PDF to PNG
Every page becomes its own PNG — the lossless option, and the one to use when the page is mostly text or line art rather than photographs.
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Converted in your browser. A copy of the file you select is also uploaded and stored, so it can be investigated if a problem or a report of misuse ever requires that — see our privacy page for how long it is kept.
How to turn a PDF into PNGs
- Choose the PDF. Every page is rendered so you can see what you are saving.
- Pick a size — standard for screens, high for printing.
- Save individual pages, or all of them at once.
PNG or JPG
PNG is lossless: what is rendered is what is saved, with nothing thrown away. That makes it the right format for pages that are mostly text, diagrams, tables or screenshots, where the sharpness of an edge is the whole point. The cost is size — a PNG of a photographic page can be several times larger than the equivalent JPG for no visible gain.
The rule of thumb: if the page looks like a document, PNG. If it looks like a photograph, JPG.
Transparency
Pages are rendered on white, not on transparency. A PDF page is white paper — treating the background as transparent produces an image that looks correct in an editor and then turns black the moment it is placed on a dark background.
Questions
PNG or JPG — which should I use?
PNG for pages that are mostly text, diagrams or screenshots: it is lossless, so the edges of letters stay sharp. JPG for pages that are mostly photographs, where it makes much smaller files at a quality nobody can tell apart. A text page saved as JPG picks up faint smudging around the letters.
Is my document uploaded?
The rendering happens in your browser. A copy of the file you select is also uploaded and stored, the same as any file sent to Scriptorium — see our privacy page.
Turn what is said into text
Scriptorium's main job is transcription: bring a video or an audio file and get back text you can read, correct, search and export.