- They are layered images that you cannot edit. So any last-minute correction will feel like trying to perform brain surgery with a butter knife.
- But whether you need to edit text, exchange images, or polish the design of your slides, editing NotebookLM PDFs is possible with the right solution.
In this post, we share how to edit NotebookLM slideshows PDF in 3 ways, with their pros and cons. This way you can decide for yourself which one you need!
Part 1: Quick comparison of NotebookLM slide editing methods
Here’s a quick comparison of all the editing tools for NotebookLM PDF slides that we’ll explain in the later section:
| Tool | Tenorshare PDNob | NoteSlide | Kanva |
| Goal | Edit PDF slides directly without conversion. | Convert PDF slides to editable PowerPoint/Keynote. | Visually polish and adjust slides. |
| Ease of use and compatibility | Simple user interface and supports iOS, Windows and Mac. | Simple and online, but requires PowerPoint/Keynote to complete. | Online and intuitive if you are familiar with Canva. |
| To process | Text, images, annotations, highlights and layout changes. | Editable text and objects in converted .pptx or Keynote. | Text editing (via AI “Grab Text”), colors, icons and images. |
| Conversion tool required before editing | No | Yes, PDF to PowerPoint/Keynote, a separate editor is also required to adjust the PDF. | Partially, PDF slides are imported into the Canva editor. |
| Keeps the original formatting intact. | High fidelity, but may vary for complex layouts. | The basic structure is retained, but some complex text/fonts may differ. | |
| Best for | Users who need offline processing, higher accuracy for complex slides, or full editing control before exporting. | Convert static PDFs into fully editable slideshows | Visual improvements and polishing of the final design. |
| Limits | Requires software installation. | Conversion only, requires third party software for further editing and credit based pricing. | Pack only text on Pro and used on each slide individually, and the font/spacing may not match. |
Part 2: How to Edit a NotebookLM Slideshow Without Losing Its Size
Below are 3 solutions to edit NotebookLM PDF slideshow without losing formatting. Choose a method you find best:
Method 1: Use PDNob
Tenorshare PDNob is a powerful PDF editor to edit NotebookLM PDF slides for free. Unlike other tools, you don’t need to convert the PDF to another format to make it editable, or use another editor to edit it. PDNob provides OCR to make the image editable and includes all the basic features for text and image editing. It can also annotate and highlight content, convert, compress and merge multiple PDF slideshows, and even encrypt them. Here are the advantages of PDNob at a glance:
- Converts scanned PDFs and images to editable text with up to 99% accuracy.
- Keeps complex images, text and structures such as forms, charts and tables intact.
- Provides more than 100 operations for fonts, size and color, add, replace or resize images on pages, combine, split, rearrange, insert or extract.
- Offers more than 200 annotation tools to add highlights, notes and stamping solutions.
- File conversion supports more than 30 formats and batch conversion.
- Sleek design, suitable for beginners, fast performance and low CPU/RAM consumption without freezing.
- The tool is CMMI Level 5, PCI DSS & ISO certified and complies with GDPR and CPRA
Follow the instructions below to use Tenorshare PDNob to edit the NotebookLM PDF slideshow:
Step 1: Open Tenorshare PDNob on your Windows or Mac. Then tap “OCR PDF” to upload the scanned PDF file. The tool downloads an OCR package.
Step 2: Then select “Run OCR.” Choose the desired ‘Language’ and ‘Page range’. Tap ‘Run OCR’.
Step 3: Go to “Edit” in the menu above to modify the PDF. From the “Comment” tab you can add notes or highlight the text, and from the “Convert” option you can convert the PDF file to another format.
Step 4: After you are done editing, go to ‘File’. Choose “Save As” and choose a location on your computer to export the PDF.
Method 2: Use NoteSlide
NoteSlide is a popular tool that uses AI vision to read a PDF. Then the entire slide deck is rebuilt into a PowerPoint or Apple Keynote file. The tool provides high-fidelity conversion by going beyond basic text recognition (OCR). When it rebuilds the original slide layout, it includes complex features such as multi-column grids, icons and tables, while keeping the design intact.
