Convert PDF to PNG Online – Complete Guide

I was creating a technical product document for a client last year, and as part of the process, needed to extract specific pages from a PDF datasheet and place them on a web page. I converted the pages to JPG as I usually would, and when they appeared on the site, the fine lines in the technical drawings were slightly blurred at the display size. It wasn't enough to be glaringly obvious, but enough that a detail-oriented engineer would notice, and for a technical document, that's not good enough.

I converted the pages again, this time to PNG, and the difference was stark - the lines in the technical drawings were all crisp and clear, with no loss of definition or quality. It was then that I realized that I couldn't treat both image formats as equal and interchangeably, and that knowing which one to use in specific scenarios was important.

Why PNG Is the Better Choice for Specific PDF Conversions

If you've been using a PDF to JPG converter, you might be wondering why you'd ever need a PDF to PNG tool, and the reason has to do with the difference between lossy and lossless compression. JPG compression works by throwing away some of the visual data in an image file in order to reduce the file size, and for photographs, this loss of data is often imperceptible. However, in text-heavy documents or graphics with fine lines, the loss becomes quite obvious.

PNG compression, on the other hand, is lossless, meaning that no visual information is lost in the conversion process. This makes PNGs considerably larger than JPGs, but the quality is often significantly better, and in some cases, indispensable. This applies to:

Documents that have technical drawings or schematics that require fine lines to be visible

Text that is small or requires being zoomed in on to be read

Graphics that appear better in PNG format due to the lossy nature of JPG compression

Documents that are displayed at large sizes or need to be printed at high resolutions

Images that require a transparent background, since JPGs do not support transparency

If you're trying to extract document pages that require sharpness and precision, a PDF to PNG tool will almost always give better results than a PDF to JPG tool. For photographs, a JPG conversion will produce better results in terms of file size, but the loss of precision in images with fine lines is often unacceptable.

How I Convert PDF Pages to PNG Without Losing Quality

The process for converting PDF pages to PNG is similar to any other PDF image conversion, which is why people often don't consider the difference between the two image formats. The difference between using a PNG or JPG converter is often one of quality rather than process, and the steps I take to convert a PDF page to PNG are as follows:

Open a browser-based PDF to PNG converter

Upload the PDF file that contains the page or pages you want as images

Select specific pages, if the option is available

Download the PNG images

The PDF to PNG converter at ConvertersOnline.com requires no account to use, and produces PNG images from PDF pages with all visual information intact.

What I test every time I try out a new PDF to PNG converter for the first time is the sharpness of text in the converted images. If I open a converted PNG image and the body text in the document is clear and easy to read at 100 percent display size, then the converter has maintained the image's quality. If it appears slightly blurred or the letters have a halo effect around them, it's a sign that the PNG conversion process has used heavier compression on the text than is ideal.

Understanding When to Use PNG for PDF Conversions

Knowing which format to use before you attempt a conversion can save you from doing the same conversion process twice.

PNG Is Better Than JPG for PDF Conversions in These Cases: Documents that have technical drawings, line graphics, or schematics that require fine lines to be visible, pages that have dense text that needs to be zoomed in on in order to read, graphics or logos that appear better in PNG due to the lossy nature of JPG compression, documents that need to be displayed or printed at large sizes, and images that need a transparent background, since JPGs do not support transparency.

JPG Is Better Than PNG for PDF Conversions in These Cases: Pages that are largely photographic in nature, where the loss of detail is less noticeable, situations where the reduced file size is more important than the loss of detail, images that will be shared on social media or embedded on web pages, where the reduced file size is more important than the loss of detail, and cases where the difference between PNG and JPG is imperceptible.

Neither Is Better for PDF Conversions If You Need Editable Content: Both PNG and JPG conversions will produce image files, where text is no longer selectable or searchable. If you need to extract text from a PDF document, you should use a PDF to Word tool or an Edit PDF tool, rather than a PDF to Image tool.

Common Mistakes People Make When Converting PDF to PNG

These are some of the most common mistakes I've seen people make when they attempt a PDF to PNG conversion.

Using PNG for Everything, Even When It's Unnecessary

PNG is the better choice when it comes to documents that have fine lines or text that needs to be visible, but it's not always necessary. If you're taking a casual screenshot of a page, or the page is otherwise photographic in nature, the larger file size of a PNG conversion offers no real benefit over JPG.

Not Considering the File Size Before Sharing or Uploading

Since PNG file sizes are often considerably larger than JPG file sizes, converting a multi-page PDF to PNG can lead to unnecessarily large file sizes. If you're uploading the converted files to a site that has a file size limit, a PNG conversion can cause you to exceed the limit, even if the quality difference is negligible.

