at the size readers will encounter. If the full page makes annotation text too small, give the figure more space or explain the important detail in adjacent report text. Stretching the picture in one direction makes the diagram harder to interpret; proportional sizing keeps its original shape.

Choose how the image moves with report text

For a word-processing report, select the image and open Format > Arrange. Under Object Placement, choose Move with Text when the figure should follow its discussion. Under Text Wrap, choose Above and Below to keep prose off the sides, or Inline with Text to place the image within the text flow. Apple documents both choices and their behavior. Place objects with text in Pages.

These controls depend on the document type. Apple states that objects in page layout documents are anchored to a location on the page. If Inline with Text is unavailable, check that you are working in a word-processing document and that Move with Text is selected. Use Stay on Page when a fixed position is appropriate for the layout. Pages object placement options.

Add a brief explanatory paragraph near the image. A useful example is: “Figure 2 shows source page 3. The highlighted rectangle identifies the label area; the accompanying note requests a larger label.” This lets the report carry the interpretation even when the source contains compact annotation symbols.

Does Keynote provide a better import route?

Keynote is unnecessary for this Pages workflow. Apple documents inserting images into Keynote by dragging them from the Finder onto a slide, but its compatibility list does not establish PDF-to-presentation opening. The documented image controls also do not establish a conversion from PDF annotations to editable Keynote objects. Add an image in Keynote on Mac and Apple’s file format compatibility guide.

If you also need the same annotated figure in a presentation, reuse the prepared PNG on a Keynote slide. For the report itself, insert that PNG directly into Pages. Introducing a slide between Preview and Pages adds no necessary step to the supported path described here.

Export the report and check the finished pages

When the report is ready, choose File > Export To > PDF in Pages. Apple provides an Image Quality menu and explains that higher image quality produces a larger file. Save the exported copy, then open it in Preview to inspect the actual deliverable. Convert to Word, PDF, or another file format in Pages.

Pages also offers PDF export checkboxes for its own smart annotations and comments. Those settings are distinct from the PDF marks already rendered into your inserted PNG. They should not be treated as controls for recovering or editing the source PDF’s annotations. Pages PDF export settings.

Use this final diagnostic sequence:

  • An annotation is missing from the PNG: compare the editable PDF, flattened copy, and PNG to identify the first stage where it disappears.
  • A note’s meaning is missing: read the original note and include its essential wording in the report.
  • The figure moves away from its discussion: review Object Placement and Text Wrap in Pages.
  • Text is too small: revise the figure’s space in the report and check the exported PDF again.
  • The wrong page appears: compare the image filename and figure with the source PDF thumbnails.

Keep the editable PDF, the prepared page images, and the Pages document together for future revisions. A finished report should make the selected page, its visible annotations, and your explanation readable in one place; the retained original gives you a clear starting point when those annotations change.

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