How to Convert a PDF to JPG, PNG or WebP (and Which Resolution to Pick)

What converting a PDF to images means

PDF rasterization is the process of drawing each page of a document onto a grid of pixels of a set size. Vector letters and lines become dots, and from then on the page is a plain image you can drop into a slide, a chat or a web page.

There is no way back. You cannot select text in the image or zoom a diagram without blur. Keep the original PDF, and render images for one job at a time: a preview, a web page or a print run.

Our converter renders pages with Poppler, the library behind many PDF viewers on Linux. Each page comes out as a separate file.

How to convert a PDF to JPG, PNG or WebP in 4 steps

• Open the converter and drop your PDF in: up to 25 MB and 20 pages at a time
• Pick a format: PNG for text and diagrams, WebP for scans and the web, JPG for maximum compatibility
• Pick a resolution: 96 dpi for previews, 150 dpi for screens, 300 dpi for print
• Press Convert, check the previews, and download single pages or everything with Download ZIP

Three pages at 150 dpi take about a second. At 300 dpi it takes longer: three scanned pages saved as PNG took 5.9 seconds in our test.

How big is each page? We measured three documents

We took three common kinds of PDF and converted the first three pages of each into all three formats at 96, 150 and 300 dpi. The table shows the average size of one page. JPG used quality 75 and WebP used quality 80, the default settings of our converter.

• Report: our 21-page sample SEO report with text, tables and color charts
• Diagram: a vector drawing of boxes, arrows and small labels
• Scan: a raster copy of a typed page at 200 dpi with paper grain

The takeaway: no single format wins. JPG is the most common advice, yet it is the worst choice for a drawing. For a scan it is the other way round: PNG makes the file ten times bigger and gives nothing back.

Which format to choose: JPG, PNG or WebP

Choose the format by what is on the page. PNG is lossless and handles large flat areas well: white paper, sharp lines, text. JPG is built for photos and smooth color. On the hard edges of letters it leaves halos, and the file ends up bigger too.

• PNG: contracts, tables, drawings, diagrams, anything with small print
• WebP: scans, slide decks with photos, images for a website or online store
• JPG: when the other side only opens JPG, such as older apps, email clients or printers

WebP had the smallest file in all nine test runs. Every modern browser supports it, but some office apps and upload forms still reject it. If the image goes into someone else’s system, check the accepted formats first.

For a deeper look at the two web formats, see our WebP vs JPG comparison. If the pages still come out heavy, run them through the compressor.

Which resolution you need: 96, 150 or 300 dpi

Resolution sets how many pixels go into each inch of the page. An A4 page at 96 dpi comes out at 794 × 1123 pixels, at 150 dpi at 1240 × 1755, and at 300 dpi at 2480 × 3509. Each step up roughly doubles the file size.

For screens, 150 dpi is plenty: the page is wider than most laptop displays. Go to 300 dpi if the image will be printed or run through OCR, which makes far fewer mistakes on large letters.

You can work out the pixel size up front: multiply the page side in inches by the dpi. An A4 page is 8.27 × 11.69 inches, so 300 dpi gives 2480 × 3507 pixels. Inside a PDF, an A4 page is usually stored as 595 × 842 points, which is why the converter returns 3509. Need an image exactly 1600 pixels wide? Divide: 1600 / 8.27 ≈ 193 dpi. Pick the next preset up, 300 dpi, and scale the result down.

How to keep text and diagrams sharp

• Small print and thin lines: use PNG at 300 dpi, and letters stay crisp even when zoomed in
• Do not re-save a JPG: each save adds more noise around the letters
• Do not upscale an image after converting; pick a higher resolution up front
• For a slide or a web page, shrink the finished image with a compressor instead of dropping to 72 dpi

Common problems: passwords, scans and long files

Most failures are easy to predict. The converter tells you the reason right away, and almost all of them take a minute to fix.

• A password-protected PDF will not open. Remove the password in the app you read it with, save a copy and upload that
• A file over 20 pages is rejected as a whole. Our 21-page report would not pass, so split long files first
• A scanned PDF is already a raster image. Rendering above its original resolution adds size, not detail
• A file damaged during download fails to open; download the original again

We do not quietly cut a long file down to its first 20 pages. A missing page is easy to overlook, so a clear refusal is the safer choice.

What happens to your file

The PDF is processed on App-Kit servers by our conversion service. The original PDF is deleted right after rendering and the images as soon as your browser has them, in any case within 15 minutes. Your IP address and file name are not passed to the conversion service.

No sign-up is needed. The free tier allows up to 10 conversions per hour from one address.

FAQ

How do I convert a PDF to JPG without losing quality?

JPG always loses some detail, because it is a lossy format. If sharpness matters, choose PNG at 300 dpi. If you must use JPG, go with 300 dpi, where the artifacts are less visible on a large page.

Can I save just one page?

Yes. After converting, every page in the preview has its own download button. You only need the ZIP when you want all pages at once.

Is PNG or JPG better for printing?

For pages with text, use PNG at 300 dpi: it is sharper, and for such pages often smaller. For photos inside a PDF, the print looks the same and JPG wins on size.

Can I convert a PDF to images on my phone?

Yes. The converter works in a mobile browser with no app to install. Pages download to your phone one by one or as a ZIP.