Converting PDF to JPG
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Do you have a favorite software?
I need to convert a few floorplans in a PDF to JPG I can insert into a model. What is your tried and true way to do this? --- Joel
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Well I don't get floor plans, but I do get a lot of PDFs. Sometimes for my use, I can convert the PDF to DWG or DFX, which works out very well. Note, the import to Sketchup may not be to scale in DFX, so I need to make sure I have a measurement that I can use to scale the imported DFX.
As for PDF that will not convert, I use PicPick, a very good screen capture program. If I don't want the whole drawing, just parts, I expand the view until I have the part I wish to use to model and use PicPick to copy the screen. I then input into Sketchup. Now, here comes the tricky part. Images usually come in not to scale vertically and horizontally at the same time. So, I make the image a group. open the group and use the rotated rectangle to make a rectangle over areas that I know the measurement. Then I use one side (horizontally) of the rectangle to scale the image and then scale the other side (vertically). Oops! that not the native scale tool, that is Fredo's scale tools.
Now, why don't I use a line, because, I have found I can place a box over lines to get a better fit. Complicated, but hey, sometimes that all I have to use.
Hopes this helps.
Ken
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How do you convert your PDFs to DWG?
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I have two programs that will convert PDF to CAD. Both do the job, however, pdf2cad will allow you to convert to CAD and PDF 2 DXF will only convert to DXF.
Not cheap.
pdf2cad v8.5
PDF 2 DXF 2, http://www.cadkas.de/downengpdf11.php
And also online, http://dwg.autodwg.com/
Hope this helps.
Ken
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Hi,
I think with Inkscape it is also possible.
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I've tried it again. PDF opened in Inkscape and saved as DXF. Furthermore you can save as PNG or Bitmap
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Photoshop, or if you need something that is free GIMP works quite well.
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Yes, I usually do a screenshot, and Photoshop works too. But they are both time consuming and take a bunch of steps. I might have 15 pages of plans in a pdf and that can take a long time.
I wonder if there is an app that converts easily automatically. I would think it is a common need.
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As Xiombarg says, Gimp will do it fast. Just open a PDF in Gimp, choose dpi and wich pages you want to convert and you'll have the pdf2jpg in no time
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Thanks!
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just open in your preferred PDF viewer and save in a raster format, preferrably not in the lossy compressed JPEG format (= artefacts on hard contrasts as e.g. black curves on white bg) but the losless compressed PNG or TIFF format.
if the PDF contains vectors you can use Adobe Illustrator to save to DWG/DXF (30 day trial avail.).
alternatively and if you wanna convert the raster data to vectors you may want use the capable Print2CAD for doing this (and much more).
hth,
Norbert -
If you need to convert formats in the future, try using a service called Convertio.co. It's free and easy to use.
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