How to Combine Multiple Images into One PDF

Why combine images into a PDF?

Sending ten separate photos is messy: they arrive in random order, are easy to miss and are awkward to print. A single PDF solves all of that. It keeps pages in a fixed order, opens on every device, prints predictably and is the format most application portals, schools, employers and finance departments expect.

Before you start: get better source images

The final PDF can only be as good as the images that go into it. If you are photographing paper documents with a phone:

• Use even light. Daylight near a window works well; avoid the harsh shadow of your phone or hand falling across the page.
• Shoot straight on. Hold the phone parallel to the page to avoid a skewed, trapezoid shape.
• Fill the frame. Get close enough that the page fills most of the photo, with a little margin around it.
• Use a contrasting background. A dark table under white paper makes the edges clear.
• Check focus. Tap the screen on the text before taking the picture and zoom in afterwards to make sure it is readable.

Many phone camera and notes apps include a "scan document" mode that crops and straightens pages automatically. It's worth using if available.

Step-by-step: combine images into one PDF with MyImageNinja

MyImageNinja builds the PDF inside your browser, so your photos are never uploaded. It works on computers, tablets and phones.

1. Open the Image to PDF converter.
2. Add your images. Click Choose files and select all the images at once, or drag them onto the drop zone. JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP and SVG are supported, as are ZIP archives of images.
3. Arrange the pages. Images appear in the order your device provides them, usually alphabetical by file name. Drag thumbnails to reorder them, or use the page-number box to jump a page straight to a position.
4. Fix rotation. Rotate any photo that was taken sideways. Select several pages first to rotate them together.
5. Remove extras. Delete duplicates and blurry shots.
6. Set up the PDF. Open Export & Settings → PDF and choose paper size, orientation, margins, image fit and compression (explained below).
7. Download. Click Download PDF. Each image becomes one page, in the order you arranged.

Tip: You can mix existing PDFs with images. Add a PDF form together with photos of supporting documents and merge them all into one file. The PDF's pages are converted to images in the process, so their text won't be selectable afterwards.

Choosing page size, orientation and margins

Paper size

• Original makes every page exactly the size of its image. This preserves everything but can produce a PDF with pages of different shapes and sizes.
• A4 (used in most of the world) or US Letter (used in the United States and Canada) gives every page the same standard size. It's the best choice if the document might be printed or submitted to an organisation.

Orientation

Auto picks landscape for wide images and portrait for tall ones, which suits mixed collections such as screenshots and documents. Force Portrait or Landscape if every page must match.

Margins

Margins add white space around each image: none, small (15 points, about 5 mm), medium (30 points, about 11 mm) or large (50 points, about 18 mm). If the PDF will be printed, a small or medium margin prevents the printer from cutting off content at the edges.

Image fit

• Contain scales each image to fit inside the page without cropping. It's the safest option for documents.
• Cover fills the entire page and crops whatever overflows, which suits full-bleed photos.
• Stretch fills the page exactly, distorting the image if its proportions differ from the page. Use it only when the proportions already match.

Keeping the PDF small

Modern phone photos can be several megabytes each, and twenty of them make a PDF that is too big to email or upload. To keep size under control:

• Increase compression. The Medium setting usually cuts file size substantially with little visible change; High produces the smallest files for strict upload limits.
• Use a standard paper size. A4 or Letter pages keep the document a predictable size for printing.
• Leave out unnecessary pages. Every image adds to the total.

MyImageNinja also scales extremely large photos down to a maximum of 2560 pixels on the longest side when they are loaded. That is still more than enough detail for a full A4 or Letter page and helps avoid running out of memory.

Built-in alternatives

Windows

Select the images in File Explorer, right-click and choose Print (on Windows 11 you may need Show more options first). Choose Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer, pick a layout and click Print. It works, but layout options are limited and the page order follows the order Windows chooses.

macOS

Select the images in Finder, open them in Preview, arrange the thumbnails in the sidebar, then choose File → Print → PDF → Save as PDF. Alternatively, right-click the selected files and choose Quick Actions → Create PDF.

iPhone and iPad

In the Photos app, select the images, tap Share, then Print. On the print preview, use the share button to save or send the result as a PDF. The Files app also offers Create PDF when you select multiple images.

Android

Many Android phones can print selected images to PDF through the share or print menu, though the steps vary by manufacturer. Google Drive's scan feature is another option for paper documents.

These built-in methods are fine for occasional use. A dedicated tool gives you more control over page order, paper size, margins and compression, and lets you mix images with existing PDFs, all without uploading your files.