Images to PDF
How images become pages in a PDF
By DeckleUpdated
When you convert images to PDF in Deckle, each image becomes exactly one page: ten JPGs give a ten-page PDF, and a TIFF with four frames gives four pages. The pages follow the order of the list in JPG to PDF and the other image tools, and each page holds a picture rather than text. Here is what that means for size, order, quality and what you can do with the PDF afterwards.
Choose a source for the job
Photograph
Inspect colour and detail
Diagram
Inspect lines and labels
Scan
Inspect frames and text
A static PDF page does not preserve motion
How images become pages with Deckle
- Open the tool for your format, such as JPG to PDF or PNG to PDF, and add the images.
- Each image appears as a numbered row under Images to include. The number is its page.
- Move rows with the up and down arrows to change the page order. Untick a row to leave that image out.
- Choose a Page size. This decides how big each page is, not how many there are.
- Choose Create PDF. The result screen says how many pages were created and from how many images.
One image, one page
A PDF is a sequence of pages, each with its own size and contents. Deckle makes one new page for each image and draws the image on it. It never splits one image across several pages, and never puts two images on the same page.
| Input | Pages |
|---|---|
| One JPG, PNG or HEIC | 1 |
| 25 phone photos | 25 |
| One TIFF with 8 frames | 8 |
| Two TIFFs with 3 frames each, plus 2 PNGs | Not in one run: PNG and TIFF use separate tools |
That last row matters. Each tool accepts only its own format, so a mixed set is converted in groups and joined with Merge PDFs. Converting a mix of image formats shows how.
If you want several images on one page, such as the front and back of an ID card, combine them into one image first in a photo or design app.
Page order comes from the list
The order of pages is the order of the rows, top to bottom. File names and photo dates are not used. A file called 01.jpg does not jump to the top on its own, and a photo taken first is not placed first unless its row is first.
The arrows move a row one place at a time. For bigger rearrangements, convert first and then drag page thumbnails in Organize PDF pages.
Page size comes from the setting
Each page's size depends on Page size:
- Match each image makes the page exactly as big as the image, one pixel to one point (1/72 inch). A 1200 × 800 image gives a 1200 × 800 pt page. Images of different shapes give pages of different shapes in the same PDF.
- Fit inside A4 gives every page the A4 size of 595 × 842 pt (or 842 × 595 in Landscape). The image is centred and shrunk if it is too big; it is never enlarged or cropped.
Either way, every pixel of the image is kept. The setting changes how large the image is drawn, not how much detail it has. How to put images on A4 pages goes into the A4 option.
The page holds a picture
The page contains the image and nothing else. That has consequences:
- No selectable text. Words in a photo, screenshot or scan are part of the picture. You cannot search, copy or edit them. An OCR step can add a hidden text layer; see making a searchable PDF from phone photos.
- No links. A web address in a screenshot is not clickable.
- Quality is the image's. JPGs are copied in unchanged and PNGs are stored losslessly. HEIC and TIFF are decoded and saved as quality-90 JPEG.
- File size follows the images. The PDF is roughly the size of the images combined.
After the pages exist
Once the images are pages, every PDF tool works on them. You can reorder or remove pages in Organize PDF pages, turn them in Rotate PDF, join several PDFs in Merge PDFs or break one apart with Split PDF. This is often simpler than getting every row perfect before converting.
The result screen shows a Verified line and the checks that ran: the new PDF reopens, it has one page per image (one per frame for TIFF) and each page has the planned size.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my PDF have more pages than images?
At least one image is a multi-page TIFF. Each of its frames becomes a page.
Can I put several images on one PDF page?
No. Each image gets its own page. Combine images into one picture first if they must share a page.
Why are my PDF pages different sizes?
Match each image was selected, so each page matches its own image. Choose Fit inside A4 for equal pages.
Does the order of selection matter?
Only as a starting point. The final order is the order of the rows when you choose Create PDF.
Related tools
- JPG to PDF and PNG to PDF to turn images into pages
- TIFF to PDF for multipage scans
- Organize PDF pages to rearrange pages afterwards