How to Make a Photo PDF: Simple Methods for Mac Users

Creating a PDF from your photos is a useful skill, whether you need to share a batch of images with clients, archive your photography work, or simply organize your visual content. If you’re a Mac user, you have built-in tools that make this process straightforward and efficient. This guide will walk you through two easy methods to convert your photos into a PDF document right on your Mac.

Method 1: Using Preview to Create a Photo PDF

Preview, macOS’s default image and PDF viewer, is more powerful than you might think. It offers a quick and direct way to combine multiple images into a single PDF file. Here’s how to do it:

1. Select Your Images: Begin by selecting all the photos you want to include in your PDF. You can do this in Finder by holding down the Command key and clicking on each image, or by dragging a selection box around them.
2. Open with Preview: Once selected, right-click on the images and choose “Open with” > “Preview.” All selected images will open in the Preview application.
3. Select Thumbnails: In Preview, ensure the sidebar is visible. If not, go to the “View” menu and select “Thumbnails.” This will display thumbnails of all your opened images in the sidebar.
4. Print to PDF: Select all the image thumbnails in the sidebar. Then, go to the “File” menu and choose “Print Selected Images…”. It’s crucial to select “Print Selected Images…” and not just “Print…”.
5. Save as PDF: In the Print dialog window that appears, look for the “PDF” button in the bottom left corner. Click on it and choose “Save as PDF…”.
6. Name and Save: A save dialog box will pop up. Choose a name for your PDF, select where you want to save it, and click “Save”.

Preview will then create a multi-page PDF document, with each of your selected images on a separate page. This method is incredibly quick and requires no additional software.

Method 2: Automating PDF Creation with Automator

For those who frequently need to create photo PDFs, especially from large batches of images, Automator offers a more automated and potentially faster solution. Automator is a built-in macOS application that lets you create workflows for repetitive tasks. Here’s how to set up an Automator workflow to make a photo PDF:

1. Open Automator: Launch Automator from your Applications folder.
2. Choose Workflow Type: When Automator opens, you’ll be prompted to choose a type of document. Select “Workflow” and click “Choose.”
3. Add “Get Specified Finder Items”: In the Automator Library on the left, navigate to “Files & Folders” and find “Get Specified Finder Items.” Drag this action to the workflow area on the right.
4. Add Images to Workflow: In the “Get Specified Finder Items” action, click the “Add” button to add the photos you want to convert to PDF. You can also drag and drop files or folders directly into this section.
5. Add “New PDF from Images”: Next, in the Automator Library, go to “PDFs” and find “New PDF from Images.” Drag this action below the “Get Specified Finder Items” action in your workflow.
6. Configure PDF Settings: In the “New PDF from Images” action, you can specify the “Save Output to:” location and set an “Output File Name:”. You can also adjust photo sizes if needed, though this is optional.
7. Optional: Add “Open Finder Items”: If you want to automatically open the newly created PDF after it’s generated, go back to “Files & Folders” in the Library and drag “Open Finder Items” to the end of your workflow.
8. Run the Workflow: Click the “Run” button in the top right corner of the Automator window to execute your workflow. Automator will combine your selected images into a PDF and save it to your specified location.
9. Save the Workflow (Optional): If you plan to use this workflow again, go to “File” > “Save” and give your workflow a name. You can save it as an application for even quicker access next time.

Automator provides a more streamlined approach, especially when dealing with numerous images regularly. By saving your workflow, you can simply drag and drop new sets of photos onto the Automator application icon to quickly create PDFs in the future.

Choosing the Right Method

Both Preview and Automator offer effective ways to make photo PDFs on a Mac. Preview is excellent for quick, one-off conversions and is incredibly simple to use. Automator shines when you need to perform this task frequently or with large volumes of images, offering automation and efficiency.

Whether you choose the simplicity of Preview or the automation of Automator, creating photo PDFs on your Mac is a straightforward process that enhances your ability to share and manage your visual content effectively.