Scan to PDF Online – Turn Photos of Documents into a PDF
Turn photos of paper documents into a clean, straight PDF: automatic edge detection, perspective correction, scanner-like filters and optional OCR. Free, private and done in your browser.
How to scan documents to PDF with your phone or camera
You do not need a flatbed scanner or a special app to turn paper into a PDF. WoowPDF's Scan to PDF tool turns photos of documents, taken with a phone, a tablet or a camera, into a clean PDF that looks like it came out of an office scanner. It finds the page in every photo, straightens it, removes the shadows and background, and puts all pages together in the order you choose. The images are processed in your browser, so private papers never leave your device.
How to scan documents to PDF
- Add your photos. On a phone, tap Choose files and pick Camera to photograph each page, or select pictures you already have. On a computer, drop the images onto the page.
- Check the pages. Every photo is cropped and straightened automatically. Rotate a page, change the order with the arrows, adjust the corners or leave out a page you do not need.
- Choose a look. Pick Auto enhance, Black & white document, Grayscale or Original, and select A4, Letter or the image size for the pages.
- Create the PDF. Click Create PDF and download your scanned document.
Automatic cropping and straightening
When you photograph a document on a table, the picture includes the table and the page is usually slightly tilted. WoowPDF detects the edges of the sheet, cuts away the background and applies perspective correction, so a page photographed at an angle becomes a flat, rectangular page. If the detection is not perfect, for example with a white sheet on a white desk, open the corner editor and drag the four corners onto the document; the preview updates immediately.
Scanner-quality results
Phone photos are often dim, yellowish or unevenly lit. Auto enhance brightens the paper and cleans up colors while keeping stamps, signatures and highlights. Black & white document uses adaptive thresholding that looks at each area of the page separately, so text stays sharp and black even where there is a shadow, and the background turns clean white. That look is ideal for letters, contracts and forms and produces small files. Grayscale and Original are available when you need them.
Searchable scans with OCR
A scan is normally just a picture. Turn on Make the PDF searchable (OCR) in the advanced options, choose the document language, and WoowPDF recognizes the text and adds it as an invisible layer behind each page image. You can then search the PDF, copy text from it and let other apps index it, while it still looks exactly like the scan.
Private by design
Identity documents, bank letters, medical forms and receipts should not be uploaded to unknown servers. Here, cropping, filtering, OCR and PDF creation all run locally in your browser, and nothing is stored or sent. There is no account and no watermark.
Tips for the best scans
- Place the paper on a darker, plain surface and photograph it in good, even light, avoiding your own shadow.
- Hold the phone parallel to the page and fill most of the frame with the document.
- Already have a PDF made from photos? Make it searchable with PDF OCR, or shrink it with Compress PDF.
- Just want to put pictures into a PDF without any processing? Use Images to PDF or JPG to PDF.
- Need to combine the scan with other files or sign it? Use Merge PDF and Sign PDF.
Features
- Automatic document edge detection on every photo
- Perspective correction: drag four corners and the page is straightened
- Scanner-like looks: auto enhance, crisp black & white, grayscale or original
- Rotate, reorder and leave out pages before creating the PDF
- A4, Letter or image-sized pages, with three quality levels
- Optional OCR makes the scanned PDF searchable and copyable
- Works with phone photos, camera pictures and existing scans (JPG, PNG, WebP)
- Private: images are processed in your browser, never uploaded
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan a document to PDF with my phone?
Open this page on your phone, tap Choose files and pick Camera (or choose photos you already took). Each photo is cropped and straightened automatically. Check the pages, pick a look and tap Create PDF.
Do I need to install a scanner app?
No. Everything works in your web browser on Android, iPhone, tablets and computers, with no app and no account.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The images are processed on your own device. Nothing is sent to our servers, so IDs, contracts and receipts stay private.
What does automatic cropping do?
It finds the sheet of paper in each photo and removes the table or background around it. If a photo is taken at an angle, the page is also straightened with perspective correction so it looks like a flat scan.
What if the edges are not detected correctly?
Tap the crop icon on the page and drag the four corners onto the corners of the document, or use Whole image to keep the full photo. Detection works best when the paper lies on a darker surface.
Which look should I choose?
Auto enhance works well for most photos and keeps color. Black & white document gives crisp text on a clean white page, like an office scanner, and makes small files. Grayscale is a softer alternative, and Original keeps the photo unchanged.
Can I make the scanned PDF searchable?
Yes. Turn on Make the PDF searchable (OCR) in the advanced options and choose the language. The text is recognized in your browser and added as an invisible layer, so you can search and copy it.
Can I scan several pages into one PDF?
Yes. Add as many photos as you need; each becomes a page. Use the arrows to change the order, rotate pages, or leave a page out without removing the photo.
How big will the PDF be?
It depends on the number of pages and the quality you choose. Balanced quality with the black & white look gives compact files that are easy to email; High keeps maximum detail for printing.
Which image formats are supported?
JPG, PNG, WebP, BMP and GIF, up to 40 MB each. iPhone photos are usually saved as JPG when shared to the browser; if yours are HEIC, change the camera format to Most Compatible.