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Convert PDF to JPG on Mac: 3 Methods

Export PDF pages as JPEG on Mac with Preview, pdftoppm, or a GetCompress resize pass. Batch slide decks for CMS and email.

By Petr Samokhin

Marketing wants slide three as a JPEG for the CMS. Support wants one scan page for a ticket. The full PDF is the wrong shape. Export pages as JPEG at display width, not print resolution. A forty-slide deck at full resolution often exceeds email limits.

When JPEG beats keeping the PDF

Use caseTypical JPEG output
Blog figure from one slide1200 to 1920 px wide, quality around 85
Email preview of one chartAbout 1600 px
LMS thumbnailAbout 800 px
Signed scan archiveKeep the PDF; export only if required

JPEG is lossy. Export once at the target quality. Do not re-save the same page as JPEG repeatedly.

Text-heavy slides may look sharper as PNG first: PDF to PNG on Mac . Overview: PDF to images on Mac . Merge back: JPG to PDF on Mac .

Method 1: Export one page in Preview

Best for: One chart or slide.

  1. Open the PDF in Preview.
  2. Select the page in the sidebar.
  3. File → Export…
  4. Format JPEG, set Quality, save.

Check at 100% zoom before you batch anything else.

Limitation: One page at a time.

Method 2: Batch with pdftoppm

Best for: Whole decks.

brew install poppler
pdftoppm -jpeg -jpegopt quality=85 deck.pdf deck-page

Creates deck-page-1.jpg, deck-page-2.jpg, and so on. Page range:

pdftoppm -jpeg -jpegopt quality=85 -f 3 -l 5 deck.pdf deck-page

Unlock password-protected PDF files in Preview before pdftoppm. Prefer exporting JPEG directly from the PDF instead of PNG then JPEG, to avoid an extra lossy step.

Limitation: No GUI. Raw exports are often still too wide for web.

Method 3: Resize JPEG pages in GetCompress

Best for: Consistent max width and quality across the exported folder.

GetCompress does not split PDF pages. Export first, then:

GetCompress image settings for JPEG quality and max width on exported PDF pages
  1. Drop the JPEG folder into GetCompress .
  2. Set max width and JPEG quality (for example High or Medium).
  3. Preview a chart page, then export.
  4. Save a preset when portals reject raw exports every week.

Image jobs use quality and dimensions, not an exact target file size.

Which method should you use

SituationStart here
One pagePreview
Whole deckpdftoppm
Folder still too largeGetCompress

Terminal resize without GetCompress:

sips -Z 1920 deck-page-*.jpg

If thin lines look soft, use PDF to PNG on Mac for those pages.

Check before you upload

Watch text and gradients at 100% zoom. Keep full-resolution exports until reviewers approve. For general image cleanup: how to compress images on Mac .

When Preview alone is enough

Preview can finish a single JPEG send that already fits the destination.

GetCompress fits after batch export when many pages need the same delivery size. It does not replace a PDF editor. Prefer local export for confidential figures.

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