Redaction : Opus 2 Platform

Minimum Software Version	8.18.10
Solution(s)	Cases International ✓ Cases US ✓ Institutions ⨉ Counsel ✓

This article explains how to create and generate document redactions in Opus 2. It covers the available redaction methods, how to adjust redaction areas, and the output options available when generating redacted files.

Document redaction in Opus 2 is controlled through project configuration and may not be enabled in all project templates. When enabled, redactions can be created on individual documents within the Document Viewer to permanently remove sensitive information from shared outputs.

Redactions are applied on a per-document basis. Bulk creation of redactions across multiple documents is not currently supported. Once defined, you can generate redacted versions of a document using different processing methods, depending on accuracy and performance requirements.

Creating redactions

Create redactions in the Document Viewer. There are three methods available.

Method 1: Highlighting text or an area

Open the document in the Document Viewer.
Highlight the required content — this can be:
- A line of text.
- A selected block of text.
- A general area of the document (for images, diagrams, or non-text content).
From the selection dialogue, choose Redact (if enabled on the project).

A redaction is created over the selected area, regardless of whether it contains text or non-text content.

Method 2: Redacting from the word index

Open the word index in the left-hand side panel of the Document Viewer.
Locate the word you want to redact.
Click the three-dot menu next to the word.
Select Redact to apply redactions to all occurrences of that word in the document.

Method 3: Redacting using term search

In the Find search box at the top of the word index panel, enter a term consisting of one or more words.
If found, the term appears temporarily in the word index.
Redact the term using the same process as single-word index redaction (Method 2 above).

Note: Term searches are saved only for the current user session and are cleared when the page is refreshed or the user logs out.

Adjusting redaction areas

After creating redactions, they can be refined using the right-hand panel in the Document Viewer. Depending on document type and formatting, adjustments may be required. This is particularly important for images, diagrams, or variable-font text.

Review the redaction summary in the right-hand panel. This displays the number of text and region redactions applied, and the total number of pages with redactions.
Adjust the redaction area if required using the Text area adjustmentcontrols:
- Use Width and Height to resize the redaction box.
- Use Position to move it up, down, left, or right.
- Use Opacity to control how the redaction is displayed.
- Select Reset to revert any adjustments.
To remove individual redactions, select Clear all under Individual text adjustments.

Generating a redacted document

Once redactions are applied, you can generate redacted document outputs using one of two methods.

Method 1: Direct text manipulation

This method creates a new PDF where redacted text is completely removed and replaced with black rectangles. It preserves document quality and file size, and is the preferred method where possible.

Limitations to be aware of:

Overlapping redactions may remove nearby text unintentionally.
Vector-rendered text (such as text-based logos) may not be fully removed.

Method 2: Rasterisation followed by OCR

This method converts each page into an image and blacks out redacted areas. OCR is then applied to recreate a searchable text layer.

Considerations:

Larger file sizes.
Less crisp text rendering.
OCR may introduce minor text recognition inaccuracies.

This method is recommended when reliable redaction is required and direct text manipulation encounters issues.