PDF to Image (PNG / JPG)

How it works

Choose your PDF files in the box (tap or click), set the switches and press Convert to image. The resolution decides how sharp the result is: 72 DPI is enough for looking at something on screen or attaching it to an e-mail, 150 DPI suits slides and a home printer, and 300 DPI is print quality, which turns an A4 page into a picture of 2480×3508 pixels — sharper also means heavier, which is why the result line prints the real pixel size of every page. As for format, PNG keeps writing and lines crisp, while JPG gives a far smaller file on pages full of photographs; with JPG selected you can push the size down further with the quality slider. If you only need a few pages, type something like 1-3, 7 into the page range field; leave it empty and the whole document is converted. Each page is listed as its own file in the form "document-page-1.png" and downloaded separately. For a document that asks for a password, typing it into the password field is all it takes.

This tool is also known as pdf to image converter, convert pdf to png, convert pdf to jpg, save pdf page as picture, pdf page to image, turn pdf into images.

What is DPI (dots per inch)?

DPI is a density measure telling you how many dots fall into one inch, which is 2.54 centimetres, and it decides how many pixels a page becomes when it is turned into a picture. The sheet of paper does not change size, so doubling the DPI quadruples the pixel count and roughly multiplies the file size to match. Two thresholds have settled in practice: 72 for looking at things on screen and 300 for putting them on paper. When a print shop asks for a high-resolution file, 300 DPI is almost always what they mean.

What is PNG?

PNG is a picture format that uses lossless compression: it shrinks the file without changing the colour of a single pixel, so no blur or smudging builds up around the edges of writing and lines. That makes it the right choice for document pages, tables, screenshots and logos. The price is size on photo-heavy pages, because lossless compression has to cope with millions of separate shades and cannot simply throw the difficult ones away.

What is JPG (JPEG)?

JPG is a lossy photographic format that shrinks a file by discarding detail the eye does not notice; the lower the quality setting, the more is discarded and the smaller the file. In a photograph the trade is nearly invisible, but around sharp-edged writing and lines it leaves faint smudges known as artefacts. That is why JPG suits picture-heavy pages while PNG gives the better result on pages made mostly of writing.

What is the difference between a PDF page and a picture file?

A PDF page carries a recipe: "these letters in this font go here, a line of this weight goes there". The view is redrawn every time by the program that opens it, which is why the writing stays crisp however far you zoom in and why the text inside can still be selected. A picture file stores the outcome instead of the recipe: it is a grid of a fixed number of pixels, so zooming in shows squares and the writing can no longer be selected. Turning a page into a picture is therefore a one-way step; keep the PDF if you will go on working on it, and take the picture if you only need to show the page or want it left alone.

Which resolution should you pick?

DPI tells you how many dots fall into one inch. The paper size does not change, so as the DPI goes up the pixel count and the file size climb quickly. An A4 page is 595×842 pixels at 72 DPI, 1240×1754 at 150 DPI and 2480×3508 at 300 DPI — that is roughly seventeen times as many pixels at the top end. Convert a document set in small type at 72 DPI and the letters look blurred on screen; convert a presentation background at 300 DPI and you get a needlessly heavy file.

The practical rule: pick 72 if the picture will only be looked at, 300 if it will be printed or zoomed into, and 150 whenever you are unsure, because it answers most jobs. On very large paper sizes — architectural drawings, posters — the tool lowers the resolution by itself so the page still fits, and says so plainly in that page's result line, so you never end up with a blank or half-drawn picture.

What is this conversion used for?

Turning a page into a picture is the shortest way to get a document into anywhere that wants an image. The usual jobs are these:

• Dropping one page of a document into a presentation or a report as it stands
• Sharing on social media or in a messaging app — a picture opens where a PDF will not
• Handing a poster or advert file to a printer as the high-resolution image they asked for
• Closing a page to editing: writing that has become a picture cannot be changed in a word processor
• Keeping the page that carries only a signature or a stamp as a separate file

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn a PDF page into a picture?

Choose the file in the box, set the resolution and the format and press Convert to image. Every page is listed as its own file; press the download link beside it to save them one at a time.

Should I choose PNG or JPG?

If the page is mostly writing, tables and lines, pick PNG: the edges stay crisp and no smudging appears around the letters. If the page is a photograph from top to bottom, JPG gives a much smaller file with no visible loss.

Why does everything not arrive in one file?

A picture file holds a single page; the format that keeps many pages in one file is the PDF itself. That is why every page is listed as its own numbered file and you pick the ones you want.

Can a password-protected PDF be converted?

Yes, if you know the password. Type the password you are asked for into the password field; the tool opens the document with it and draws the pages. If the password is wrong it says so, and what you typed stays on your device like the document itself.

Is my document uploaded to a server?

No. Drawing the pages and producing the picture files happen inside your browser; neither the document nor its name goes anywhere. When you are converting an identity copy or a signed form, that difference matters.