Getting Greyscale JPGs from color PDFs using Image Processor

[hawthorned24448922]

I am attempting to convert color PDFs into color JPGs using Image Processor.  ThePDFs are designed for CMYK print and probably came from InDesign or (hopefully not) Canva.  Instead of color, I get greyscale output and I don't see that there is a setting I can change to fix this.  Any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong?

[CMass]

Hey @hawthorned24448922, 

Thanks for reaching out! The issue you’re seeing—PDFs converting to grayscale in Image Processor—is likely due to how Photoshop handles CMYK PDFs. Image Processor doesn’t support CMYK-to-RGB conversion during batch export, which can result in grayscale output.

Here’s a workaround:

1. Open the PDF manually in Photoshop.
2. In the Import PDF dialog, set Color Mode to RGB.
3. Save the file as a JPG.

If this works, you can then use Batch or Scripts > Image Processor after converting the PDFs to RGB manually or via an action.

More details here: Importing PDF files in Photoshop.

Let us know if that helps!

^CM

[Stephen Marsh]

I haven't tested your particular use case, however, PDF files are usually best handled by a script specifically designed to process PDF files:

https://github.com/Paul-Riggott/PS-Scripts/blob/master/PDF%20ProcessorII.jsx

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html