Image guides4 min read
How to convert JPG images to PDF
Turn one photo, or a whole set of them, into a tidy PDF you can print, upload or send.
Turning photos into a PDF is mostly packaging. Each image becomes a page, and the PDF holds them together in one file that opens the same way on any phone or computer.
Usually the reason is paperwork. Job sites, HR systems and government forms often take PDF and nothing else, so the photo you took of your document has to be converted before you can upload it.
The quality is decided when you take the photo, not when you convert it. A PDF can't sharpen a blurry picture, straighten a page shot at an angle, or bring back text lost in a shadow. Two minutes spent finding good light and holding the phone straight over the page will do more than any setting later.
Size is the other thing to watch. Phone photos are several megabytes each, so ten pages of photos can be too big for an upload form before you've even started. Convert first, check the size, and compress it afterwards if you need to.
When you might need this
- You want to send one file instead of a pile of photos.
- You need something that prints the same way every time.
- A website only accepts PDF and you have photos of your papers.
- You want to keep a set of related pictures together in order.
- You photographed a multi-page document with your phone and need to send it.
How to do it
- Open Images to PDF.
- Add one or more JPG images.
- Use the up and down arrows to put them in the right page order.
- Check the order carefully. Phones often sort photos by file name, which isn't always the order you took them in.
- Create the PDF and download it.
- Open it and make sure every page is the right way up and easy to read.
Free, with no account. Open it in a new tab and follow along.
Open Images to PDFTips
- Rotate any sideways photos before you convert, so the pages come out upright.
- Use sharp, evenly lit photos. The PDF can't fix a blurry picture.
- Get multi-page scans in reading order before converting, not after.
- Crop out the desk, your fingers and the background first. The result looks scanned instead of snapped.
- If the PDF ends up too big for an upload form, run it through Compress PDF. That's easier than taking the photos again.
- Hold the phone flat above the page, not at an angle. That's the biggest difference between a document that looks scanned and one that looks like a quick phone photo.
- Put the paper on a plain, darker surface. White paper on a dark desk makes the edges easy to see and easy to crop.
Common mistakes
- Using photos taken at an angle. The text is harder to read and the document looks careless.
- Trusting the default order and ending up with page five before page two.
- Taking photos in poor light and hoping a setting will fix it later.
- Sending a 40 MB PDF of full-size phone photos to a website with a 5 MB limit.
How this compares to Smallpdf, iLovePDF and Adobe
Smallpdf and iLovePDF can both turn images into a PDF, and both need you to upload the images first. When those images are photos of a passport, a payslip or a signed form, it's worth thinking about where they're going.
Adobe has a similar tool. It works well but needs an account, and the free allowance is designed to push you toward a subscription.
Our tool builds the PDF in your browser, so the photos stay on your device. There's no daily limit and no upload cap, which helps, since phone photos are large. If you want automatic edge finding and straightening, run the photos through the document scanner tool first, then convert them.
| Criterion | Smallpdf | iLovePDF | Adobe Acrobat online | Easy File Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | On their servers, after you upload it | On their servers, after you upload it | In Adobe's cloud, after you upload it | In your browser, on your own device |
| Account or sign-in | Asked for early, and needed once you pass the free allowance | Optional for small jobs, needed for bigger ones | Most online tools need an Adobe ID | Never needed |
| Usage limits | A few free tasks, then an upgrade prompt | Daily task and file limits on the free plan | The free web tools are mostly a preview of the paid plan | No task counters and no daily limits |
| File size ceiling | The free plan limits upload size | The free plan limits upload size | Cloud upload limits apply | We don't set one. Your device's memory is the practical limit |
| Works without a connection | No, their server does the work | No, their server does the work | No, the cloud does the work | Yes for the browser tools, once the page has loaded |
| Cost | Paid subscription for full access | Paid subscription for full access | Paid Acrobat subscription for full access | Free. Every tool is open to everyone |
Other services change their plans and limits often, so treat this as a rough picture and not a price list. Check their websites for the current details.
Frequently asked questions
- Can one PDF hold several JPGs?
- Yes. Each image becomes a page, in the order you set.
- Will my original JPGs be deleted?
- No. Making a PDF doesn't change or remove the images on your device.
- Can I mix JPG and PNG images?
- Yes. You can combine common image types in the same PDF.
- Why is my PDF so big?
- Phone photos are high resolution, and the PDF keeps them that way. Compress the PDF afterwards if you need to hit an upload limit.
- Are my images uploaded?
- No. The PDF is put together in your browser.