How to Extract Images from PDFs with Acrobat and a Free Alternative
Summary :
If you’re struggling to extract images from a PDF using Adobe, you’re in the right spot. This post offers a detailed guide for both automated and manual methods, and we’ll also share a free Adobe alternatives.
Table of Contents
How To Extract Images From a PDF Using Acrobat
A PDF is a non-editable file format that includes text, shapes, data, images, and more. Sometimes, you might only need to extract the images from a PDF for saving or sharing. But most PDF readers can’t do this. It can be a challenging task.
When you think of extracting images from a PDF, Adobe Acrobat, the pioneer of PDFs, is likely the first tool that comes to mind. To assist you, we have provided a step-by-step guide on how to extract images from a PDF using Adobe.
If you’re considering cost-effective options, you can also explore 2 free methods on the following page.
Automatically Extract Images From a PDF Using Acrobat
When it comes to extraction, Adobe Acrobat Pro provides a range of features. You can extract pages, text, comments, and images from a PDF using this versatile tool. It not only supports exporting PDFs to JPG format but also enables you to save images separately from a PDF.
Here are the steps to guide you through the process:
Step 1. Fire up the Adobe Acrobat Pro > Go to the “File” tab > Click “Open” to select a PDF to import.
Open a PDF in Adobe
Step 2. Navigate to “Tools” on the left, Scroll down, find and click the “Export PDF” tool.
Find the Export PDF Button
Step 3. When you enter the export mode, select “Image” as the export format. Ensure not to check the “Export all images” option. Next, click the “Export” button, and choose a location to save the image file.
Export the Images from a PDF
To access this feature, a subscription to Adobe Acrobat Pro is required. However, this subscription can be expensive. Is there an alternative solution available through Adobe Acrobat Reader, the free version of Adobe?
Yes, Adobe Acrobat Reader does offer the capability to manually extract images from PDFs.
Manually Extract Images From a PDF Using Acrobat
You can avoid the high subscription costs by using Adobe Acrobat Reader to extract images from PDFs. Despite being a free version, it also provides basic editing features such as highlighting, underlining, strikethrough, commenting, signing PDFs, and more.
Step 1. Import a PDF into Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Step 2. Simply scroll down and find the image in the PDF, left-click your mouse to select the image and the image will be highlighted, then right-click to choose the “Copy Image” option.
Copy the Image from PDFs
Step 3. Paste the image into your preferred document or image processor and save it to your device.
Paste and Save the Image
Adobe Acrobat Reader works well for shorter PDFs with fewer images. However, for large PDFs with many images, it can be time-consuming.
In such cases, you can use Google Drive for free to easily extract all the images from a PDF online without downloading any software.
How to Extract All Images From a PDF Online Free
Google Drive serves as a cloud-based storage and file synchronization platform. Moreover, it provides additional features for editing PDFs, including the ability to add comments, checkboxes, table of contents, and even translate PDFs into multiple languages.
For image extraction, Google Drive performs effectively.
Step1. A Google account is required to log in to the Google Drive.
Step 2. Click “New”, choose “File Upload” and select a PDF from your device to import.
Add a PDF to Google Drive
Step 3. Find the uploaded file > Right-click the mouse > Hover over “Open with” > Choose Google Docs. Your PDF will convert to Google Docs automatically.
Open the PDF with Google Docs
Step 4. Navigate to “File” > Choose the “Download” option > Select “Web Page (.html, zipped)”.
Extract All the Images from PDF
The image will packaged into a zip folder.
Images from a PDF
FAQs
How Do I Extract Data From an Image in a PDF?
OCR is a useful tool to extract data from images, typically a paid feature in most PDF editors. But PDFgear offers it for free. Just download PDFgear, import your PDF, click OCR, draw a box around the image, and click Done to extract data.
How Do I Copy an Image From an Adobe PDF?
It is easy to copy and paste an image from a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Just open the PDF with Adobe Acrobat, select the image, right-click the mouse, and choose “Copy Image”.
How To Extract All the Images From a PDF?
Both Google Drive and Adobe Acrobat provide solutions for extracting all the images from PDFs.
In Google Drive, upload the PDF, open it with Google Docs, then hover over “Download” and select the “Web Page” format from the “File” drop-down menu.
In Adobe Acrobat Pro, use the “Export PDF” tool to save all the images into a file, and remember to check the “Export all images” option.
How Do I Convert a PDF to an Image in Adobe Reader?
Adobe Acrobat Reader can’t convert PDFs to images, a feature available in the Pro version, which can be costly. For a free alternative, consider PDFgear. It allows both online and offline PDF-to-image conversion.
For online, upload your file to PDFgear PDF to Image converter, and it’s done in seconds.
For offline, it batch converts multiple PDFs at once.
Conclusion
Adobe Acrobat Pro is undoubtedly excellent for extracting images from PDFs, but it comes at a high cost. For occasional users, it might not be the best investment. Instead, the free alternatives mentioned in the post are a more suitable choice. Give them a try and find the solutions you need.
