Do you need to save a variety of documents with complex elements like images and tables? Better yet, do you know how you’ll save these files so that they can be easily used and edited later?
When you save documents with photos on them, two of the most common file formats are PDF and JPEG. While both JPEGs and PDFs are useful, they do not function the same and you might need to convert your file to the other style.
If you are trying to figure out how to convert PDF to JPEG, you must first understand the differences between the two file types. To get you started, we’ve got the key distinctions between JPEG and PDF files below.
Format
The first difference between PDF and JPEG is their format. Specifically, PDFs are used for text-based documents with multiple elements while JPEGs are utilized primarily for photos.
Because of this, PDF files keep the same format as whatever file they were originally converted from. On the other hand, JPEG files convert all elements into a singular component.
This key distinction then correlates to how each file can be used. While both files may technically be used interchangeably, results will be better if you save your documents according to their proper format.
Changeability
Arguably the most important difference between JPEG and PDF files is how they can be edited.
JPEG files are relatively inflexible and do not leave much room for editing. This is a direct result of how the file compresses all components of the document into one singular unit.
Alternatively, PDFs are perfect for editing, especially when there are several complex elements to a document. This means that you can select specific sections of text, images, tables, graphs, or any other portion of the file to copy and edit.
With this in mind, a JPEG is likely better for a finished document while a PDF may be better for a work in progress.
Size
Another distinction between PDFs and JPEGs is the size they are saved at.
PDFs maintain formatting when being converted, which results in a large file size. Conversely, JPEGs are compressed, which causes them to shrink and take up significantly less space.
It is far more space-efficient to have JPEG files on your hard drive, but sometimes the larger size of a PDF is worth the storage due to the more complex media involved. Keep in mind that PDFs can also be compressed if storage becomes an issue.
Quality
The final difference between JPEG and PDF files is their quality.
As PDFs simply keep the same elements when being converted, there is no loss of quality. Your file is essentially copied and pasted to a PDF format, meaning that everything is still there in its original form.
Alternatively, JPEG files directly result in a loss of quality. When a file is saved as a JPEG, it is compressed. Making matters worse, the file is saved via lossy compression, which means that elements of the image will be sacrificed to reduce the overall size.
This means that the more that any file is compressed, the lower the quality becomes. Conversion between PDF and JPEG is possible, but it shouldn’t be done repeatedly or file quality will plummet.
PDF or JPEG?
When it comes to saving your files as PDF or JPEG, you need to understand how you want to use the document.
JPEG files are generally good for images and finished documents. They are easy to store and can easily be shared with others online or embedded into other documents.
PDF files are better for more complex documents that have a lot of text. They maintain the original quality and are simple to edit, making them good for ongoing work and tasks like document signing.
Closing Thoughts
PDF and JPEG files have some similarities, but they differ heavily in how they are used and what document types are appropriate for each. Both can be used to save documents, but JPEGs use compression while PDFs simply transfer existing formatting.
This key difference translates to three significant distinctions between JPEG and PDF files. This includes PDF files being far more editable than JPEGs, PDFs being larger than JPEGs, and PDFs having greater quality than JPEG files.
With this in mind, the decision between saving your files and JPEG or PDF comes down to how you want to use them. Remember that you can always convert between the file types, but quality may be sacrificed with multiple conversions.
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