This quick tutorial shows how teachers can use PDFLive to turn PDFs into editable, fillable forms that students can use on their devices for homework and studying. 

There are a lot of reasons to reduce the volume of paper used in the classroom. Digital and remote classes make physical papers difficult to distribute and collect. Environmental concerns have led to reducing the use of paper as well as plastic pens, binders, and other materials needed to organize paper handouts. 

Finding the right digital alternative to physical paper is no easy task. Not every student will have access to the same document editing software. Documents that you, the teacher, create may lose their formatting settings when opened by a student. 

This is why PDFs are so useful. The portable document format, or PDF, is easy to create and will look the same no matter who opens it on any device. PDFs are the best format to distribute syllabi, study guides, and even worksheets that students can fill out. This allows any student to do their homework entirely on their computer rather than writing on paper. 

In this article, we’re going to cover how you can work with PDFs using PDF.Live’s online PDF editor tool. The editor tool allows you to make alterations to the settings and format of a PDF. 

How to Make an Editable PDF

Before you make a PDF editable, you may be wondering how you can make a PDF in the first place? The document editing software you already use has this capability. How do we know this? 

Well, if you’ve built a worksheet or syllabus in a doc editor, you’ve probably printed it. When printing, you’ll usually select your printer in the Destination section. Then, if you click the dropdown next to it, you’ll see Save as PDF as an option. Your experience may differ, depending on your operating system (iOS vs Windows, for example), but generally, most software programs allow you to save as PDF from the printing functions. 

This will save your document as a PDF file instead of printing a physical copy. If you simply want to distribute a worksheet that your students will then print and fill out, emailing or uploading a PDF is by far the best option. This will ensure every student can print out the same version of the worksheet with no changes in formatting settings. 

If you create a Microsoft Word Document and upload the file as, say, a .doc or .docx file, there’s a good chance the page’s margins and lines will be altered. This can lead to students being confused about where one question begins and another ends, or having enough space to fill out the answer for a question. 

However, if you want your students to work with the document in an entirely digital format, we have a solution for you. 

Form Field Recognition 

What is form field recognition? This term is the name of a tool contained within the PDF.Live editor that will find fields within a PDF that are intended to be filled out by the person using the document. It will add a fillable form field to the line so that text can be typed within the PDF. In this example, every slightly shaded in box above an empty line is a fillable field:

(Source: FDIC “Smart Money Instructor Guide” for classrooms.)

So how do you access the form field recognition tool? 

Upload your PDF to our online editor selecting the Edit PDF option in the PDF.Live Studio.

Once you’ve selected this option, either upload a PDF from your computer or select a PDF already uploaded to the editor. 

Once you’ve done this, select Continue. In the PDF.Live editor toolbar, navigate to Form Fill tab and select Insert Text Field within the Form tab of the toolbar. 

With this tool selected, you can now create text fields in the PDF that someone can fill out! 

To create a new field, click and drag anywhere on your PDF. The new box will then be a fillable field for anyone with access to your PDF. 

Once you’ve created fields, simply click one of the text fields with the tool active. You can then resize, move, or delete them by clicking the trash can icon. 

Once you’re happy with your form fields, select Download in the top right-hand corner of the editor to get a copy of your PDF with fillable fields applied to it.  

In this example, we’ve opened the fillable form PDF in a web browser. We’ve filled in a couple of fields with text. Once all text has been filled in, when downloading the PDF, the owner will be prompted to download a new version of the PDF with changes. The “changes” represent the text that’s been typed out into the fillable forms within the PDF. 

Using this tool, you can send out worksheets to your students, have them fill them out, and send them back without any PDF editors or physical paper needed!

The post How Teachers Can Use PDFs in the Classroom appeared first on pdf.live.

In this post, we will answer how to change a picture into a PDF, whether it is a photo from your phone, a picture you’ve created, or something that you’ve scanned and want to save in a digital file format.

When you think of a PDF, you probably picture a text document, a digital brochure, or an e-book. But did you know that you can make a picture into a PDF file? Converting pictures to PDF formats can be beneficial because photos and groups of photos are too large to share (read more about sharing PDFs online). 

