PDF to PNG
PNG output from PDF page extraction is preferable to JPG when the page contains text, line art, or diagrams where you need clean, sharp edges. Unlike JPG, PNG is lossless and doesn't introduce compression artefacts around text characters. Each page of the PDF becomes one PNG file. The output is a flat raster image, text is not selectable, but at 300 DPI the visual quality is high enough for most professional uses, including inserting into other documents and printing.
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When you'd use this
- Extracting diagrams or charts from a PDF to embed in a presentation
- Creating a thumbnail of the first page of a PDF for website previews
- Sharing individual pages without sharing the whole document
- Converting PDF technical drawings to PNG for use in reports or wikis
- Archiving annotated PDF pages as image snapshots
Before you convert
300 DPI for print, 150 DPI for screen
At 72 DPI the output may look acceptable on a small screen but will be noticeably pixelated when zoomed or printed. 150 DPI gives a good balance for on-screen documents; 300 DPI is appropriate if the PNG will be printed or used at large size. Note that 300 DPI output is typically 10–15 times larger in file size than 72 DPI.
Prefer PNG over JPG for text-heavy pages
JPG compression introduces artefacts around character edges, which becomes visible when text is read at normal magnification. PNG's lossless compression avoids this. For pages that are primarily photographs, JPG is a reasonable choice; for pages with text, tables, or diagrams, PNG produces noticeably cleaner results.
Use page range selection to keep file count manageable
A 100-page PDF extracted at 300 DPI will produce 100 separate PNGs totalling hundreds of megabytes. Only extract the pages you actually need, using a range selector if the tool supports it.
Common things that don't survive conversion
- Selectable text, the output is a flat image
- Hyperlinks and interactive elements
- Vector graphics are rasterised at the chosen DPI
- Annotations and comments flatten into the image
- Large files may be processed at a lower DPI than requested on free tiers
Frequently asked questions
Why use PNG instead of JPG when extracting from a PDF?
PNG is lossless, it doesn't introduce compression artefacts. For pages with text, charts, or diagrams, this means cleaner output. JPG saves space but softens sharp edges, which is noticeable on text at any size above thumbnail.
Can I extract only specific pages?
Yes, if the tool offers page range selection. If not, split the PDF to the pages you need using a tool like PDFsam or viewpdf's extract feature first, then convert the smaller PDF to PNG.
The PNG file is huge, can I reduce it?
PNG uses lossless compression, so the file size mainly reflects the image dimensions and colour depth. Reducing the DPI setting produces smaller files. Alternatively, tools like pngquant or TinyPNG can significantly reduce PNG file size with minimal visible quality loss through palette reduction.
Will the PNG show exactly what the PDF looks like?
Yes, the converter renders the PDF page visually and captures the result as a raster image. What you see in the PDF viewer is what you'll get in the PNG, including any background colours, headers, and graphical elements.
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Browse File Formats
Reference details for 53 file formats, extensions, MIME types, what opens each one, and how they convert.