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How to Free Convert PDF to JPG on Mac

Written by John

Shortcuts app is one of the newest features introduced with the macOS Monterey. While originally released on iOS 12 on iPhone and iPad, the app allowed users to automate a lot of repetitive tasks and save a lot of time. Some examples are your ability to free convert PDF to JPG on Mac. 

Users who are already familiar with the Shortcuts app, having used it on their macOS Monterey and new macOS Ventura, will find it easier to manage their daily routine tasks on Mac. Even if you’re new to creating shortcuts to make your life easier, you’ll find it incredibly easy to convert PDF to JPG on Mac.

Are JPG and JPEG the Same?

The use of JPG as a naming format was due to the older versions of the Windows operating system that had a maximum three-letter naming limit. In the meantime, macOS did not have any character naming limit and therefore saved images as JPEGs with the .jpeg extension. There is no difference JPG and JPEG file formats other than the number of characters and different extensions. Later, when Windows started to accept three and four-letter naming extensions, both .jpeg and .jpg were used.

How to Free Convert PDF to JPG on Mac

We will look at how simple it is to free convert PDF to JPG on M1 and M2 Macs. The process involves — setting up shortcuts for PDF converter to JPG and renaming the converted JPG image files.

Step 1: Launch the Shortcuts app on your Mac from the Application/Utility. Select the ‘+’ button on the top-right of the application screen to create a new shortcut.

Open Shortcuts App in macOS Monterey

Step 2: Type ‘Select File’ in the search bar and drag the shortcut option to the left window to start building your shortcut. Click on ‘Show More’ and enable the ‘Select Multiple’ setting.

Select File in Shortcuts app

Step 3: Search ‘Make Image from PDF page’ and drag the shortcut option below the ‘Select Files’ action. Click on the ‘PNG image’ and choose ‘JPEG image’.

Make Image from PDF Page

Step 4: Search ‘Repeat with Each’ and drag the shortcut option below the ‘Make JPEG image from File’ action.

Repeat with each item

Step 5: Search ‘Rename File’ and drag the shortcut option above the ‘End Repeat’ action.

Rename JPEG to JPG

Step 6: Type “Name” of your file and right-click on Name > Insert Variable > Repeat Index.

Name and Repeat Index

Step 7: Now add a .jpg in the small free space at the end. Search ‘Save File’ and drag the shortcut option below the ‘End Repeat’ action.

Save JPG File

Step 9: Name your shortcut as ‘Convert PDF to JPG’ and add an icon of your choice and color to identify it. Click on the ‘Shortcut Details’ option in the right sidebar and enable ‘Keep in Menu Bar’. When you do this, you will add the shortcut to the menu bar to make it easier for you to convert PDF to JPG instantly.

Now, click on the ‘Play’ button to test the shortcut you’ve created. You should see a prompt to select a PDF file. Choose a PDF file to convert to JPG, click ‘OK’ on the Privacy access prompt, and then choose the location to save the converted and renamed JPG file.

Convert PDF to JPG

Go to the destination folder where you saved your JPG file and find the renamed JPG files. Shortcuts app makes it easy to convert PDF to JPG on Mac with just a click of a button. You don’t have to use any third-party applications and save a lot of manual time and effort needed for converting PDF to JPG free.

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