Choosing a resolution
PDFs store instructions for drawing a page rather than a fixed grid of pixels, so converting to an image means choosing how finely to draw it. Higher resolution gives sharper text and much larger files.
| Setting | Best for |
|---|---|
| 96 DPI | Viewing on screen, posting online |
| 150 DPI | General use, sending to someone |
| 200 DPI | Printing at normal quality |
| 300 DPI | Professional printing or archiving |
JPG or PNG?
JPG is right for pages containing photographs, and produces much smaller files. PNG is lossless, which keeps small text and thin lines crisp, but a text page saved as PNG can easily be five times the size of the same page as JPG.
If the page is mostly text and you plan to read it on a screen, PNG at 150 DPI reads noticeably better.
Selecting pages
Leave the pages box empty to convert everything. To pick specific pages, list them separated by commas, using a hyphen for ranges: 1-3, 7, 12-14 converts nine pages and skips the rest. Useful when you only need one page out of a long document.
Related things people need
Once you have the pages as images, the image compressor will bring each one under a specific size limit if a form demands it.
To go back the other way, or to build a fresh document from photographs, use images to PDF. And if the original document is simply too large to send, the PDF compressor handles that without converting anything.
Why you might want images instead of a PDF
PDFs are excellent for documents and awkward for everything else. Several situations call for pictures instead.
- Forms that only accept images — some upload systems take JPG and PNG but not PDF, which is inconvenient when your document is a PDF.
- Posting or messaging a single page — sending one page as an image is far easier for the recipient than a document they must open.
- Using a page in a presentation or report — an image drops straight into a slide, where a PDF does not.
- Extracting a diagram or chart — often the fastest way to reuse a figure from a report.
- Guaranteeing appearance — an image looks identical everywhere, where a PDF depends on the viewer.
How the resolution setting works
A PDF stores instructions for drawing a page rather than a fixed grid of pixels, which is why it stays sharp at any zoom level. Converting to an image means choosing how finely to execute those instructions, and that choice is what DPI controls.
At 96 DPI a letter-sized page becomes roughly 816 by 1056 pixels, which is fine for screen viewing. At 150 DPI it is 1275 by 1650, comfortable to read and still a manageable file. At 300 DPI you get 2550 by 3300, which is what you would want for printing, at four times the file size of 150.
Higher is not automatically better. A page rendered at 300 DPI and then displayed on a phone screen looks identical to the same page at 150, but takes four times as long to send.
JPG or PNG for pages
This depends on what the page contains, and the difference is larger than people expect.
For a page of text, PNG is usually the better choice. Text is nothing but sharp edges, which is exactly what JPG handles worst — you get a faint haze around every letter. PNG stores those edges exactly, and because a text page contains large areas of flat white, it compresses well despite being lossless.
For a page dominated by photographs, JPG wins comfortably. Photographic content is what it was designed for, and PNG would produce a file several times larger for no visible gain.
For a mixed page, try JPG at high quality first, and switch to PNG if the text looks soft.
What you lose
An image is a picture of a page, so everything that made it a document goes away. Text cannot be selected, copied or searched. Links stop working. Screen readers cannot read it, which matters if the document is going to anyone who relies on one.
Convert when you specifically need a picture. Keep the PDF when the document itself is the point, and use the PDF compressor if the only problem was its size.
Questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Rendering happens in your browser using the same engine Firefox uses to display PDFs. Nothing is transmitted, which matters given how often PDFs contain identity documents and financial records.
Can I get all the pages at once?
Yes. When there is more than one page, a Download all button appears and packages them into a single ZIP.
Will the text still be selectable?
No. An image is a picture of the page, so text within it cannot be selected, copied or searched. That is inherent to converting a document into an image, not a limitation of this tool.