How to Extract Images from PDF? 4 Effective Ways

PDFs often contain valuable images that can be helpful for many purposes, such as presentations, reports, projects, assignments, research works, etc. Knowing how to extract images from PDF can save time and effort, as well as speed up your work process. But unlike texts, images are not easily copied from PDFs.

However, with the right knowledge and tools, you can make this possible without any hassle. In this guide, we will share with you the most convenient ways to extract images from PDF documents.

Why May I Extract Images from PDF?

Here are some common reasons why knowing how to extract images from PDF is important:

• 🔄Reuse in Presentations: Extracting high-quality graphics from PDF files allows you to reuse them in reports and presentations while maintaining professionalism and clarity in your work.
• ✏️Design and Editing: Many times, designers and editors need to repurpose images from PDF documents, requiring that the images are extracted properly.
• 📚Educational Purposes: Teachers and students need to support their case study and thesis with charts, illustrations, and diagrams from PDF sources, which must be extracted accurately.

How to Extract Images from PDF?

Explore how you can use Adobe Acrobat, Windows Snipping Tool, Adobe Photoshop, and Mac’s Preview feature to extract images from a PDF.

Using Adobe Acrobat to Extract Pictures from PDF

There are 2 methods of extracting images from PDF using Adobe Acrobat. They are:

1. Copy and Paste the Image

This method is ideal when you have a particular image you want to extract from a PDF. It basically involves using the copy-and-paste function.

👉Here’s how to extract photos from PDF through this method:

• Open the PDF file with Adobe Acrobat.
• Highlight the image you want to extract. Go to the Edit tab and select Copy or simply press Ctrl + C.

• Go to your image processor or preferred document, and press Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command + V (Mac) to paste the image. Alternatively, right-click and choose Paste from the drop-down options.
• Finally, right-click the image to save on your computer.

2. Extract Specific PDF Pages

This method is best used if the pictures you want to extract take up a whole PDF page. All you have to do is extract the entire page from the PDF file.

👉Here’s how to extract pictures from PDF through this method:

• Go to the official Acrobat online services website and upload the PDF you want to extract pictures from.
• Pick the page(s) you want to extract.
• Then, select Extract and download the new file to your device. This file will contain all the extracted pages.

Extract Images from a PDF with the Windows Snipping Tool

The snipping tool is an in-built feature in Windows computers that allows you to capture and save screen snippets, including images from PDFs.

👉Here’s how to extract an image from a PDF using Windows Snipping Tool:

• Go to the search bar and type snipping tool. Select it when the result appears.
• Click on the Mode tab and choose either: Free from snip, Rectangular snip, Window snip, or Full-screen snip.
  • Free-form snip: Draw any shape to capture a specific area of your screen.
  • Rectangular snip: Select a rectangular area of the screen to capture.
  • Window snip: Capture a specific window like a browser or app, without selecting it manually.
  • Full-screen snip: Capture the whole screen, including all open windows and the desktop.

• Click Save to store the image on your computer.

Extract Graphics from PDF with Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop provides a professional solution for extracting high-resolution graphics from PDF files. It has many advanced tools that give you control over the images you extract and their quality.

👉Here’s how to extract graphics from PDF using Adobe Photoshop:

• Start by opening the PDF file with Adobe Photoshop.
• All the PDF pages will be displayed as an individual layer, making it easy to access and extract specific graphics. Choose the layers that contain the graphics you want to extract.

• Export the graphics using Photoshop’s selection tools.
• Save to your computer in your preferred format whether JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc.

Using Mac’s Preview Feature to Extract Photos from PDF

This method is only applicable to Mac users. It involves using Preview, which is the default app used for opening PDF files on Mac.

👉Here’s how you can use the Preview feature to extract images from a PDF:

• Open the PDF with the Preview app.
• Click View and select Thumbnails.

• Choose the page containing the images you want to extract.
• Click File, select Export, and choose the file format to save the extracted images (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and so on).
• Click Save to store the images on your Mac.
• Open the saved images again with Preview and crop them to your preference.

Bonus Tips: How to Convert Image to PDF?

PDF is universally recognized as a professional format for printing and sharing documents, including images. Whether you want to compile scanned documents, send official images or certificates, and so on, PDF is the best file format. Hence, why it’s important to know how to convert images to PDF.

You may come across different methods to convert images to PDF on the internet, but the most reliable is a professional image-to-PDF conversion tool like ONEPDF.

ONEPDF is a totally free, online tool that allows you to convert all kinds of image formats (JPG, JPEG, PNG, and many more) to PDF without compromising on the image quality. It serves a dual purpose, enabling the conversion of images to PDF, as well as PDF to images. For example, you can seamlessly change JPG to PDF on Mac and Windows, as well as convert PDF to JPG on Windows or Mac.

👉Follow these steps to convert image to PDF using ONEPDF:

• Go to the JPG to PDF converter or PNG to PDF converter page, depending on your image format.
• Click Select File to upload the image(s) you want to change.

• Click Convert to PDF to start the conversion process.
• Once the conversion is complete, click Download to save the PDF file on your device.

Conclusion

Carrying out images extract from PDF might seem challenging if you don’t know the right methods to apply. In this post, we’ve discussed the proven methods you can use to extract images from PDF without any difficulty. And to convert images to PDF, you can rely on ONEPDF for excellent and quick conversion.

FAQs on Extracting Images from PDF

Read on for answers to frequently asked questions related to “how do I extract images from a PDF.”

1️⃣What’s the Best PDF Image Extractor?

These are the best PDF image extractors:

• Adobe Acrobat: Offers pixel-perfect accuracy for complex PDF layouts and allows for further manipulation of extracted images.
• Snipping Tool: No need to install any software, no cost involved, and easy to use for Windows users.
• Adobe Photoshop: Offers advanced image extraction capabilities and preserves image quality during editing.
• TokenTool: Allows you to pan, zoom, and customize the images within a PDF for smooth extraction.
• PDFCandy: Online-based with a simple interface for quick extractions and can handle multiple PDFs at once.

2️⃣Is There a Way to Cut and Paste from a PDF?

Yes, you can cut and paste from a PDF using Adobe Acrobat.

👉Follow these steps:

• Open the PDF with Adobe Acrobat and highlight the image. Go to Edit and select Cut or simply press Ctrl + C.

• Go to your image processor and press Ctrl + V (for Windows) or Command + V (for Mac). or simply right-click and select Cut from the drop-down options.