Keynote and Pages
Keynote and Pages both export PDFs that work in Living Page on every plan. The steps are the same shape in both apps.
Keynote
Section titled “Keynote”- File → Export To → PDF.
- Choose the options:
- Image Quality: the higher settings keep photos sharper and make the file bigger.
- Presenter notes and skipped slides: tick them only if you want them in the flipbook.
- Print each stage of builds: see below.
- Include comments: leave off for anything you’re sharing.
- Name the file and export it.
Each slide becomes one page. A 16:9 deck suits the reader and pitch mode.
Builds: one page per slide, or one page per step?
Section titled “Builds: one page per slide, or one page per step?”A slide that reveals its content over several clicks is a build. You have a choice:
- Leave “Print each stage of builds” off and each slide becomes one page with everything showing. Best for most decks.
- Tick it and every step of the build becomes its own page, so turning pages in the flipbook steps through the build like clicking through the presentation. Good for a slide that tells a story in stages; tiring on a long deck, because it multiplies the page count.
- File → Export To → PDF.
- Set Image Quality, and leave comments and smart annotations off unless you want them shown.
- Export.
A Pages word-processing document flows its text into pages, like Word. A Pages page layout document has fixed pages, like a brochure. Either exports fine; with a page layout document, design single pages rather than two-page spreads. See Spreads vs single pages.
On iPad and iPhone
Section titled “On iPad and iPhone”Tap the More button (the three dots) → Export → PDF. In Keynote, the builds option is called Include Each Stage of Builds.
Accessibility
Section titled “Accessibility”Both apps export image, audio and video descriptions automatically. For documents with large tables, Apple’s advanced export options can add accessibility tags. It’s worth turning on if the tables matter.
Check before you upload
Section titled “Check before you upload”Open the PDF and click a link: if it opens there, it will open in the reader (Keeping links clickable). Keep the file under 50 MB; if it isn’t, export again at a lower Image Quality (Getting a PDF under 50 MB). Don’t use Require password to open: a password-protected PDF can’t be converted.