Learn how to merge multiple images (JPG, PNG, HEIC, WebP) into a single PDF document. Covers page ordering, sizing options, quality settings, and batch processing for all platforms.
Alex Thompson·February 19, 2026·11 min read
Why Combine Images into a PDF?
Individual image files are great for editing and sharing single photos, but they become unwieldy when you need to send, archive, or present multiple images as a cohesive document. Emailing 20 separate JPEG files is awkward. Organizing 50 scanned pages as individual PNGs is chaotic. Presenting a photo portfolio as a folder of loose files is unprofessional.
Combining images into a single PDF solves all of these problems. A PDF packages multiple images into one file with a defined page order, consistent sizing, and universal viewability. Anyone can open it on any device without special software.
Common use cases include:
Document scanning -- Combine phone-scanned pages into a single multi-page document
Photo portfolios -- Present work samples in a professional, paginated format
Receipts and invoices -- Merge photographed receipts for expense reports
Application materials -- Combine ID scans, certificates, and forms into one submission file
Archiving -- Convert photo collections into organized, searchable PDF archives
Presentations -- Create simple slide decks from image files
Multiple image files being combined into a single organized PDF document
Try these conversions
Free, in your browser — no signup, files auto-delete in 2 hours.
Reorder pages -- Drag images to arrange them in the desired order
Configure settings:
Page size -- A4, Letter, Legal, or custom dimensions
Orientation -- Portrait, Landscape, or Auto (based on each image)
Margins -- None, Small, Medium, or Large
Image fitting -- Fit to page (maintain aspect ratio), Fill page (crop to fit), or Original size
Quality -- High (larger file), Medium (balanced), or Low (smaller file)
Click Create PDF and download the result
Supported Image Formats
Our converter accepts all major image formats:
Format
Extension
Typical Source
Notes
JPEG
.jpg, .jpeg
Cameras, phones, web downloads
Most common; compresses well in PDF
PNG
.png
Screenshots, graphics, scans
Lossless; preserves text sharpness
WebP
.webp
Web downloads, Chrome screenshots
Converted to JPEG/PNG internally
HEIC/HEIF
.heic, .heif
iPhone/iPad photos
Apple's default format; converted automatically
TIFF
.tif, .tiff
Scanners, professional imaging
Supports multi-page; each page becomes a PDF page
BMP
.bmp
Windows screenshots, legacy apps
Uncompressed; large files
GIF
.gif
Simple graphics, animations
First frame used for animated GIFs
AVIF
.avif
Modern web images
Next-gen format; converted automatically
Pro Tip: When combining scanned document pages into a PDF, use the "Fit to page" option with "Auto" orientation. This ensures each page fills the PDF page regardless of whether the original scan was portrait or landscape. For mixed-orientation scans (some pages portrait, some landscape), auto-detection handles each page individually, producing a natural reading experience.
Method 2: Combine Images on macOS (Preview)
macOS Preview can combine images into a PDF without any additional software:
Open all images in Preview (select all, right-click, Open With > Preview)
In Preview's sidebar, arrange the thumbnails in order by dragging
Select all thumbnails (Cmd+A)
Go to File > Print
In the print dialog, click the PDF dropdown in the bottom-left corner
Select Save as PDF
Choose a name and location, then click Save
Limitation: Preview offers minimal control over page margins and image fitting. For more control, use our online tool or Automator.
Using Automator (Advanced)
Open Automator and create a new Quick Action
Add the action New PDF from Images
Save the workflow
Now you can right-click any group of images in Finder and run the Quick Action
Method 3: Combine Images on Windows
Using Microsoft Print to PDF
Select all images in File Explorer (Ctrl+Click or Ctrl+A)
Right-click and select Print
In the Print Pictures dialog:
Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer
Choose a layout (Full page, 2-per-page, 4-per-page, etc.)
Check Fit picture to frame
Click Print and save the PDF
Using Photos App
Open all images in the Windows Photos app
Click Print (Ctrl+P)
Select Microsoft Print to PDF
Adjust settings and click Print
Method 4: Combine Images on iPhone/Android
iPhone (Shortcut Method)
Select photos in the Photos app
Tap Share and select Print
In the print preview, pinch-to-zoom out on the preview to create a PDF
Tap Share again to save or send the PDF
Android
Select photos in Google Photos or the gallery app
Tap Share and select Print
Choose Save as PDF as the printer
Tap the save icon
For both platforms, our online tool works in the mobile browser for more control over page size, ordering, and quality.
Step-by-step screenshots showing image-to-PDF conversion on different platforms
Method 5: Command Line (ImageMagick / img2pdf)
For developers and power users who need scriptable, batch image-to-PDF conversion:
ImageMagick
# Combine all JPGs in order into a single PDF
magick *.jpg output.pdf
# With specific quality and page size
magick *.jpg -resize 2480x3508 -gravity center \
-extent 2480x3508 -quality 90 output.pdf
img2pdf (Lossless)
img2pdf converts images to PDF without re-encoding, preserving exact image quality:
Pro Tip: If image quality is your top priority (photo portfolios, artwork archives), use img2pdf instead of ImageMagick. ImageMagick re-encodes JPEG images during PDF creation, which introduces a generation loss. img2pdf embeds the original JPEG data directly into the PDF without re-compression, so the quality is identical to the source files. The difference is subtle but visible in high-quality photography.