But here’s the real benefit: PDFs last forever. They don’t yellow and fade like printed photos do. If you store PDFs in the cloud (such as on Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive), you don’t have to worry about your precious photos being damaged by nature’s elements, yellowed as they age, or simply lost after one too many moves.

Sending a photo album digitally is possible, but photo file sizes can easily become too large to email. Converting photos or photo collages to a PDF allows you to easily share your treasured moments digitally with whomever you want. You can email the PDF directly rather than sending them a download or cloud link to where you’ve saved the photos. You also won’t have to worry about the types of devices your friends and family have, as they can open PDFs on any device.

Whatever your reason may be, we’ll be going through the different ways you can turn a picture into a PDF. We’ll cover converting pictures to a PDF, as well as how to merge multiple images into a PDF.

What Image File Types Will Convert Into a PDF?

Most files that you create with a digital camera, scanner, smartphone or tablet can be converted to PDFs. These include files with the following extensions: JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, and GIF. There are other lesser-known image file types, but those are the more common.

PDFs will preserve any formatting that you’ve built in these programs. This is useful if you’ve created a digital scrapbook, for example, which allows you to put pictures alongside the text. If you don’t want the text or headings to resize and ruin the page layout, a PDF will preserve all this, so anyone can use it.

Turn JPG files into PDFs

There are different ways to turn images into PDFs, depending on what the file format is for the picture. To find out the file format, you’ll need to locate the image on your device and see what the filename ends in or what is listed under “type.” 

If your image is a JPG, it’s easy to convert it to a PDF with PDF.live. We offer a JPG to PDF converter online that can make your image into a PDF. To learn more about converting JPGs to PDFs, our JPG to PDF converter tool has information and FAQs on the conversion process.

Turn Other Image Files into PDFs

If your image is saved as a different type of file, there are a few other methods of converting it to a PDF. The first method, and most easily accessible, is by using the Photos app on a Windows device or the Preview app on Mac.

First, open the image you want to convert to a PDF in their respective programs.

For Windows users

Then, select the toolbar dropdown at the top of the program and find Print.

Upon selecting Print, you’ll be shown a preview of the image you want to print. Select the dropdown for Printers and choose Microsoft Print to PDF. When you select Print, you’ll be prompted to save the image. Only this time, you’ll see the file format you save as listed as PDF instead of an image.

This process will create a single PDF for each image file. To combine a single PDF into a multipage PDF, here is a step-by-step guide. 

For Mac users

On Mac, use Preview, which is a standard installed app. Right-click file and select Preview app to open it.

Select Export.

On Mac, you can directly select the file format you want to export as in the dropdown menu. Both JPG and PDF will be listed here.

Convert PDF to Image

What about the other way around, PDF to JPG? Making a PDF an image is easy and can be done with any PDF reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. Using a reader, first locate the PDF you want to convert to an image on your computer and open it using the reader.

For Windows users

Select File and Save as.

At the bottom of the Save as window, select Convert to. You’ll see a list of image formats that you can make your PDF into. For images, you’ll be interested in JPG, TIFF, and PNG.

Adobe will produce a ZIP file, which contains one JPG for every page of your original PDF. So, a 12-page PDF produces 12 JPG files. The larger your file, the longer the conversion takes. Select Download.

Important notes about the PDF-to-image process: While image and PDF files are similar in many ways, there is at least one important difference. Image file formats accommodate only one image per file; PDFs can accommodate as many as you need.

For Mac users

Open Preview and open your PDF. Preview allows you to create JPEG files a page at a time, but not in bulk. Right-click on the page you’d like to convert to a JPEG and select Export as.

Set Format to JPEG, name the new image (ebook page 1. jpg in this example), and select Save.

Create a PDF from Multiple Images

We mentioned previously that storing multiple images in a single PDF can make sending pictures over the web much more convenient. So how do you do this? After you’ve done the steps above to convert your image files, you’ll need to use a merge tool to combine multiple PDFs into a single document.

PDF.live has a merge tool that allows you to do just this. You can simply drag and drop the images you’ve converted to PDFs into the tool and they’ll be merged into a single document.

