Convert a PDF to PNG images
To save PDF pages as PNG images, open the PDF in Convert from PDF, choose PNG images and a resolution, and download a ZIP with one lossless picture of each page. CECO PDF keeps every pixel as the page is drawn, on a white background, and refuses pages with comments or form fields.
Convert a PDF to PNG now — it opens Convert from PDF, with nothing to install; choose “PNG images” under “Format”.
- What it does: draws every page at 72, 150, 300 or 600 dots per inch and saves each as a PNG, compressed at the highest level PNG has, with nothing thrown away.
- What it says: record.json, in the same ZIP, names the format, the resolution and every picture’s size and fingerprint. None of the document’s words are in it.
- The price: Downloading costs nothing when nothing in the file you read was corrected here, even if it was merged, split or turned here first. A file made from a corrected document is priced as one, and so is one we can no longer trace back to the files it was made from. On the free plan, a conversion counts as half a correction of the day’s 10, once something is made.
The PDF you open is kept with your documents, and deleted after 90 days or whenever you delete it; deleting the export removes the PNGs too. The privacy notice says what is kept, and why.
How do I save a PDF page as a PNG?
- Bring the PDF to Convert from PDF, where it says “Drop a PDF here or choose one”: drop it there, or choose it. Up to 50 pages at a time.
- Pick “PNG images” under “Format”. Its note reads: “One lossless image per page, at the chosen resolution.”
- Pick a resolution under “Resolution (DPI)”. PNG has no quality to set: what the resolution changes is how many pixels each page gets, 150 dots per inch unless you choose another.
- Press “Convert from PDF”, wait for “Your PDF export is ready”, then press “Download ZIP with record”. Each page arrives as its own PNG, in page order, beside record.json.
When is PNG better than JPEG?
When the page is mostly type, tables or lines, or when the picture will be edited again. JPEG suits photographs and a tight size limit:
| On the page | As PNG | As JPEG |
|---|---|---|
| Text, tables and line drawings | Every edge as drawn | Compression changes pixels, which shows most round small type |
| Photographs | Every pixel kept, in a large file | A much smaller file |
| A picture you will edit and save again | The same pixels after every save | A little more changed each time it is saved as JPEG again |
| An upload with a size limit | Larger | Smaller, and you set the quality |
| A see-through background | No: pages are drawn on white | No: the same |
The converter makes both, so when in doubt, try each on the same page and compare the files. PDF to JPG says what the JPEG choices do.
How large will the PNG files be?
Larger than JPEGs of the same pages, since nothing is thrown away to make them small. A page that is mostly white paper and type packs down well; a scan or a photograph much less, because every speck of its grain is kept. The number of pixels grows with the square of the resolution, so the highest, 600 dots per inch, gives each page 16 times the pixels of the default, 150. All the PNGs together may come to 64 MB at most; past that, choose a lower resolution or fewer pages.
Does a PNG keep the text of the page?
As something to read, yes: every letter is drawn as it is on the page. As text, no: it cannot be selected, searched or copied, and links do not work. For the words themselves, PDF to text takes them out, and PDF to Word makes a document you can edit.
What you can and cannot do here
| What you want to do | Here |
|---|---|
| Save each page as a PNG that keeps every pixel | Yes |
| Choose how many pixels each page gets | Yes: 72, 150, 300 or 600 dots per inch |
| Get a transparent background | No: every page is drawn on white |
| Convert a page with comments, highlights or form fields | No: it is refused, since the picture would leave them out; press “Flatten” in Edit PDF to bake them into the page, download that copy, and convert it |
| Convert more than 50 pages at a time | No: split the PDF and convert each part |
| Select or search the text in the PNG | No: for the words, use PDF to text |
| Make a PDF from PNG files | Yes, with PNG to PDF |
Questions people ask
Is converting a PDF to PNG free?
Downloading costs nothing when nothing in the file you read was corrected here, even if it was merged, split or turned here first. A file made from a corrected document is priced as one, and so is one we can no longer trace back to the files it was made from. On the free plan, each conversion counts as half a correction of the day’s 10, once something is made. The plans are on the pricing page.
Can I make a PNG with a transparent background?
No. Each page is drawn on white, as it looks on paper, so the PNG has no see-through parts. To cut an object out of a page, an image editor is the tool for it.
What resolution gives a high-resolution PNG?
The highest here, 600 dots per inch, for print and fine lines. For a slide or a screen, 150 is usually enough, and the files are far smaller.
Can I convert a PDF to PNG on a Mac?
Yes, in Safari, Chrome or Firefox, with nothing to install. The pictures are made on the server, so they are the same on a Mac, a Windows computer or a phone.
Does a PNG of a scanned page look better than the scan?
No. It keeps the scan’s pixels at the resolution you choose, and a resolution higher than the scan’s own adds pixels, not detail.
Why won’t my PDF save as PNG?
A page with comments, highlights or form fields is refused, because the picture would leave them out: press “Flatten” in Edit PDF to bake them into the page, download that copy, and convert it. A page too large for the memory at that resolution is refused with the advice to choose a lower one: “This page needs more memory at this resolution. Choose a lower DPI.”
Can I turn the PNGs back into a PDF?
Yes: PNG to PDF makes a PDF of one or more PNG files, and says what it keeps of each.
Related pages
- PDF to JPG, for smaller pictures of each page
- Convert from PDF, for every other format, with what each keeps
- PDF to text, for the words of a page rather than its picture
- PNG to PDF, to make a PDF from PNG files
- Crop PDF, to trim a page before it becomes a picture
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