PDF to Images Converter

Converting PDF pages to images involves rendering the vector, text, and raster content of each PDF page at a specified resolution (DPI) and saving the result as an image file. This rendering process is called rasterization—converting scalable vector content to a fixed pixel grid.



This tool uses PDF.js to parse the PDF structure and render each page to an HTML5 Canvas element at your chosen scale factor. PDF.js implements a full PDF rendering engine in JavaScript, handling text, vector graphics, images, fonts, color spaces, and transparency as specified in the PDF. The canvas is then exported as a PNG (for lossless quality) or JPEG (for smaller file size) using the Canvas API's toBlob() method.



Resolution is controlled by the render scale: at 2x scale, a standard A4 page (595×842 PDF units, equivalent to 72 DPI at 1x) renders at 1190×1684 pixels, corresponding to 144 DPI output. Higher scales produce higher-resolution images suitable for printing or detailed inspection.

1. Creating Slide Preview Images
Converting presentation PDF slides to images creates preview thumbnails for portfolio websites, documentation, or thumbnail directories. Individual slide images can be embedded in web pages, shared in chat, or used in other documents where PDF embedding isn't practical.



2. Extracting Images for Editing
When source materials exist only as PDFs, converting pages to images allows further editing in image editors. Designers extracting elements from a received PDF for use in other projects, or needing to modify a page that can't be edited as a PDF, benefit from high-resolution image output.



3. Creating Searchable Thumbnail Grids
Document management systems and digital asset managers often display PDF thumbnails. Converting to images creates the thumbnail source material. Teams managing large document libraries can use converted images for visual browsing without opening each PDF.



4. OCR Pre-Processing
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems often perform better with image inputs than direct PDF processing, especially for older or scanned PDFs. Converting PDF pages to high-resolution images (300+ DPI) provides ideal input for OCR text extraction tools.



5. Web and App Display
Web applications and mobile apps that need to display PDF content without full PDF rendering support can convert pages to images for universal display. JPEG or PNG images display reliably in any browser and app without requiring PDF viewer plugins.

• Use PNG for text quality: For PDFs containing primarily text or diagrams, PNG output preserves sharp text edges without JPEG compression artifacts. Use JPEG only for pages with primarily photographic content.



• Higher scale = larger file size: 2x scale produces 4x the pixels of 1x, with proportionally larger file sizes. For web display, 1.5x (108 DPI) is often sufficient. For print preparation, use 4x (288 DPI) or higher.



• Page rendering time scales with resolution: High-resolution rendering is CPU-intensive. For large PDFs at high scales, expect longer processing times. Process one page at a time for very large documents.



• Check DPI requirements for your use case: Screen display: 96-144 DPI (1-2x scale). Laser printing: 300 DPI (4x+ scale). Professional print: 600 DPI (8x+ scale). Choose scale based on final use.