Rendering
PDF to JPG
Draws each page and hands you an image. The resolution is yours to choose, which matters more than most converters let on: the same page at 72 and at 300 DPI are very different objects.
Pages
Pick the resolution before you pick the format
A PDF page is a set of drawing instructions, not a grid of pixels, so it has no native resolution. Converting means choosing one. At 72 DPI an A4 page becomes roughly 595 × 842 pixels, which is fine for a thumbnail and unreadable in print. At 300 DPI the same page is about 2480 × 3508, sharp enough to print, and perhaps twenty times the file size.
Then the format. JPEG for pages that are mostly photographs. PNG for pages that are mostly text, tables or line drawings, because JPEG puts a coloured halo around hard black edges that is very visible on a white page.
Common questions
How do I convert only page 3?
Type 3 in the pages field. The same range syntax as elsewhere on the
site applies, so 2-4, 9 works too.
Can I get the text out instead of a picture of it?
If the PDF has a text layer, yes, with extract text. A scanned document has no text layer, and pulling text out of it needs OCR, which this site does not do.
Why is a long document slow?
Every page is rendered by your own machine, one at a time. A hundred pages at 300 DPI is real work. Lower the resolution or convert in batches.
Other PDF tools