Convert PDF to PNG
Convert PDF file pages to PNG images.
Backend Selection
Try system tools first (better rendering for complex PDFs), fall back to the JS script.
Backends you can try:
- magick (ImageMagick) - Linux/MacOS
- mutool (MuPDF) - Linux/MacOS
- pdftoppm (Poppler) - Linux/MacOS
- sips (Scriptable Image Processing System) - MacOS Only
- JS fallback (pdfjs) - under
<CURRENT_SKILL_DIR>/scripts/directory.
NOTICE: All backends should output <pdf-name>_page_<N>.png in the target directory.
System Backend Examples
# magick (ImageMagick) — density 144 ≈ scale 2x (72 * 2)
magick -density 144 paper.pdf -quality 90 paper_page_%d.png
# Note: magick outputs 0-based index; rename if 1-based is needed
# mutool (MuPDF) — resolution 144 ≈ scale 2x
mutool convert -o paper_page_%d.png -O resolution=144 paper.pdf
# pdftoppm (Poppler) — -r sets DPI
pdftoppm -png -r 144 paper.pdf paper_page
# Outputs paper_page-1.png, paper_page-2.png, etc.
# sips (macOS only) — convert a single-page PDF
sips -s format png paper.pdf --out paper_page_1.pngDifferent backends produce slightly different filename patterns (0-based vs 1-based, padding, separator). Rename after conversion if the downstream consumer requires strict <pdf-name>_page_<N>.png format.JS Script Prerequisites
Dependencies are in <CURRENT_SKILL_DIR>/scripts/package.json. Install on first use:
cd skills/convert-pdf-to-png/scripts && bun install
# or npm installJS Script Quick Start
SCRIPT_DIR=skills/convert-pdf-to-png/scripts
# Convert all pages (default scale: 2.0x)
bun $SCRIPT_DIR/convert-pdf-to-png.mjs paper.pdf
# Specify output directory
bun $SCRIPT_DIR/convert-pdf-to-png.mjs paper.pdf --output-dir ./output
# Convert specific pages with higher resolution
bun $SCRIPT_DIR/convert-pdf-to-png.mjs paper.pdf --pages 1,3,5 --scale 3
# Encrypted PDF
bun $SCRIPT_DIR/convert-pdf-to-png.mjs protected.pdf --password "secret"JS Script CLI Options
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--output-dir <dir> | Same as PDF | Output directory for PNG files |
--scale <number> | 2.0 | Viewport scale factor (higher = better quality, larger files) |
--pages <list> | all | Comma-separated 1-based page numbers |
--password <string> | - | Password for encrypted PDF |
Output
Filenames follow the pattern: <pdf-name>_page_<N>.png
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Complex figures render as blank (pdfjs) | Use magick (ImageMagick) or mutool (MuPDF) instead |
Cannot find module 'pdf-to-png-converter' | cd skills/convert-pdf-to-png/scripts && bun install |
| Poor text quality | Increase --scale / DPI (try 3.0 / 216) |
| Large PDF causes OOM | Convert specific pages with --pages instead of all |
| Encrypted PDF fails | Provide --password (JS) or -p (mutool) / -upw (pdftoppm) |