How to convert PDF to JPG, and which resolution to choose
Sometimes you want one PDF page as a picture: to post on a blog, send in a chat app, or drop into a slide. Converting the PDF to an image is the simplest way. Pick the wrong resolution, though, and the text turns blurry or the file gets needlessly large.
Converting a PDF to images
- Add your PDF to the PDF to JPG tool below.
- Choose the pages. Convert all of them, or type ranges such as
1-3, 5. - Pick a resolution (DPI) and a format (JPG or PNG), then convert.
- Download images one by one or all at once as a ZIP.
How to choose the DPI
DPI sets how many pixels go into each inch. For a US Letter or A4 page, roughly 8.3 to 8.5 inches wide, it works out like this.
| DPI | Page width in pixels | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 72 to 96 | about 600 to 800 | Small previews, thumbnails |
| 150 | about 1250 | Reading on screen, blogs, chat |
| 300 | about 2500 | Printing, sharp small text |
150 DPI is enough most of the time. Choose 300 DPI for tables with small text or anything you plan to print. Doubling the DPI quadruples the pixel count, so file size grows quickly.
JPG or PNG?
- JPG: best for pages full of photos. Small files.
- PNG: best for text, tables and drawings. Edges stay crisp.
Text-heavy pages saved as JPG can show smudgy marks around letters. For documents, try PNG first.
When you need text, not images
If you want to copy the content into another document, extracting text works better than converting to images. Use text extraction in the PDF Converter to get a TXT file. Scanned PDFs contain pictures of text rather than real text, so nothing comes out. In that case, convert to images first and run them through the Image to Text (OCR) tool.
Good to know
- Files are converted inside your browser and never uploaded.
- Converting a very long PDF at 300 DPI takes time and memory. Selecting only the pages you need is faster.
- Unlock password-protected PDFs before converting.