Converting between images and PDFs is usually required when moving documents across different systems. Some portals only accept a single PDF, forcing you to combine photos. Other systems cannot display PDFs, forcing you to export pages as images.
Turn images into a PDF
Use Create PDF locally when you have several photos of a document and need to combine them into one standard file. The workflow is:
- Choose Create PDF locally.
- Select one or more images from this device.
- Reorder or rotate images if needed.
- Set page size, fit, margin, orientation, and output mode.
- Create the PDF and download it.
When you create a PDF from images, your browser reads the photo files and packs them into a PDF structure. The most important step is setting the correct page size and fit. If you select A4 or US Letter, you must decide whether the image should stretch to fill the page or maintain its original proportions with margins.
Turn a PDF into images
Use Export images locally when you need to upload a document to a system that only accepts image formats like PNG or JPEG. The workflow is:
- Choose Export images locally.
- Open the PDF.
- Select all pages or a custom range.
- Choose PNG or JPEG and the quality preset.
- Run the conversion and download the ZIP or image output.
When you export a PDF to images, your browser acts like a virtual printer. It draws each page onto an invisible canvas and saves that canvas as an image file. This process is called rasterization.
Rasterization fundamentally changes the document. The output images look like the original PDF, but they no longer contain any text data, form fields, or structural elements. If you export a contract to PNG, you can no longer search for a specific clause. If you export a form, you can no longer click the checkboxes. Always keep your original PDF file for your own records, and only share the image versions when absolutely necessary.
Both conversion directions share a critical privacy advantage in Lemmafour: they run locally. Converting images to PDF or PDF to images are computationally heavy tasks. Most tools require you to upload your files to their servers so their hardware can do the work. With Lemmafour, your browser uses your device’s processing power to build the new files. Your photos and documents remain entirely on your device.