#  `dump_images`

Extract PDF embedded image metadata to JSON
## Usage
> pdftl `<input>` `dump_images` `[<spec>...]` `[output` `<output>]`

## Details
The `dump_images` operation extracts metadata about embedded images
in a PDF file.

It traverses the PDF's content streams (including nested Form XObjects)
to correctly calculate the absolute bounding boxes of all drawn images using
the Current Transformation Matrix (CTM).

Outputs a JSON object containing page-level image metadata, including:
* **name**: Internal PDF resource name
* **obj_id**: PDF object number (shared across pages if the same image is reused)
* **bbox**: Absolute bounding box coordinates [x_min, y_min, x_max, y_max] in PDF points
* **width_px**: Native image width in pixels
* **height_px**: Native image height in pixels
* **ppi_x**: Horizontal resolution in pixels per inch, derived from bbox and pixel dimensions
* **ppi_y**: Vertical resolution in pixels per inch, derived from bbox and pixel dimensions
* **colorspace**: Colorspace family, e.g. /DeviceRGB, /DeviceCMYK, /ICCBased
* **bits**: Bit depth per component
* **stream_bytes**: Compressed stream size in bytes as stored in the PDF
* **format**: Compression filter, e.g. flatedecode (PNG-style), dctdecode (JPEG)

Note: If the same image object is drawn multiple times (e.g. as a tiling pattern),
it will appear once per placement with its own bbox and ppi values. The obj_id
field can be used to identify duplicate placements of the same underlying stream.

You can optionally provide page specifications to limit extraction to specific pages.
## Examples

> Print image metadata for in.pdf to console
```
pdftl in.pdf dump_images
```

> Save image metadata for in.pdf to a file
```
pdftl in.pdf dump_images output imagesa.json
```

> Save image metadata for in.pdf to a file and save a copy of in.pdf
```
pdftl in.pdf dump_images output images.json --- output copy.pdf
```

> Print image metadata for pages 1, 3, 4, and 5
```
pdftl in.pdf dump_images 1 3-5
```


**Tags**: info, metadata, images

*Source: pdftl.operations.dump_images*

*Read online: [https://pdftl.readthedocs.io/en/stable/operations/dump_images.html](https://pdftl.readthedocs.io/en/stable/operations/dump_images.html)*

*Type: Operation*