Applications often want everything as one PDF: the degree, the mark sheets, the ID, a photo, sometimes a signed declaration. What you have is a mix of phone photos, scans and PDFs in different sizes. Three tools put them into one tidy file, and the whole job runs in your browser, so your certificates are never uploaded.
1. Collect the pages and name them
- Put everything in one folder on your phone or computer and rename the files in the order the application lists them: 01-degree, 02-marksheet-sem1 and so on. Sorting by name later is then one click.
- Photograph paper documents flat, in daylight, with all four corners in the frame. Scan to PDF on the Thryve PDF page does this from the camera and straightens the page.
- Check the application for the order it wants, the maximum size and whether it wants one file or one per document.
2. Turn photos into PDF pages
Open JPG to PDF and drop every photo at once. JPG, PNG and WebP work; run iPhone HEIC photos through HEIC to JPG first.
Each photo becomes one page. Drag the pages into order if the file names did not sort them.
Save the result as one PDF. If you already have PDFs for some documents, skip this step for those.
3. Merge everything into one file
Open Merge PDF and drop the photo PDF together with the PDFs you already had. Images can be dropped here too; each becomes a page.
Arrange the files in the order the application lists them, then export.
Open the merged file in Organize PDF if a page is upside down or in the wrong place: rotate, move or delete single pages, then save.
4. Get it under the size limit
A merged file of ten phone photos is easily 30 MB. Open it in Compress PDF, pick Balanced or Max, and read the new size before you save; the pictures are made smaller and any real text stays sharp. If the limit is tight, read the guide on compressing a PDF to 100 KB, 200 KB or 500 KB.
5. Check before you upload
- Open the final PDF and scroll through it once: every page present, the right way up, readable at normal zoom.
- If the application also wants a separate photo or signature, keep those as their own JPGs; see the passport photo and signature guides.
- Keep the final PDF; the next application will want the same set.
Questions, answered
- Can I mix photos and PDFs in one merge?
- Yes. Merge PDF takes PDF files and JPG, PNG and WebP images together; each image becomes a page in the order you set.
- How do I put the pages in the right order?
- Drag files into order in Merge PDF before exporting. To move, rotate or remove single pages afterwards, open the file in Organize PDF.
- Will my certificates be uploaded?
- No. JPG to PDF, Merge, Organize and Compress all run inside your browser tab. The files stay on your phone or computer.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes, in Chrome or Safari on Android and iPhone. Choose the photos from your gallery; a large batch takes a little longer on a phone.