Inserting Images Into PDF Files

Add image to a PDF page: Inserting one image or several in a PDF is easy enough if you have access to a PDF editor. We have a tutorial on putting images in PDFs using the PDF.Live editor. This process involves converting your PDF into an editable PDF and using the Add Image tool. This will allow you to insert your image wherever you’d like on any editable PDF.

Insert JPEG as a PDF page: To add an image to a PDF as a new page, you’ll need to convert your images to PDFs and then merge them with the target PDF. 

Tips for Turning Pictures Into PDFs

Scanning PDFs

If you have physical pictures (photographs, magazine pages, artwork for example) that you want to turn into PDFs, you’ll need to scan them. Some modern printers have built-in scanners that has options for the file type it outputs. With this, you may be able to scan directly to a PDF. If that is not an option, select .jpg (or JPEG on a Mac). Then use PDF.Live to convert from JPEG to PDF.

When scanning, if you want to save the photos as a digital format, be sure to use the highest optical resolution the scanner has. This will make sure that the photo doesn’t look pixelated or incomplete when you export it, but it will also increase the file size. If you want to have a good balance of quality and medium file size, scan at 600dpi in your scanner settings.

Scanning alternatives

If you don’t have a physical scanner, some Android and iPhone apps (DocScan app in the Apple App Store) enable you to scan documents through your smartphone’s camera. 

The Google Drive App will allow you to create new PDFs from a photo scan. Keep in mind that the quality of the picture that you ultimately convert to a PDF will be dependent on your phone’s camera and the quality of your lighting.

Third-Party Mass Scanning

There are also online photo digitizing services that can handle large numbers of file conversions. This type of service can take time, though, because you have to physically mail your photos to a service and trust them to handle your pictures with care. Some online services that do this include*:

• DigMyPics
• Fotobridge
• ScanCafe
• ScanMyPhotos

*We found these services by searching online for “photo digitizing service.” Listing them here does not equate to an endorsement. Please check user reviews before entrusting your valuable photos with any digitizing service.

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When applying for a job online, present yourself with professionalism. A PDF keeps your layout exactly the way you designed it: spacing, fonts, margins, and everything else. That means:

• Your resume looks the same on every device.
• Employers won’t see broken formatting.
• ATS (applicant tracking system) software can parse your resume.

Unless a job posting specifically asks for a Word or other type of file, PDF is the safest choice for submitting your resume for a job.

PDF vs. Word: Why It Matters

Word files (.doc/.docx) can look different depending on:

• The version of Word the employer uses
• Whether they use Google Docs, LibreOffice, WPS, etc.
• Mac vs. Windows differences
• Available fonts and spacing settings

If your formatting breaks, your resume may look messy or unreadable — and that can hurt your chances of getting hired, as a hiring manager will have a hard time understanding your experience.

PDFs, on the other hand, keep the layout intact no matter what software is used.

Understanding ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

Many employers use ATS tools to scan and sort hundreds of resumes they receive for a position. ATS systems:

• Read your work history, skills, and education
• Look for keywords the employer wants
• Filter out unqualified applicants before a human ever sees the resume

Hiring managers can then filter applicants based on the criteria for a position. Companies don’t have to disclose whether or not they use an ATS, so you may as well always have your resume ATS-optimized to improve your chances of getting through the application. 

To help an ATS read your resume:

• Submit a PDF (unless otherwise requested).
• Make sure your text is selectable (not an image).
• Run your resume through an online ATS checker to make sure your experience is legible.

What to Include in Your Resume

Most resumes use a simple structure, so both recruiters and ATS software can scan them quickly.

Identification

• Name
• Email
• Phone number
• City/state

Expect employers to Google you, so keep your online presence clean. Recruiters and hiring managers will look at your LinkedIn, Instagram, and any other public social media if they’re interested in hiring you. 

Education

• School or program name
• Years attended
• Degrees, certifications
• Optional when relevant: GPA, major/minor

Experience

• Job title
• Company
• Dates of employment
• Key responsibilities and accomplishments

Include roles that highlight transferable skills, even if they aren’t in the same industry. If you have a lot of experience in one area, try to think about how some of the things you know could apply to the position you’re applying for. 

