Bluebeam - Callout Tool

The Callout tool places a leader line connected to a text box in a selected location. The text box and the leader line's terminus are placed, and can be subsequently moved independently of one another. Drag the text box or terminus to a new location and the leader line will stretch so they continue to be connected.

Multiple leader lines can be added to a Callout so the same text can point to multiple locations in the document. Conversely, all leader lines can be deleted from a Callout, making it behave effectively like a Text Box.

Creating a Callout

Select the Callout tool using one of the following methods:
1. Go to Tools > Markup > Callout.
2. Click on the Shapes toolbar.
3. Press Q on the keyboard.
Click to set the location of the terminus at the end of the leader line.
Click to set the location of the text box. The leader line will automatically connect to the callout box, which will be ready to accept text.
Enter the desired text.
1. If desired, press ALT+Z to autosize the text box to fit the text.
Click away from the text box or press ESC to finish.

Removing a Callout

To remove markups from a PDF, select the markup or markups on the PDF or from the Markups list and do one of the following:

Press DELETE on the keyboard.
Right-click and select Delete.

Adding, Moving, and Removing Leader Lines

You can add more leader lines to a Callout, move existing leader lines so that they anchor to different sides, or remove any or all leader lines.

Adding

As many leader lines as desired can be added to any or all sides of the markup. To add more leader lines, just repeat the process described below.

Right-click anywhere inside the text box and select Add Leader. A leader line will appear.
The leader line will automatically anchor to the text box at the nearest applicable control point. To anchor it to a different side, move your mouse toward the desired side and it will automatically re-anchor there.
Click the spot on the PDF where you want the leader line's terminus to be.

Multiple leader lines can originate from the same side of the markup, with their terminal points extending from the same bend (or "knee"). Just add a leader line as normal and set it to originate from the same side as an existing one; the terminal point will automatically extend away from the same knee.

Single Leader Line

Multiple Leader Lines

Moving

Leader lines can be moved from one side of the markup to another. When moving a leader line to a side that already has a leader line, it will automatically be merged with that leader line.

To move a leader line, click the control point on its bend (or "knee") and drag it to the desired side. The line's connection point will automatically shift, but the terminal point will remain in place.

Removing

Any or all of a Callout's leader lines can be removed. If all the leader lines are removed, the Callout's text box will remain on the PDF, functioning very much like a Text Box.

There are two ways to remove a leader line:

Right-click on the desired leader and select Delete Leader.
Hold down the SHIFT key and click the control point at the leader line's terminus (you will need to select the markup first to expose its control points).

Note: Removing all leader lines from a Callout will cause its icon to change in the Markups list to resemble one used for Text Box markups (), though it will still be categorized as a Callout, allowing for easier differentiation.

Resizing or Adjusting a Callout

Select a markup to reveal its control handles. Each handle controls a different aspect of the markup's size and orientation.

To rotate the markup, click and drag the orange handle. By default, the markup is rotated in increments of 1°; to rotate in increments of 15°, hold down CTRL while dragging.

To resize the markup, click and drag the appropriate yellow handle.

To move only the text box, click inside the text box and drag it to the desired location. Alternatively, click and drag the leader line (not its handles).

The leader line's terminus will remain where it is and the leader will automatically adjust to text box's new location.

To autosize the text box so that it fits the text, right-click it and select Autosize Text Box, or select it and press ALT+Z.

To move only the leader terminus, click and drag its yellow control handle to a new location. The text box will remain in the same location.

To move the entire markup together, hold down ALT while moving any part of the markup.

To move the leader origin from one side of the markup to another, click and drag the leader line's bend (or "knee") control handle to the desired side. If there is already a leader line on that side, it will be automatically merged with that leader line.

Adding an Action to a Callout Markup

You can add an action to nearly any markup. Simply right-click the markup and select Edit Action to open the Action dialog box.

Icon Indicators in Markups

Markups might present with one or more of several indicator icons alerting users of certain conditions or attachments. These icon indicators appear below the markup to the right (or, in the case of grouped markups, below and to the right of the group) and include:

Action: Indicates that an action has been defined for this markup. Clicking this icon triggers the action.

Capture: Indicates that the markup has an embedded media, typically an image or video. Clicking this icon opens a preview window showing the embedded media (or first piece of media, if multiple are embedded) and provides easy access to several useful tools.

Reply: Indicates the existence of one or more replies to the markup in the Markups list. Hovering over the icon previews the replies and clicking it opens the Markups list (if it's not already open) and jumps directly to the markup's entry there. Users can turn off the ability to see reply indicators in the View menu.

Changing a Callout's Appearance

The appearance of the text, text box, and leader lines of a Callout markup are all configurable.

The entire contents of a callout text box can be selected by clicking the text box. Once it has been selected, changing any of the font formatting options will apply to all text within the box.

To select particular words in a callout text box, click the box to make it active, then click and drag over the desired text. Any formatting you change in the Properties tab will only affect the selected text.

To edit the appearance of a Callout markup, select it and click the Properties panel. Go to Window > Panels > Properties or press ALT+P to show the Properties panel if it is hidden. Several properties will also be available on the Properties toolbar when the markup is selected.

Appearance Properties