How to Save As a PDF in Photoshop? (Easy Guide)

Photoshop is an application from Adobe Creative Cloud that brings many capabilities, including image editing. Most people don't know that they can save as a PDF in Photoshop.

So, if you also use Photoshop and want to save your files in PDF format, this guide shares several ways you can try, along with one great alternative option.

Part 1. Can Photoshop Save As PDF?

Photoshop is usually known for saving images and illustrations in PSD files, the native file format for the Photoshop application. However, it also supports exporting images in formats like JPEG, PNG, etc. This exporting option makes sharing images easier, but the problem arises when you share images directly, and their quality is dropped due to platform compression.

In such cases, you cannot share PSD files due to platform compatibility issues, and everyone does not have a Photoshop app to open that image. An easy solution is to save that file as a PDF. Most people don't know that Photoshop can save your files as a PDF document, and the process is very easy.

When you save your Photoshop files as a PDF document, all the problems mentioned above can be solved. It allows easy sharing, printing, and posting on different platforms.

Part 2. How to Save As a PDF in Photoshop?

Saving any project on Photoshop as a PDF document is not very complex, yet it takes a few steps that you need to correctly follow. It is because these steps include the PDF and Photoshop configuration settings that will decide your editing rights on the PDF after exporting, printing experience and regular usage experience.

1. Go to File in PDF

Once you are done working on the image in Photoshop, you need to click the "File" tab. It will open a list of options where you need to click "Save As." If you know the shortcut for this option, you can use it alternatively by hitting the "shift, control, and S" buttons at once. It will take you to the Save as menu, where you can change further settings.

2. Choose PDF from the dropdown list.

The Save as menu screen will show you multiple options. You must look for "Save as Type" and click the dropdown menu next to it. Now you will see another list of options, and this time, you need to select "Photoshop PDF." One important step is checking the "As a Copy" option for saving to PDF since it will not impact the original Photoshop file while exporting it as a PDF.

3. Set Photoshop PDF saving technicalities and save

Now you will be working on PDF saving technicalities in Photoshop in the Compression option. Starting from the top, you will set "PDF Preset" to "High Quality" since it is good for home printing. You may choose "Press Quality" for commercial printing. For using that PDF file on the web, you may choose "Smallest File Size."

Similarly, on the "Options" portion below, you need to check options as per your requirements. Once you finish all the technical settings, click "Save PDF" and follow the on-screen saving steps.

Part 3. How to Save Multiple Files as One PDF in Photoshop?

We learned about saving Photoshop files in a PDF in the previous part. However, that method is limited to saving one file as one PDF document. Sometimes you need to save multiple Photoshop files in a PDF, and the previous method becomes useless for that use case. That's where this method will come in handy. With a slight change in the steps and technicalities, you can save multiple Photoshop files into one PDF document.

1. Save all PSD files in one folder with the correct names

After you work on all the Photoshop files you want to save into one PDF document, you need to save them in the same folder. For easier usage, you may set their names associated with the page numbers where you want them to be.

2. Use the PDF presentation option.

Now open Photoshop's "File" tab and go to "Automation." In the dropdown list, you need to click "PDF Presentation."

3. Open the files and click Save.

Now you will have a browse window where you need to select all the PSD files to convert them into one PDF file. Using the "Control button," you can easily select multiple files in one go. Set the "Save As" option to Multipage document and click Save. Now you will have one PDF document containing all the PSD files you selected.

Part 4. Why Can't Save As PDF in Photoshop?

If you cannot save a PSD file as a PDF using Photoshop, there could be several reasons behind it. Some of the common reasons why you might be facing this problem include:

1. Unsupported content or effects in the Photoshop file
2. Extremely large file size containing high-res images incompatible with PDF size limits
3. Outdated software version
4. Permission or security settings
5. Memory issues with your PC
6. Software glitches or bugs in Photoshop after a recent update, etc.

Part 5. How to Save as PDF Without Photoshop.

If you are not familiar with the technicalities of Photoshop, then saving files in PDF format using it will be a complex job. On the bright side, using Photoshop to save your pictures in PDF format is unnecessary when you have other alternatives. One of the best tools you can use to save pictures in PDF format without using Photoshop is UPDF.

UPDF allows you to create a PDF document from pictures, and you can edit, annotate, or share it as you save it in PDF format. The good part about UPDF is that its creating features are not limited to pictures only. When using images to create PDF documents, you can use different image formats. Apart from images, 6 other file formats can be saved as PDFs.

Those include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, etc. In addition to all these options, you can create a PDF as a blank page and then add an image to the blank page later. It gives you more control over placing and sizing images using UPDF. So, if you are also looking to enjoy these features, you can download UPDF and use them immediately.

1. Select Create option in the File tab.

Double-click on the UPDF desktop icon on your PC to open it and navigate to the "File" tab on the top right. Click it and reveal the dropdown menu. From this dropdown menu, you need to navigate to the "Create" option to reveal another dropdown menu.

2. Select an image to create its PDF.

In this dropdown menu, you will see the option to create a "PDF from Image." Clicking it will take you to the file-manager browser window. Now you can search for the image you want to save as a PDF file, click to select it, and hit the "Open" button to create a PDF document from that image.

3. Save PDF file

Your final step will be navigating to the right-side menu and clicking the "Save as Other" option. Now you can choose between save and save as and then save that image in the PDF format by following the on-screen instructions.

While UPDF makes saving images to the PDF format extremely, it brings many other features that can enhance your experience of working with PDF documents. These features include:

• PDF form creating and editing
• UPDF AI
• Converting PDF documents to other formats
• Converting other documents to PDF format
• Saving PDF files online in UPDF Cloud for automatic syncing across devices
• Annotating, commenting, and collaborating with UPDF, etc.

While these are some key features of UPDF, it packs many others that elevate your experience working with PDF documents. So, download UPDF today and enjoy using all these features.

In The End

If you learn to save as a PDF in Photoshop, you can save a lot of hassle when sharing files with non-photoshop users. It is because PDF documents will maintain file content integrity and never drop the image quality, no matter how you share or use the document. However, if you don't have a Photoshop application or subscription or don't know how to use Photoshop, you must look for easier alternatives.

UPDF is one of the best options for anyone saving pictures as a PDF file. In fact, with its range of features, it makes a great choice for anyone who is looking for the right tool to work on PDF documents. So, if you also have any requirements regarding PDF documents, download UPDF and try it today.