Page Size and Image Fitting Options
How images fit on PDF pages affects both appearance and file size. Understanding your options helps you choose the right settings.
Fitting Mode
Behavior
Pros
Cons
Best For
Fit to page
Scale image to fit within page, maintaining aspect ratio
No cropping, image fully visible
May leave white margins on two sides
Document scans, general use
Fill page
Scale and crop image to cover entire page
No white space, clean look
Parts of image may be cropped
Photo books, portfolios
Original size
Place image at its native pixel dimensions
Exact pixel preservation
May be too large or small for the page
Technical documentation, archiving
Stretch to fit
Scale image to exactly match page dimensions
Fills entire page
Distorts aspect ratio
Rarely recommended
Multiple per page
Place 2, 4, or 6 images per page in a grid
Fewer pages, compact
Smaller images, less detail
Contact sheets, thumbnails, proofs
Optimizing Image Quality in PDFs
Resolution Requirements
The resolution of your images determines how sharp they appear when printed or zoomed in. For screen viewing, resolution matters less because PDF viewers scale intelligently.
Screen/digital viewing: 72-150 DPI is sufficient
Office printing: 150-200 DPI produces good results
Professional printing: 300 DPI is the standard minimum
Large format printing: 150 DPI is acceptable due to viewing distance
A 12-megapixel phone photo (4000 x 3000 pixels) provides 300 DPI at approximately 13 x 10 inches -- more than enough for an A4 or Letter page. You typically do not need to worry about resolution when combining phone photos or screenshots into PDFs.
Compress the final PDF -- Use our PDF compressor to reduce the finished PDF
Choose appropriate quality -- JPEG quality 80-85 is usually sufficient for combined document PDFs
Specific Use Cases
Scanning Documents with Your Phone
Modern phone camera apps include document scanning modes that automatically crop, straighten, and enhance scanned pages. After scanning multiple pages:
Save each scanned page as an image
Upload all pages to our converter
Reorder if necessary
Create the PDF with "Fit to page" and "A4" or "Letter" page size
After creating the PDF, you may want to make the text searchable. Our PDF OCR tool adds a searchable text layer so you can find content with Ctrl+F. See our tutorial on how to make scanned PDFs searchable for the complete process.
Creating Photo Books and Portfolios
For photography portfolios or photo book PDFs:
Select and order your best images
Use "Fill page" mode for full-bleed, immersive viewing
Choose "Landscape" orientation for horizontal photos, "Portrait" for vertical, or "Auto" to match each image
Set quality to "High" to preserve image detail
Consider adding a title page by including a designed cover image as the first file
Combine into a single PDF for easy attachment to your expense report
The PDF serves as both the submission document and the backup record
Photo portfolio PDF and scanned document PDF showing different use case examples
Creating Simple Presentations
Image-based PDFs work as simple slide presentations:
Design each slide as an image in Canva, Figma, or PowerPoint (export each slide as an image)
Use "Fill page" mode with widescreen dimensions (13.33 x 7.5 inches for 16:9)
The resulting PDF can be presented in full-screen mode in any PDF viewer
This approach is useful when you need a presentation that works on any device without requiring PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Handling Mixed Image Sizes and Orientations
Real-world image collections rarely have consistent dimensions. Here is how to handle common scenarios:
Portrait and landscape mixed: Use "Auto" orientation to let each page match its image. The PDF will contain both portrait and landscape pages, which is standard and well-handled by all PDF viewers.
Different resolutions: The converter scales all images to fit the page size you select. A 4000-pixel-wide image and a 1200-pixel-wide image both produce full-page results, though the smaller image will appear slightly less sharp when zoomed.
Different aspect ratios: "Fit to page" handles this gracefully by centering each image and adding margins as needed. A square image on a rectangular page will have margins on two sides.
Mixed formats: Upload JPG, PNG, HEIC, and WebP files together. The converter handles format conversion internally, producing a consistent PDF regardless of input formats.
Adding Text and Annotations After Combining
After creating your image PDF, you may need to add text, notes, or annotations:
Problem: PDF file is too large to email
Solution: Use our PDF compressor or reduce image quality/resolution before combining.
Problem: Images appear blurry in the PDF
Solution: Use higher-resolution source images. Phone photos are usually sufficient; screenshots may need to be taken at higher zoom levels.
Problem: Page order is wrong
Solution: Reorder images in our tool before creating the PDF. Name files numerically (001.jpg, 002.jpg) for automatic ordering.
Problem: Colors look different in the PDF
Solution: This can happen with CMYK images or images with non-sRGB color profiles. See our guide on image color spaces for color management details.
Problem: HEIC files from iPhone are not recognized
Solution: Our converter supports HEIC natively. For tools that do not, convert HEIC to JPEG first.
Combining images into PDF is one of the most practical file operations for both personal and professional use. Whether you are digitizing paper documents, building a portfolio, or organizing photo collections, a well-constructed PDF packages your images into a single, shareable, archivable file that works everywhere.
