Supported File Formats and Limits
Learn which image formats Translayer accepts, file size limits per plan, and resolution options for your uploads.
Accepted File Formats
Translayer works with page images. Upload your content in any of these formats:
- JPG / JPEG — the most common format for scanned books and photos
- PNG — ideal for screenshots, digital artwork, and pages with transparency
- WebP — smaller file sizes with good quality, supported by most modern tools
All three formats produce identical translation quality. Choose whichever your scanning or export tool generates.
What About PDFs?
Translayer currently accepts image files, not PDFs directly. If your source material is a PDF, you’ll need to convert it to page images first. Most PDF readers (Adobe Acrobat, Preview on Mac, or free tools like pdf2image) can export pages as JPG or PNG in a few clicks.
Tip: When exporting from PDF, use 300 DPI or higher for the best translation results.
File Size Limits
Maximum file size per image depends on your plan:
| Plan | Max File Size | Max Pages per Job |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 10 MB | 10 |
| Starter | 15 MB | 25 |
| Standard | 20 MB | 50 |
| Pro | 25 MB | 100 |
If your image exceeds the limit, try:
- Saving as JPG with 85-90% quality (reduces size significantly with minimal quality loss)
- Reducing resolution to match your chosen output resolution (no benefit to uploading 8K source for 2K output)
- Using WebP format, which typically produces smaller files than JPG at equivalent quality
Resolution Options
When you start a translation, you choose the output resolution:
- 1K (1024px) — good for screen reading, ebooks, and quick previews
- 2K (2048px) — recommended for most use cases, crisp on all screens
- 4K (4096px) — print-ready quality for professional publishing
The output resolution refers to the longest edge of the translated page. Higher resolutions use more credits — see How Credits Work for the multiplier details.
Best Practices for Uploads
- Scan quality matters. Cleaner source images produce better translations. Avoid photos taken at an angle or in poor lighting.
- Keep original resolution. Don’t upscale low-res images before uploading — the AI works best with genuine detail.
- One page per file. Upload individual page images, not multi-page spreads (unless you want the spread translated as a single unit).
- Reading order. Name your files sequentially (page-001.jpg, page-002.jpg, etc.) so Translayer processes them in context order.
Upload your files at /dashboard/translate to get started.