How to Convert PDF to JPG Using Python

Converting PDF files to JPG images is a common task, especially when you need to extract pages as images for presentations, reports, or web content. Python makes this process simple with powerful libraries like pdf2image, which is widely used for PDF-to-image conversions.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following installed:

Python 3.6+ (recommended)
The pdf2image library
Pillow (for image processing)
poppler-utils (required for pdf2image to work)

Installing Required Libraries

Run the following commands in your terminal or command prompt:

pip install pdf2image Pillow

For Linux users, install poppler-utils using:

sudo apt-get install poppler-utils

Windows users can download Poppler from this link and add it to the system PATH.

Step-by-Step Conversion Process

1. Import Required Modules

First, import the necessary modules in your Python script:

from pdf2image import convert_from_path
import os

2. Convert PDF to JPG

Use the convert_from_path function to extract pages as images:

def pdf_to_jpg(pdf_path, output_folder):
    # Create output folder if it doesn't exist
    if not os.path.exists(output_folder):
        os.makedirs(output_folder)
    
    # Convert PDF to list of images
    images = convert_from_path(pdf_path)
    
    # Save each page as a JPG
    for i, image in enumerate(images):
        image.save(f"{output_folder}/page_{i+1}.jpg", "JPEG")
    
    print(f"Conversion complete! Images saved in {output_folder}")

# Example usage
pdf_to_jpg("sample.pdf", "output_images")

3. Customising Image Quality

You can adjust the DPI (dots per inch) for better resolution:

images = convert_from_path(pdf_path, dpi=300)

Handling Large PDFs Efficiently

For large PDFs, process pages in batches to save memory:

images = convert_from_path(pdf_path, first_page=1, last_page=5)

Conclusion

Using Python’s pdf2image library, converting PDFs to JPGs is straightforward and efficient. Whether you need to extract a single page or an entire document, this method ensures high-quality results with minimal effort.

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