Commons:PDF to image files

See also: Commons:Extracting images from PDF.

See also the PDF sections in this article: Commons:Convert tables and charts to wiki code or image files.

Convert PDF charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, and illustrations to image files. For example; the many free illustrations in public-domain PDF documents from the U.S. federal government. See Upload work from a government source.

Also, there are many public-domain maps in PDF format from the United Nations Cartographic Section Web Site: [1]. For example; "UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory." Map Centre: [2]. See: Commons:Copyright tags#United Nations. The image license to use is {{UN map}}. See Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:UN map for a list of many maps on the Commons that came from the UN.

While viewing a PDF document with the free Adobe Reader one can select and copy any area of it.

First, size the document by choosing a percentage size in the zoom spot on the toolbar. Or type in a percentage number of your choice, and then click the enter key on your keyboard.

Then choose the snapshot tool from the edit menu. Click and drag on a corner of the image and draw a rectangle around the part you want. Then click copy from the edit menu.

You can paste the selection into any image editor. For example; the freeware image editor, IrfanView. After pasting the selection into the image editor, save it in the image format of your choosing. For black-and-white, grayscale, or low-color images (8-bit color, or less than 256 colors) save it in the GIF format. It uses less kilobytes than the same image uses in the JPG format. Most image editors can give the number of colors used in an image. For example; in IrfanView click on "Information" in the image menu, and look for "Number of unique colors." If 256 or less, then use the GIF format to save the image.

Even if more than 256 colors they often are just shades of a few colors and you can still save an image in the GIF format. Charts, graphs, and many diagrams for example will still look basically the same with only one third of the kilobytes compared to the JPG format. Maps are a judgement call.

IrfanView can also save in the PNG format. If you have installed the free plugin pack, one of them is the OptiPNG plugin. It will show up anytime you try to save in PNG. Set compression to 9 (maximum level). Set level to 2 or 3. Either works fast to compress the image size without any loss of quality. Any higher can take a long time for not much better results.

Convert to SVG

Using Inkscape

Inkscape (as of 0.48.4) may incorrectly transform the bold or italic fonts whether or not the "replace PDF fonts by closest-named installed fonts" option is checked. If this happens, please look for other means of conversion.

1. Open the PDF file you want convert in Inkscape (File > Open...).
2. Recommended import parameters:
   • Embed images.
   • Import text as text.
3. Wait a little while Inkscape converts it.
4. Remove unneeded stuff, resize, adjust colors, etc.
5. Save it as SVG (File > Save as...).

Using pdf2svg

See instructions on Wikipedia here.

Using Adobe Photoshop

Mainly for converting PDF to any raster format.

Using Adobe Illustrator

1. Open the PDF file with Adobe Illustrator (File > Open...).
2. Remove unneeded stuff, resize, adjust colors, etc.
3. Save the file as SVG (File > Save as...) and use the following recommended parameters:
   • SVG Profiles: SVG 1.1
   • Font Type: SVG (If Mediawiki fails to render the text correctly, try using Convert to outlines, but the file will be much bigger.)
   • Font Subsetting: None
   • Images Location: Embed
   • Do not check Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities.

See also

• Commons:Map resources.
• Commons:Chart and graph resources.