Java PDF to Image conversion (Tutorial)

TL;DR:

Java has no built-in PDF support, so converting a page to an image needs a PDF library. With JPedal you open the PDF, render each page to a BufferedImage, then write it out with JDeli.write() as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WebP or HEIC. ConvertPagesToImages is the fast, standard-quality path and ConvertPagesToHiResImages the slower, higher-quality one. Set the resolution with setPageScaling(dpi / 72f) — 150 DPI for screen, 300 DPI for print.

Do you need to convert your PDF files to images in Java? PDF files are not directly supported but you can solve this problem very easily with a third-party PDF library for Java.

This tutorial shows you how to convert PDF to Image using Java with our popular JPedal Java PDF library. JPedal is the best Java PDF library for developers. You can convert a PDF file to a BufferedImage in Java or save it directly to BMP, GIF, HEIC, JPEG, JPEG2000, PNG, TIFF, or WebP.

Add JPedal to your project

JPedal is published to the IDRsolutions Maven repository. Add the repository and the dependency to your build, or download the trial jar and put it on your class or module path.

Maven

<repositories>
    <repository>
        <id>IDRsolutions</id>
        <name>IDR Solutions</name>
        <url>https://maven.idrsolutions.com</url>
    </repository>
</repositories>

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.idrsolutions</groupId>
    <artifactId>jpedal-trial</artifactId>
    <version>YYYY.MM</version>
</dependency>

Gradle

repositories {
    maven { url 'https://maven.idrsolutions.com' }
}

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.idrsolutions:jpedal-trial:YYYY.MM'
}

The repository needs your trial token or customer credentials in ~/.m2/settings.xml — see the Maven setup guide. Paid releases use the jpedal artifact in place of jpedal-trial.

Java PDF to image conversion (Method 1 – fast and standard quality image)

1. Download JPedal trial jar.
2. Create a File handle, InputStream or URL pointing to the PDF file
3. Include a password if file password protected
4. Open the PDF file
5. Iterate over the pages
6. Close the PDF file

and here is the Java code to convert PDF to Image…

File file = new File("/path/to/document.pdf"));
ConvertPagesToImages extract=new ConvertPagesToImages(file);
//extract.setPassword("password");
if (extract.openPDFFile()) {
int pageCount = extract.getPageCount();
for (int page = 1; page <= pageCount; page++) {
BufferedImage img = extract.getPageAsImage(page, hasAlpha);
}
}
extract.closePDFfile();

File file = new File("/path/to/document.pdf"));
ConvertPagesToHiResImages extract=new ConvertPagesToHiResImages(file);
//extract.setPassword("password");
if (extract.openPDFFile()) {
int pageCount = extract.getPageCount();
for (int page = 1; page <= pageCount; page++) {
BufferedImage img = extract.getPageAsImage(page, hasAlpha);
}
}
extract.closePDFfile();

extract.setPageScaling(1.0f);  // 72 DPI - the default
extract.setPageScaling(1.33f); // which gives same size as Acrobat at 100% (approx 96 DPI)
extract.setPageScaling(2.0f);  // 144 DPI

final int targetDpi = 300;   // 150 DPI -> 2.08f, 300 DPI -> 4.17f, 600 DPI -> 8.33f
extract.setPageScaling(targetDpi / 72f);

extract.setFitToSize(new int[] {300,400});

extract.setPageRange(new PageRanges("1-5,8:10,15"));

Frequently asked questions

Which method should I use, ConvertPagesToImages or ConvertPagesToHiResImages?

Start with ConvertPagesToImages. It is the faster path and is good enough for thumbnails, previews and most screen output. Move to ConvertPagesToHiResImages when you need the highest possible fidelity, for example for print output or archival capture, and can accept that it is slower and uses more memory.

Which image format should I convert a PDF page to?

PNG for anything text-heavy or that will be zoomed, because it is lossless and supports transparency. JPEG for scanned or photographic pages where size matters more than sharp text. TIFF when you need a whole document in one file. WebP for web delivery. GIF and BMP only when something downstream requires them.

What DPI should I use when converting a PDF to an image?

150 DPI is a good default for screen and web use, and 300 DPI is the usual minimum for print. Set it with convert.setPageScaling(targetDpi / 72f), because PDF pages are defined at 72 points per inch. Remember that the pixel count grows with the square of the scaling factor.

Can I convert only some of the pages?

Yes. Call convert.setPageRange(new PageRanges("1-5,8:10,15")) before you open the file. Without it, every page in the document is rendered.

How do I convert a password-protected PDF?

Call convert.setPassword("password") before openPDFFile(). The same applies to both the owner and the user password.

Can Java convert a PDF to an image without a third-party library?

No. The JDK has no PDF support at all — ImageIO can write image files, but nothing in the standard library can parse or render a PDF page. You need a PDF library such as JPedal, Apache PDFBox or a Ghostscript wrapper to produce the BufferedImage in the first place.

Other useful PDF to image resources

• How to rasterize PDF files in Java
• How to calculate PDF image DPI
• JPedal PDF to image conversion documentation

We bring over two decades of hands-on experience to helping you work with PDF files in Java.

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

final PdfManipulator pdf = new PdfManipulator();
pdf.loadDocument(new File("inputFile.pdf"));
pdf.addPage(1, PaperSize.A4_LANDSCAPE);
pdf.addText(1, "Hello World", 10, 10, BaseFont.HelveticaBold, 12, 1, 0.3f, 0.2f);
pdf.addImage(1, new BufferedImage(), new float[] {0, 0, 100, 100});
pdf.rotatePage(1, 90);
pdf.apply();
pdf.writeDocument(new File("outputFile.pdf"));

Viewer viewer = new Viewer();
viewer.setupViewer();
viewer.executeCommand(ViewerCommands.OPENFILE, "pdfFile.pdf");

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractTextAsWordList.writeAllWordlistsToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", -1);

PdfMerge.mergeFiles(new File("inputFile1.pdf"), new File("inputFile2.pdf"), new File("outputFile.pdf"));

PdfManipulator.splitInHalf(new File("inputFile.pdf"), new File("outputFolder"), pageToSplitAt);

PrintPdfPages print = new PrintPdfPages("C:/pdfs/mypdf.pdf");

if (print.openPDFFile()) {
    print.printAllPages("Printer Name");
}

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ArrayList resultsForPages = FindTextInRectangle.findTextOnAllPages("/path/to/file.pdf", "textToFind");

java -jar jpedal.jar --inspect "inputFile.pdf"

PdfSigner.signPdf(
        "inputFile.pdf",
        "outputFile.pdf",
        "keystorePassword",
        "keystoreFile.p12",
        "signerName",
        "signerLocation",
        "signingReason",
        ACCESS_PERMISSION.P1
);