How to export a PDF as PNG images
PNG is the lossless image format used by designers, web developers and anyone who needs sharp text or transparency. Where JPG is built for photos and re-compresses every save, PNG keeps every pixel exactly as it was — perfect for diagrams, screenshots, and PDF pages with text. This guide explains when to convert a PDF to PNG instead of JPG, how to get crisp output at the right resolution, and the trade-offs you accept on file size.
- Decide on resolution first. Web mockups: 144 DPI is fine. Print or design work: 300 DPI. Retina displays: 2× the size you intend to display. PNG is lossless, so resolution is the only knob that matters.
- On Mac: open the PDF in Preview. File → Export → Format: PNG → Resolution: set the value above. Repeat per page, or select pages in the sidebar and use File → Export Selected Items.
- On Windows: use a free converter. GIMP can open PDFs and export each page as PNG. Or use a command-line tool like Poppler's pdftoppm: "pdftoppm -png -r 300 input.pdf out" produces out-1.png, out-2.png and so on.
- In a browser: convert to JPG then re-save. Our PDF to JPG tool runs entirely in your browser. Once you have JPGs, open them in Preview/IrfanView/Photoshop and save as PNG. This is the simplest option when you only need a couple of pages.
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When PNG beats JPG
Diagrams and flowcharts for a blog post
Diagrams have hard edges and flat colour. JPG smears them with compression artefacts. PNG keeps the lines sharp at any zoom level — the right choice for technical documentation.
Screenshots of a contract
If you only need to show one paragraph, a 300 DPI PNG export of that page lets readers zoom in without text turning fuzzy. JPG at the same resolution is noticeably softer.
Logos or icons embedded in a PDF
Logos with transparency need PNG. JPG can't store transparency at all — it would fill the background with white. Use PNG and the logo drops cleanly onto any other image.
Designer hand-off
Designers expect PNG so they can import into Figma, Sketch or Photoshop without colour shift. Each page becomes a layer they can composite or trace.
PDF-to-PNG problems
PNG files are massive
PNG is lossless, so a full A4 page at 300 DPI can easily be 5-10 MB. If file size matters more than perfect fidelity, drop to 200 DPI, or convert to JPG at 90% quality for a 5x size reduction with no visible loss on photographs.
Text in the PNG looks jagged
You exported at too low a resolution. Re-export at 220 DPI or higher. PDFs store text as vectors, so the quality is bounded only by the resolution you ask for.
Colours shifted slightly
PDFs can use CMYK or wide-gamut colour spaces; PNGs are sRGB. Convert the PDF to sRGB before exporting (Preview handles this automatically; in Acrobat use Print Production → Convert Colors).
I only want some pages
Use a tool that supports page ranges. Preview lets you select specific pages in the sidebar before Export. pdftoppm takes -f and -l flags: "pdftoppm -f 3 -l 5" exports only pages 3 to 5.
Transparency looks wrong
If the PDF's background was white, the PNG will also have white. To get true transparency, the source PDF must have a transparent background — most exports don't. Open the page in Photoshop or GIMP and remove the white background manually.