18Docs

How to convert a PDF to images

Turning a PDF into images is handy when you need to post a page on social media, drop it into a slide deck, or send a preview to someone who cannot open PDFs easily. Each page becomes its own picture — and a couple of choices decide how good those pictures look.

JPG or PNG?

Choose PNG when the pages are mostly text, diagrams or screenshots: it is lossless, so the edges of letters stay crisp and there are no compression artefacts. Choose JPG when the pages are photo-heavy and you want smaller files, accepting a little softness. For a document you intend to read, PNG usually looks noticeably cleaner.

If a page has a transparent background you want to keep, PNG is the only one of the two that preserves it; JPG will fill transparency with a solid colour.

Keeping the images sharp

Resolution is what determines whether the text in your exported image looks clean or fuzzy. A higher render scale produces a sharper, larger image — worth it when the page has small text or you might print or zoom in. For a quick on-screen preview, a standard resolution keeps the files light.

When a PDF has many pages, the export typically bundles the images into a single zip so you get them all at once. Everything runs in your browser, so the document is never uploaded.

Tools for this

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG?
PNG for text, diagrams and screenshots (sharper, supports transparency); JPG for photo-heavy pages where you want smaller files.
Why is my exported image blurry?
It was rendered at a low resolution. Use a higher quality or DPI setting to get a sharper image, especially for small text.