Rasterize PDF to Images

Convert PDF pages to raster images (JPEG, PNG, or TIFF) using pdftoppm. Each page becomes a numbered image file. Different from pdf-extract-embedded-images — this rasterizes the entire page content.

When to use

• Converting a scanned PDF or document PDF to standalone images for archival, editing, or distribution.
• Extracting pages as thumbnails or preview images at lower DPI.
• Creating image sequences from a multi-page PDF without needing OCR or text extraction.

Inputs to gather

• Input PDF file — path to the PDF. Required.
• DPI (resolution) — dots per inch. Default: 300 (suitable for archival and print). Ask if the user needs lower DPI for faster processing or smaller file size (e.g., 150 for thumbnails, 600 for high-quality scans).
• Output format — jpeg, png, or tiff. Default: jpeg (good balance of size and quality). PNG for lossless, TIFF for archival.
• Page range (optional) — ask if they want all pages or a subset. If a subset, capture start page and end page (e.g., pages 5–10).
• Output directory — optional. Default: current directory.

Procedure