pdf2mp4

Module that converts pdf files to MP4 in high resolution. Can be used for fast reading applications.

Required system dependencies:

- ImageMagick
- gm
- ffmpeg

> multithreaded!

Installation

``bash
npm install pdf2mp4
`

$3

- git
- npm & node
- ImageMagick & gm
- ffmpeg

$3

`bash
git clone https://github.com/irgipaulius/pdf2mp4

cd pdf2mp4

npm install
`

$3

Next, you must install ImageMagick and gm on your system:

- Official instructions: https://github.com/yakovmeister/pdf2image/blob/HEAD/docs/gm-installation.md

- OSX:
- brew install graphicsmagick
- brew install gs
- brew install imagemagick
- Windows, Linux - _install manually:_
- ImageMagick
- gm
- Standalone - _install from source:_
- https://www.imagemagick.org/script/install-source.php
- https://www.github.com/aheckmann/gm.git

$3

- OSX
- brew install ffmpeg
- Windows
- Download installation executables from https://evermeet.cx/ffmpeg/.
- add .env with FFMPEG_PATH=path/to/ffmpeg/executable
- Linux
- sudo apt install ffmpeg
- FreeBSD
- pkg install ffmpeg

Usage

`typescript
import { pdf2mp4, createEventLogger } from "pdf2mp4";

const e = createEventLogger(); // optional, but great for debugging

await pdf2mp4(
{
fileName: "sample.pdf",
secondsPerFrame: 2.15,
uploadDir: "./",
outputDir: "./",
},
e
);
`

Properties

| Property | type | default value | description |
| --------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| fileName | mandatory string | | name of the pdf file. |
| secondsPerFrame | optional number | | either this or framesPerSecond must be set. |
| framesPerSecond | optional number | | either this or secondsPerFrame must be set. |
| maxConcurrency | optional number | 8 | max concurrent frames to process at the same time. Directly affects performance and stability. |
| uploadDir | optional string | "pdf2mp4/upload" | path to directory where pdf files are located |
| tempDir | optional string | "pdf2mp4/generated/temp" | path to directory where temporary files will be generated |
| outputDir | optional string | "pdf2mp4/generated/video" | path to directory where generated mp4 file is placed |

Events (optional)

For example, on front-end you can implement a full-fledged processing loading animation, which is accurate to the actual process:

`typescript
const e = new EventEmitter();

e.on("start", (message, filename) => {
console.log(message); // Converting sample.pdf...
});

e.on("benchmark_raster", (message, benchmarkSeconds) => {
console.log(message); // Finished rasterization in 6.9420 seconds.
});

e.on("benchmark_render", (message, benchmarkSeconds) => {
console.log(message); // Finished render in 6.9420 seconds.
});

e.on("progress_raster", (message, progress) => {
console.log(message); // Rasterizing... 69/100
setProgress(progress / 100); // great to use with states for react
});

e.on("progress_render", (message, progress) => {
console.log(message); // Rendering... 69/100
setProgress(progress / 100); // great to use with states for react
});

e.on("end", (message, videoFilename, videoDestination) => {
console.log(message); // Finished converting sample.pdf to /usr/Johnny/.../pdf2mp4/Am83rH3ar0.mp4.
resolve(videoDestination); // final location of the mp4 file.
});

// no need to await, result will be in the 'end' event
pdf2mp4("sample.pdf", { framesPerSecond: 0.33 }, e);
``

Notes

This is my first ever published npm package. Submit issues to the github repository for any extra features or questions.

There is also a fully developed website that uses this package at https://www.hyperreader.eu, and it's source code is here.