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How to Convert PDF to SVG

A PDF page is vector data already. SVGSketch transcodes it to SVG instead of tracing a picture of it, so paths stay paths and text stays text.

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Quick answer

Open SVGSketch, drop the .pdf onto the canvas, select the pages you want in the import dialog, and click "Import". Each page becomes a view in the document. Export from the Export panel with SVG selected, or run svgsketch convert file.pdf -o file.svg on the command line.

Steps at a glance

  1. Drop the PDF on canvas

    Drag the .pdf onto SVGSketch or use File > Import....

  2. Select pages

    Pick the pages in the import dialog and click "Import".

  3. Check the report

    Open File > Last Import Report... for rasterized regions and fonts.

  4. Export SVG

    Choose SVG in the Export panel with "Optimize with SVGO" enabled.

Step 1: Drop the PDF onto the canvas

Drag the .pdf onto app.svgsketch.com or choose File > Import.... The dialog lists the pages with their sizes; select the ones you want. Multi-page files import as one document with a view per page.

Step 2: Keep or outline the text

Text is kept editable by default, mapped to the font by name with weight and style; a font you do not have is listed in the report with "Load fonts". "Convert text to outlines" uses the glyph outlines embedded in the PDF, which is the choice when the rendering must not depend on fonts at all.

Step 3: Check layers and the report

Optional content groups become layers in the Elements panel. The report under File > Last Import Report... names shadings that were rasterized, blend modes, soft masks and anything dropped, so you know what to look at before shipping.

Step 4: Export SVG

Choose SVG in the Export panel with "Optimize with SVGO" enabled. Every page view exports as an SVG view, so the file can also go back out as a multi-page PDF.

Related SVGSketch resources

Illustrator & PDF importRead more How to convert SVG to PDFRead more Image to SVG vectorizerRead more

FAQ

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

A scanned page is an image inside the PDF, so it imports as an image. Use the image to SVG vectorizer afterwards if you need paths.

Are gradients and transparency preserved?

Axial and radial gradients, opacity, blend modes and soft masks import as SVG equivalents. Gradient meshes are rasterized into an image clipped to their shape, and the report says so.

Can I convert only some pages?

Yes. Select the pages in the import dialog, or pass --artboards 1,3 to the command line tool.

Is the PDF uploaded?

No. The transcoder runs in the browser, so the PDF stays on your device.

Open your SVG in SVGSketch

Start with a blank canvas, import an SVG, or use the editor as a conversion and cleanup step.

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