Files are processed in your browser, not uploaded. Privacy →
Deckle
Open a PDF
Skip to guide

Images to PDF

How to convert iPhone photos to PDF

By DeckleUpdated

To convert iPhone photos to PDF, copy the photos to a computer, open HEIC to PDF for HEIC files or JPG to PDF for JPG files, add them, put them in order and choose Create PDF. Each photo becomes one page of a single PDF. Your photos are not changed.

HEIC to PDF

Still photos become ordered pages

Separate HEIC files

Choose the still images to include

PDF page plan

Check order, orientation and colour

Motion and multi-image sequences are separate concerns

Conceptual illustration · a PDF page represents a still image; unsupported sequences are not silently converted.

How to convert iPhone photos to PDF with Deckle

  1. Get the photos onto your computer, for example with AirDrop, iCloud Photos or a cable. Check whether the files end in .heic or .jpg.
  2. Open HEIC to PDF for .heic or .heif files, or JPG to PDF for .jpg files. Choose Select files, or drop the photos onto the page.
  3. Check the list under Images to include. Every photo is ticked and numbered in page order. Untick any you want to leave out.
  4. Put the photos in order with the up and down arrows on each row.
  5. Turn any sideways photo with the rotate button on its row. Each click turns it 90° clockwise.
  6. Under Page size, choose Fit inside A4 for a document you will print or send, or Match each image for pages the size of each photo.
  7. Choose Create PDF, download the PDF and page through it once.

The result screen says how many pages were created and from how many images. For ten photos it should read 10 pages.

HEIC or JPG: which do you have?

iPhones save photos as HEIC when Settings > Camera > Formats is set to High Efficiency, and as JPG when it is set to Most Compatible. Apple explains the two settings in Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices.

The format can also change on the way to your computer. Apple notes that photos imported over USB may be converted to JPEG, and photos sent by AirDrop, Messages or email may arrive as JPEG if the receiving device does not support HEIF. So check the extensions on the computer, not on the phone.

Files end in Use What happens
.heic or .heif HEIC to PDF Decoded and saved as quality-90 JPEG pages
.jpg or .jpeg JPG to PDF Placed in the PDF unchanged
Both Each tool for its own files Then join the two PDFs with Merge PDFs

Each tool accepts only its own format. If a JPG is in HEIC to PDF, the button stays disabled and names the file to untick.

Why a computer is better than the phone

Deckle runs in the browser on an iPhone too, but iPhone and iPad keep only 4 megapixels per page so the browser tab does not run out of memory. An iPhone photo is 12 megapixels or more, so on the phone it is scaled down to 4 megapixels, with its proportions and page size kept. The review lists each photo that will be scaled, and to what, before you choose Create PDF. That is fine for reading and sharing, but a computer or Android device keeps up to 16 megapixels, four times as many pixels.

Check the resolution your iPhone uses. Apple notes that on supported models the main camera saves 24-megapixel photos by default, and that you can change this in Settings > Camera > Formats > Photo Mode (Change advanced camera settings on iPhone). A 24-megapixel photo converts everywhere: it is scaled to 16 megapixels on a computer and to 4 megapixels on the phone, about a sixth of its pixels. A 48-megapixel photo converts on a computer but is refused on iPhone and iPad, which accept images up to 25 megapixels. For 48-megapixel photos you have already taken, use a computer, or export smaller copies: in Photos on a Mac, choose File > Export > Export Photos and pick a smaller setting in the Size menu (Export photos on Mac).

If you want more detail but must stay on the phone, use the built-in method under "Other ways" below.

Get the page order right

Deckle uses the order of the list, not file names or the dates the photos were taken. Photos usually arrive in the order you selected them, which may not be the order you want.

For a set of photos of a rental flat, for example, the list might read: front door, hallway, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, meter reading. Read the list from top to bottom before you convert. If one photo is still out of place in the PDF, open it in Organize PDF pages, drag the page into position and choose Save pages. How to reorder pages in a PDF covers this in full.

What happens to the photos

  • Quality. HEIC photos are re-encoded as high-quality JPEG, because a PDF cannot hold HEIC data. Text and edges stay clear at normal zoom. JPG photos within the pixel limit are copied without change.
  • Orientation. JPG to PDF reads the camera's orientation tag, so upright photos stay upright. There is no page preview for HEIC, so check the PDF and rotate any sideways photo. See why a HEIC photo looks sideways.
  • Location data. HEIC to PDF does not carry camera or location metadata into the PDF. JPG to PDF copies a JPEG within the pixel limit exactly, including any GPS location inside it.
  • Live Photos. Only the still image is converted. The motion and sound stay with the original.

Tips

  • Pick Fit inside A4 for documents. With Match each image, a 4032 × 3024 pixel photo becomes a page about 56 × 42 inches.
  • Expect multi-image HEICs to be refused. A HEIC file holding several images is refused before you start rather than reduced to one picture. Export the image you want as a single photo first.
  • Name the PDF. Type a name in Output PDF name; several photos are otherwise saved as images.pdf.
  • Keep the originals. The PDF holds a copy of each photo. Keep the photos in your library in case you need a sharper version later.

Other ways to convert iPhone photos to PDF

  • On the Mac. Select the photos in Finder in the order you want, Control-click, then choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. Apple notes that the files appear in the order you select them: Combine files into a PDF on Mac.
  • On the iPhone. Open the photo in the Preview app, tap the button next to the file name, tap Export and choose PDF. Apple describes this in Export PDFs and images in Preview on iPhone. It works one file at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert HEIC to PDF on Windows?

Yes. Deckle decodes HEIC with its own decoder inside the browser, so it does not rely on a HEIF extension in Windows.

Why is my iPhone photo refused when I convert it on the iPhone?

It is over 25 megapixels, the largest image iPhone and iPad accept, as a 48-megapixel photo is. Convert it on a computer, where photos up to 64 megapixels are accepted and scaled to 16 megapixels, or set the camera to 24 MP or 12 MP. Smaller photos are not refused on the phone; they are scaled down to 4 megapixels.

Can I mix HEIC and JPG photos in one PDF?

Yes, in two steps. Convert each format with its own tool, then combine the two PDFs in Merge PDFs and reorder pages if needed.

Are my photos uploaded?

No. Decoding and PDF creation run in your browser, and the photos stay on your device.

Related tools

Sources