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How to add an image to a PDF on Mac

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To add an image to a PDF on a Mac, open the PDF in Sealpad and drag the picture from Finder onto the page, or copy it and press ⌘V. Then drag it into place, resize it from a corner and crop it if you need to. To add the picture as a page of its own instead, use File > Insert Image as New Page… (⌥⌘I).

Open the PDF

Sealpad is a free Mac app for macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Get it from the download page, which also explains the one extra click macOS asks for the first time you open it.

Choose File > Open (⌘O) and pick the PDF, or drag the PDF onto the Sealpad icon in the Dock. It opens as a copy, so nothing you do touches the original file.

Three ways to add an image to a PDF on Mac

Use whichever fits where the picture is right now.

Drag it from Finder

Drag the image file from a Finder window and drop it on the page. Use this when the file is already on your Desktop or in Downloads.

Copy and paste it

Copy an image in another app and press ⌘V in Sealpad. This also works with an image file: select it in Finder, press ⌘C, switch to Sealpad and press ⌘V.

Use the menu

Choose File > Add Image to Page… (⇧⌘I) and pick the file. Handy when you know the file name but not which window it is in.

Move and resize the image

  1. Drag the image to move it.
  2. Drag any corner to make it larger or smaller.
  3. Right-click it for Copy, Cut or Delete.

Everything stays movable and editable until you save. ⌘Z undoes any step and ⇧⌘Z redoes it, so you can try a position and go back.

Crop an image inside the PDF

A photo often has more in it than you want on the page: a table edge, a wall, a second product. You can crop it after placing it, without opening another app.

  1. Double-click the image. You can also select it and choose Edit > Crop (⌘K), or right-click it and choose Crop Image.
  2. Drag the handles on the edges and corners to the part you want to keep. The part being cut away shows faded.
A photo of a coffee bag placed on a contract page in Sealpad, in crop mode with handles on the kept part and the cut-away part faded
Crop mode: the part that will be cut away is shown faded.
  1. Press Return.

The crop is not permanent until you save. Right-click the image and choose Reset Crop to bring the whole picture back.

Insert an image as a new page

Sometimes the picture should be its own page: a scanned receipt at the end of an expense report, a photo of a signed form, a floor plan at the back of a proposal.

  1. Choose File > Insert Image as New Page… (⌥⌘I).
  2. Pick the image file.

This also lets you turn photos into a PDF. Open the first photo in Sealpad, then insert the next one as a new page. A picture with a second page can only be saved as a PDF, so Save gives you a PDF with one photo per page.

Repeat a logo on every page

For a logo in the header, a “Draft” mark or a company stamp that belongs on every page:

  1. Place the image on one page and get the position and size right.
  2. Right-click it and choose Repeat on Every Page.
A two-page contract in Sealpad with the same red stamp and red note "Copy for Lumen Coffee Roasters" repeated at the bottom of each page
Repeat on Every Page puts the stamp and note in the same spot on each page.

Each page gets a copy in the same spot. You can still move any single copy before saving.

Signatures, stamps and logos on white paper

A scanned signature, stamp or logo usually comes with white paper around it, and that paper covers the text underneath. Right-click the image and choose Remove White Background to make the white or off-white paper transparent. It works with dark ink on white paper in even light.

The guide on removing the background from a signature has tips for getting a clean scan, and adding a company stamp to a PDF covers quotes, invoices and contracts.

Save the PDF

Press ⌘S. Sealpad always asks where to save, and the new file’s name starts with the date, for example 2026-10-16_proposal.pdf. The PDF you opened is never overwritten.

Sealpad works entirely on your Mac: no account, no upload and no internet connection needed. The pictures you add stay on your computer.

Questions

How do I insert an image into a PDF on a Mac?

Open the PDF in Sealpad, a free Mac app, and drag the image from Finder onto the page. You can also copy the image and press ⌘V, or choose File > Add Image to Page… (⇧⌘I). To add the image as a page of its own, use File > Insert Image as New Page… (⌥⌘I).

Can I paste an image file I copied in Finder into a PDF?

Yes. Select the image file in Finder, press ⌘C, then click in the PDF window in Sealpad and press ⌘V. The image is placed on the page and you can drag it where you want it.

How do I put a logo on every page of a PDF?

Place the logo on one page, drag it into position and resize it. Then right-click it and choose Repeat on Every Page. Sealpad puts a copy in the same spot on every page of the document.

Can I crop an image after adding it to a PDF?

Yes. Double-click the image, or select it and press ⌘K, then drag the handles on its edges and corners. The part being cut away shows faded. Press Return when you are done, and choose Reset Crop from the right-click menu to get the whole image back.

Does adding an image change my original PDF?

No. Sealpad opens every document as a copy, and Save always asks where to write the new file. The new file's name starts with the date, so the original stays as it was.