Additionally, NoteSlide offers true editability, meaning any element can be changed, from editing a single word in a text box to replacing an image without disrupting the rest of the slide. You can then edit the downloaded file in your preferred editor. Here’s how to do that converts NotebookLM slides into editable PowerPoint or Keynote file with NoteSlide and edit them:
Step 1: In your NotebookLM project, create your slides and download or export the entire deck as a standard PDF file.
Step 2: Next, visit the NoteSlide site. Then upload your NotebookLM PDF. Click ‘Convert to Editable PPTX’.
Step 3: The tool analyzes the file, identifies text, images and slide structure, and rebuilds the entire deck.
Step 4: After processing, download the new deck as Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) or Apple Keynote format.
Step 5: Open the downloaded .pptx file in the PowerPoint or Keynote file in Google Slides to edit text, adjust fonts and colors, move images, or add branding.
| Positives | Disadvantages |
| ● It is specially designed for converting NotebooLM PDF slides into editable files. ● As a specialized AI tool, it analyzes and rebuilds slides, keeping the design very close to the original and without losing quality. ● It solves the main problem by turning a static PDF into a fully editable .pptx or Keynote file where text and objects can be changed. ● The tool only handles conversion; further design or layout changes should be made in PowerPoint or other presentation software after downloading. | ● The tool only handles the conversion, and any further design or layout changes must be made in PowerPoint or other presentation software after downloading. ● For slides with complex layouts, the converted layers and reuse of elements may be inconsistent. ● Pricing uses a credit system, which may not be cost-effective if you only convert slides occasionally. ● You must upload your PDF to a third-party service, which may not be suitable for confidential or sensitive business documents. |
Method 3: Use Canva
Canva acts as a companion tool to NotebookLM to enhance and customize NotebookLM PDF slides. It can turn any page into a properly formatted presentation slide with features such as speaker notes and presentation controls. In Canva Pro, the Grab Text feature uses AI vision to convert text in slide images into editable text boxes.
In addition, Canva also offers tools to enhance the visuals by adjusting colors, adding icons or illustrations, including branding, and rearranging the layouts. After editing, you can download the deck as a Microsoft PowerPoint file (.pptx). Here it is how to edit NotebookLM slides with Canva:
Step 1: Visit Canva.com and start a new project. Then upload the PDF via the “Upload Files” tab or by dragging it into the editor.
Step 2: Canva automatically turns each PDF page into a separate slide in a presentation. On each slide you want to edit, select the slide.
Step 3: Open “Magic Studio” from the toolbar on the left. Then choose ‘Grab Text’. This AI tool extracts text from the slide image and creates a new editable text layer on top of it.
Step 4: Once text is editable, you can change fonts, colors, and wording, and use Canva’s design tools to add elements, adjust backgrounds, or rearrange layouts.
Step 5: Download the deck when you’re done. For maximum flexibility, choose Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) to get editable slides.
| Positives | Disadvantages |
| ● Ideal for making slides look cleaner using colors, icons and images. ● The workflow is intuitive if you already use Canva. ● The basic structure of NotebookLM slides usually remains intact when imported. | ● The main “Grab Text” feature is not available on free accounts. ● You must apply “Grab Text” to each slide individually, which can be slow on large decks. ● Extracted text may not match the original font, size, or spacing, sometimes making slides look unprofessional. ● Only suitable for final visual polish rather than repetitive or major content changes. |
Parting words
There are several ways you can learn how to edit NotebookLM slides without losing formatting. Use NoteSlide to convert PDFs into fully editable PowerPoint or Keynote files, or Canva to polish slides with design tools and AI text extraction.
However, if you want a full OCR and PDF editing experience, then Tenorshare PDNob is the best choice. It provides 99% precision in converting NotebookLM PDF slides into editable and searchable text, and lets you edit text/images directly in the tool, without losing the original formatting. You can also annotate, compress, convert and encrypt PDFs.
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