Converting an Entire Document When You Only Need Specific Pages

If you only need specific pages converted to PNG, there's no reason to convert an entire document and then sort through dozens of images to find the ones you need. If the PDF to PNG converter you're using does not offer the ability to select specific pages, you can always use a Split PDF tool to separate the document into individual pages before you convert them.

Not Taking Advantage of Resolution Settings, If They're Available

Some online converters offer resolution settings, which determine the DPI of the converted image. Unless you're using the converted image for large-scale printing, 72 to 96 DPI is usually enough for any online use. If you're planning on using the converted image for print or large-scale display, 150 to 300 DPI will produce better results. If the PDF to PNG converter you're using has resolution settings, take advantage of them. It's much easier to convert a document to PNG at 300 DPI than it is to convert it to PNG at 72 DPI, then convert it again.

Is It Safe to Convert Sensitive PDF Documents to PNG Online?

The same considerations that apply to other online PDF tools also apply to online PNG converters. If the pages you're converting to PNG contain technical specifications, schematics, sensitive information, or personal information, you should research the privacy policies of any online PDF to PNG converter you're considering before you upload any sensitive information.

A reliable PDF to PNG converter should offer temporary file storage with deletion after download, no account requirement for basic conversion functions, a privacy policy that clearly states how your data will be handled, and no indexing or other use of document content beyond the requested conversion.

For most documents, the risk is minimal, but if you're concerned about the security of sensitive or technical documents, a quick search can reveal whether or not a PDF to PNG converter is right for you.

A Few Things I've Learned From Converting PDFs to PNG

Having gone through the process of converting PDFs to PNG for the first time, here are a few things I've learned about the conversion process.

Always open the converted PNG file at 100 percent display size before using it for any purpose, rather than looking at a smaller preview window, since some of the loss of quality in PNG files is often imperceptible until you see the image at actual size

PNG conversion is often the best choice for documents that have a mixture of photographic images and graphics with fine lines, since the loss of quality in the images is often imperceptible, while the graphics retain their crispness

If you find that the PNG file size is too large for your needs, you can often compress the file size after conversion, with little to no loss of quality

If you need to convert the same document to PNG more than once, such as a technical data sheet that needs to be converted every month, it's often faster to save your settings as a process you can repeat, rather than redoing the same steps each time

One thing that changed my approach to image conversion was my realization that I couldn't treat PNG and JPG conversions as equal and interchangeable, and that I had to analyze each conversion individually. I was in the habit of defaulting to JPG conversions, since I was more familiar with the format, but after my experience with the technical document, I stopped doing so.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between PDF to PNG and PDF to JPG conversion?

While both formats use lossy compression to reduce file sizes, PNG compression is lossless, which means that no visual information is lost in the conversion process.

Will converting a PDF to PNG increase the file size compared to JPG?

Yes, since PNG compression is lossless, PNG file sizes will almost always be larger than JPG file sizes.

Does PNG support transparent backgrounds?

Yes, PNG supports transparent backgrounds, unlike JPG, which always has a white background.

Do I need any software installed to convert PDF to PNG?

No, browser-based PDF to PNG converters handle the entire process online, without the need to install any software.

Can I convert just specific pages of a PDF to PNG?

It depends on the converter you're using, since some allow you to select specific pages before you convert them, while others will convert the entire document. If you only need specific pages converted to PNG, you can always use a Split PDF tool to separate the document into individual pages before you convert them.

Is a converted PNG from a PDF searchable or does it contain selectable text?

No, since converting a PDF to an image format will always produce an image file, the text in the converted document will not be selectable or searchable. If you need to extract text from a PDF document, you should use a PDF to Word tool, rather than a PDF to Image tool.

When should I choose PNG over JPG for a PDF conversion?

Choose PNG for PDF conversions that have text or graphics with fine lines that need to be visible, or that require transparency support. Choose JPG for PDF conversions where file size is a concern, or where the content is largely photographic in nature.

Final Thoughts

Choosing between PNG and JPG for a PDF conversion may seem like an unnecessarily nuanced distinction, but for some documents, the difference can be significant. Once you've seen the difference between a technical diagram converted to JPG and PNG, you'll always choose PNG for similar PDF conversions.

Whether you're extracting graphics from a document, pulling images from a technical datasheet, or otherwise trying to create images from PDF pages, PNG is the superior option for quality.

Internal Links Used:

1. PDF to PNG tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/pdf-to-png
2. PDF to JPG tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/pdf-to-jpg
3. Split PDF tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/split-pdf
4. PDF to Word tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/pdf-to-word
5. Edit PDF tool → https://convertersonline.com/tool/edit-pdf