Skills

Hard skills, such as:

• Software or application knowledge
• Trainings (e.g., graphic design, project management)
• Languages
• Methods or frameworks (e.g., Agile, Six Sigma)

ATS systems look for keyword matches here, so list skills clearly. If a skill is listed in a job posting and you have it, ensure that it’s on your resume. 

Soft skills, such as: 

• Written and verbal communication
• Collaboration
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Attention to detail

Be prepared to speak to specific examples of your soft skills when you are interviewed. In other words, don’t just include those soft skills because the job posting mentioned them. Make sure you can speak to, “Tell me an example of a time when you showed attention to detail…”  

Resume Formatting Tips

A clean, readable resume works best for both humans and ATS scanners.

Avoid images

ATS software can’t interpret photos, icons, charts, or graphics. It’s nice to have a photo of yourself on your resume, but this can break formatting. Not always necessary!

Use standard fonts

Stick with easy-to-read fonts that everyone has on their devices:

• Arial
• Calibri
• Helvetica
• Times New Roman
• Verdana

Don’t rely on fancy formatting

PDFs preserve layout, but extreme formatting (excess columns, text boxes, graphics) can confuse ATS systems. You may find your skills being listed under a job description, for example. Keep formatting simple.

Proofread everything

Typos can cost you interviews. Have someone else look it over, too. Run it through an AI tool like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to check for misspellings, grammatical errors and other potential issues. 

If you need layout ideas, check the sample resume database on Indeed.com. If possible, search for resumes of people in the same field or who have the job title you’re aiming for. Ask a mentor or professional for industry-specific tips on resume formats for your position. 

How to Convert Your Resume to a PDF

If you’re using a document editor (Word, Google Docs, Pages, etc.):

1. Open your completed resume.
2. Go to File → Save as or Download as.
3. Choose PDF.
4. Save the file to your computer.

If your editor won’t export as PDF:

You can still convert it using a tool like PDF.live:

• Head over to the PDF.Live Word to PDF converter
• Upload your .doc/.docx
• Download the converted PDF

To edit your PDF afterward, use either the original document editor or PDF.live’s online PDF editor. We recommend making all of your tweaks to the original document rather than the PDF version. When you print or save your document as a PDF, it should be considered finalized and ready for submission.

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What is an EPUB file type? We’re sorry to say, it’s not an online place to grab a pint. It is, however, a versatile file format for reading electronic books!

If you have a smartphone, tablet, or e-reader, you’ve probably used an EPUB without even knowing it. EPUB is short for electronic publication, and it is the file format most commonly used for viewing e-books.

All EPUBs are e-books, but not all e-books are EPUBs. Other ebook file types include: .azw (specific to Kindle), .html, .txt, .pdb, .pdf, and a few that are lesser known. EPUB and PDF files are two of the most common formats that digital publications come in, and that’s probably because there are so many devices and applications that work with those file formats. 

An EPUB file is usually accessed with an eBook reader like a Nook or an Amazon Kindle. You can also view an EPUB file on your browser, but you’ll need an extension for your browser for this. You can use an app like EPUBReader for Google Chrome or EPUBReader for Firefox. Mac users can open .epub files using the Books app, which comes installed on most Apple devices (laptops, tablets and iPhones). 

Take note that any copyrighted eBook that you convert to a PDF from an EPUB should not be distributed online to friends, family or anyone. This could result in an infringement of copyright law. You should not sell or distribute any eBooks, whether they’re in an EPUB or PDF file format. 

EPUB Vs PDF – What’s the Difference?

EPUBs are special file formats that work on electronic readers, which can change the font size and background color, and use the reader’s tools to highlight and make notes in the books. EPUBs open to automatically fit your device’s screen. The text in an EPUB is referred to as “reflowable,” because it can adapt to whatever size and style you set your reader to.  

PDFs are portable document formats that contain text and images that can be easily shared (hence the “portable” name). Even though you can zoom in and out of a PDF, the text and images don’t automatically render to fit your device’s screen, so they are not reflowable. 

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