PDF vs SVG
SVG keeps shapes and text as vector descriptions, which remain sharp when resized. It suits diagrams and symbols; converting a photo into an SVG wrapper does not reconstruct editable vector shapes.
Image format
A fixed-page document format mixing text, vectors and raster images. Image conversion requires deliberate page rendering.
Explore the format
Convert PDF to
Choose a target format for your PDF images.
JPEGJPEGPDF → JPEGWith caveatPNGPNGPDF → PNGWith caveatWebPWebPPDF → WebPWith caveatAVIFAVIFPDF → AVIFWith caveatHEICHEICPDF → HEICWith caveatHEIFHEIFPDF → HEIFWith caveat
All 21 conversions
GIFGIFPDF → GIFWith caveatTIFFTIFFPDF → TIFFWith caveatBMPBMPPDF → BMPWith caveatICOICOPDF → ICOWith caveatJPEG XLJPEG XLPDF → JPEG XLWith caveatJPEG 2000JPEG 2000PDF → JPEG 2000With caveatQOIQOIPDF → QOIWith caveatTGATGAPDF → TGAWith caveatPCXPCXPDF → PCXWith caveatPPMPPMPDF → PPMWith caveatPGMPGMPDF → PGMWith caveatPBMPBMPDF → PBMWith caveatPAMPAMPDF → PAMWith caveatHDRHDRPDF → HDRWith caveatEXREXRPDF → EXRWith caveat
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
Convert to PDF
Choose a source format to convert to PDF.
JPEGJPEGJPEG → PDFPNGPNGPNG → PDFWebPWebPWebP → PDFAVIFAVIFAVIF → PDFHEICHEICHEIC → PDFHEIFHEIFHEIF → PDF
All 36 conversions
GIFGIFGIF → PDFWith caveatTIFFTIFFTIFF → PDFBMPBMPBMP → PDFSVGSVGSVG → PDFWith caveatICOICOICO → PDFJPEG XLJPEG XLJPEG XL → PDFJPEG 2000JPEG 2000JPEG 2000 → PDFQOIQOIQOI → PDFTGATGATGA → PDFPCXPCXPCX → PDFPPMPPMPPM → PDFPGMPGMPGM → PDFPBMPBMPBM → PDFPAMPAMPAM → PDFHDRHDRHDR → PDFWith caveatEXREXREXR → PDFWith caveatPSDPSDPSD → PDFWith caveatDNGDNGDNG → PDFCanon CR2Canon CR2Canon CR2 → PDFCanon CR3Canon CR3Canon CR3 → PDFCanon CRWCanon CRWCanon CRW → PDFNikon NEFNikon NEFNikon NEF → PDFSony ARWSony ARWSony ARW → PDFFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAFFujifilm RAF → PDFOlympus ORFOlympus ORFOlympus ORF → PDFPanasonic RW2Panasonic RW2Panasonic RW2 → PDFPentax PEFPentax PEFPentax PEF → PDFSigma X3FSigma X3FSigma X3F → PDFKodak RAWKodak RAWKodak RAW → PDFHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FRHasselblad 3FR → PDF
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
About PDF
Portable Document Format
Adobe created PDF to exchange documents with a stable page appearance across systems. A page description can combine text, fonts, vector paths and raster images. PDF is therefore not a single image codec, and a page can contain several pictures or no raster picture at all.
Objects and image streams may use different compression filters, including lossless schemes and lossy image coding. PDF also defines transparency, annotations, metadata and colour-management structures. Interactive or multimedia content is distinct from a portable image animation; these features and external dependencies depend on the reader and document profile.
Use PDF for print layouts, reports and documents that must retain page structure. To make an image, choose the page, resolution and background and render its composition. Extracting an embedded picture is a different operation and may omit text, clipping or other page elements. Keep the PDF if selectable text and multiple pages matter.
Key capabilities
PDF has no single compression quality. Different streams may use lossless or lossy filters; page rasterization can remove document structure even when the resulting pixels are encoded losslessly.
History of PDF
PDF began as Adobe’s portable page-description format and later became an ISO-standardised document family.
PDF compared
Different formats, different trade-offs. Choose for the image and the workflow.
PDF vs TIFF
TIFF provides tagged raster storage with multiple images and several sample types and compression schemes. It is a useful interchange choice for scanning and high-precision editing, but the receiving tool must support the particular TIFF variant.
PDF vs PNG
PNG preserves decoded pixels losslessly and can carry alpha. It is useful for transparent graphics and screenshots; it does not preserve editable document layers or camera sensor data, and photographic files can be large.
PDF vs JPEG
JPEG makes a compact photographic delivery file, but ordinary JPEG discards detail and has no alpha. Keep the richer source for editing and use JPEG when the receiving workflow expects an opaque photo.
PDF FAQ
What does this format store?
Adobe created PDF to exchange documents with a stable page appearance across systems. A page description can combine text, fonts, vector paths and raster images. PDF is therefore not a single image codec, and a page can contain several pictures or no raster picture at all.
How does compression affect quality?
PDF has no single compression quality. Different streams may use lossless or lossy filters; page rasterization can remove document structure even when the resulting pixels are encoded losslessly.
Is extracting an image the same as rendering a PDF page?
No. Extraction reads a particular embedded image stream. Rendering composites page text, paths, images, clipping and transparency at a selected output resolution.
What should I check before opening the file?
Check the PDF version, encryption permissions, fonts and rendering features in the reader. The ISO standard defines the document format; it does not guarantee every reader implements every optional facility.
What changes when I export to another format?
Rasterization fixes page resolution and loses selectable text, vector editability and document navigation. A single image export also selects one page. Creating PDF from a picture wraps pixels in a page; it does not turn them into editable text or vectors.
When is this format useful?
Use PDF for print layouts, reports and documents that must retain page structure. To make an image, choose the page, resolution and background and render its composition. Extracting an embedded picture is a different operation and may omit text, clipping or other page elements. Keep the PDF if selectable text and multiple pages matter.