Image and PDF Converter

Transform images to PDFs and PDFs to images with professional quality. This Apify Actor provides bidirectional conversion between images (JPEG, PNG, BMP) and PDF documents, featuring high-resolution output, watermarking, and flexible merging options. Perfect for document archiving, content creation, and cross-platform workflows.

Table of Contents

• Key Features
• How It Works
• Input Parameters
• Output Format
• Quick Start
• Pricing
• Examples
• Troubleshooting
• Support

Key Features

• Bidirectional Conversion: Seamlessly convert images to PDF and PDF pages to high-quality images
• High-Resolution Output: Configurable DPI (default 300) for crisp, OCR-ready images
• Quality Control: Adjust compression quality (1-100) for optimal file size vs. fidelity balance
• Custom Watermarking: Add text watermarks with customizable opacity, position, and styling
• Flexible PDF to Image Options:
  • Generate individual image files for each PDF page
  • Merge all pages into a single composite image for previews or social media
• Cloud Storage Support: Direct processing from Google Drive, Dropbox, and public URLs
• Batch Processing: Handle multi-page PDFs efficiently

How It Works

Simply provide a direct URL to your image or PDF file, choose your desired conversion, and let the Actor handle the rest. Whether you need to archive old photos into a single PDF or extract visuals from a multi-page document, this Actor offers a robust and reliable solution.

Input Parameters

The Actor takes a single input object with the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
url	String	Required. Direct URL to the image or PDF file you want to convert (e.g., from Google Drive, Dropbox, or any publicly accessible link).
conversionDirection	String	Specifies the conversion type. Choose auto to let the Actor detect the file type and perform the opposite conversion (e.g., image to PDF, or PDF to images). You can also explicitly set imageToPdf or pdfToImages to force a specific conversion, overriding auto-detection if needed.
quality	Number	Adjusts the output quality (1-100, where 100 is best). This applies to both image and PDF outputs, helping you balance file size and visual fidelity.
resolution	Number	Applicable only when converting PDF to images. Sets the DPI (dots per inch) for the output images (default: 300). Higher values produce sharper images but increase file size.
scale	Number	Applicable only when converting PDF to images. Rendering scale factor for high-quality output (default: 3.0). Values above 2.0 provide excellent OCR quality.
mergeOutput	Boolean	Applicable only when converting PDF to images. If true, all generated images from the PDF will be merged into a single image file. If false (default), individual image files will be provided for each page. Useful for creating composite images of multi-page documents.
watermark	Object	Optional. Add a text watermark to your output files. Configure properties like text, opacity (0-1), fontSize, color, and position (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, center).

Example Input:

{
    "url": "https://www.africau.edu/images/default/sample.pdf",
    "conversionDirection": "auto",
    "quality": 90,
    "resolution": 300,
    "mergeOutput": true,
    "watermark": {
        "text": "CONFIDENTIAL",
        "opacity": 0.6,
        "fontSize": 30,
        "color": "red",
        "position": "center"
    }
}

Output Format

The Actor stores its results in the default Key-Value Store. Each successful run generates a record containing details about the converted file(s).

• Image to PDF Conversion:
  • pdfUrl: Direct URL to the newly created PDF document.
  • pdfKey: The key under which the PDF is stored in the Key-Value Store.
• PDF to Image Conversion (individual pages):
  • images: An array of objects, each containing:
    • url: Direct URL to the converted image for a specific page.
    • page: The page number from the original PDF.
• PDF to Image Conversion (merged output):
  • mergedImageUrl: Direct URL to the single image file containing all merged pages.
  • mergedImageKey: The key under which the merged image is stored in the Key-Value Store.

All outputs also include:

• originalUrl: The URL of the input file.
• conversionType: Indicates whether imageToPdf or pdfToImages conversion was performed.

Quick Start

This Actor is designed to be user-friendly. You can run it directly from the Apify Console:

1. Navigate to the Image and PDF Converter Actor page on Apify Console.
2. Click the "Run" button.
3. Fill in the input form with your file URL and desired conversion settings.
4. Click "Start" to execute the Actor.
5. Monitor the run progress and access your converted files in the Output tab.

Pricing

This Actor is currently free to use. Apify charges based on platform usage (compute time, data transfer), but there are no additional fees for this Actor itself.

Examples

Convert PDF to High-Resolution Images for OCR

{
    "url": "https://example.com/document.pdf",
    "conversionDirection": "pdfToImages",
    "quality": 100,
    "resolution": 300
}

This configuration produces 300 DPI images optimal for text recognition with AI models like Gemini.

Convert Images to Watermarked PDF

{
    "url": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
    "conversionDirection": "imageToPdf",
    "quality": 95,
    "watermark": {
        "text": "© 2025 Company",
        "opacity": 0.3,
        "position": "bottom-right",
        "fontSize": 24,
        "color": "black"
    }
}

Merge PDF Pages into Single Image

{
    "url": "https://example.com/multi-page.pdf",
    "conversionDirection": "pdfToImages",
    "mergeOutput": true,
    "quality": 90
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"File is corrupted or empty"

• Ensure the URL is publicly accessible and points to a valid image or PDF file.
• Check that the file is not password-protected.

"Unsupported file format"

• Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, BMP for images; PDF for documents.
• Verify the file extension matches the content type.

"Conversion failed"

• For large files, try reducing quality or resolution.
• Ensure sufficient memory allocation in Apify settings.

Low image quality for OCR

• Increase the resolution parameter (try 600 DPI for very detailed documents).
• Set quality to 100 for lossless compression.

Performance Tips

• For batch processing, use individual page output instead of merged images.
• Higher resolution significantly increases file size and processing time.
• Watermarking adds minimal overhead but may affect OCR accuracy.

Support

Need help or have suggestions? Feel free to reach out via the Apify platform. We're always looking to improve!

• Issues & Feature Requests: Use the Issues tab on the Actor page.
• Community Support: Join the Apify Discord for discussions with other users and developers.
• Documentation: Check the Apify Docs for platform-specific guidance.