Turning a folder of images into a print-ready PDF
Resolution, aspect ratio, and the settings that keep a portfolio looking sharp at A4.
A folder of photos into a portfolio PDF should keep every image crisp at letter size. Three settings keep it that way.
Ready to try this yourself?
Open Images to PDF in a new tab and read the rest while you upload.
Most Images-to-PDF tools downsample your originals to keep file size down. That's fine for a screen-only PDF but ruins a printed portfolio. The right settings depend on whether the destination is a screen or a printer.
Settings by destination
Screen-only (email a moodboard). Page size A4 or Letter, fit each image to page with margin, downsample to 150 DPI. File stays small, looks great at 100%.
Print at letter / A4 (portfolio, gallery handout). Page size matching your print target, fit-to-page, don't downsample — pass the original JPEG through. File gets larger; print stays sharp.
Mixed sizes / aspect ratios. Pick "fit" not "fill" — fit pads with margins, fill crops your subjects. Photographers picking "fill" by accident is the most common portfolio mistake.
If you have RAW or HEIC
HEIC is converted to JPEG automatically before embedding so the resulting PDF works in every viewer. RAW files (CR2, NEF, ARW) aren't supported — process them in Lightroom / Capture One first and export as JPEG or PNG, then convert.