Make Your PDF or Image Look Scanned

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a PDF look scanned?

Upload your PDF, then adjust brightness, contrast, noise, rotation, shadow, and paper color until it matches a real scanned page. Scanlooks renders every page onto a canvas and applies the effect entirely in your browser, so you can download the scanned-look PDF in seconds.

Is my file uploaded to a server?

No. Scanlooks processes your PDF or image entirely in your browser using the Canvas API. Your file is never sent over the network, which also means it keeps working even if your connection drops.

Are my documents stored permanently?

No. Nothing is uploaded or saved anywhere. Your file only exists in your browser tab’s memory while you’re working, and it’s gone as soon as you close or refresh the page — unless you’ve downloaded the result.

Is Scanlooks safe to use?

Yes. Since your document is processed entirely on your own device and never transmitted anywhere, there’s no server to breach and no account to create. It’s a safe way to handle sensitive or private documents.

Are my files automatically deleted?

There’s nothing to delete in the first place — Scanlooks never uploads or stores your file. It lives only in your browser’s memory for the current session and disappears once you leave or reload the page.

Can I make an image look scanned, not just a PDF?

Yes. Drop in a JPG or PNG and the same scanner effect — grain, vignette, subtle rotation, and paper texture — is applied to the image. You can download it as a PNG or wrap it into a PDF.

How do I make a document look like it was scanned?

Upload it to Scanlooks and use the Adjust panel to dial in brightness, contrast, noise, rotation, shadow, and paper color. The live preview updates instantly so you can match the look of a real scanned page before downloading.

Can I convert a Word document into a scanned PDF?

Not directly — Scanlooks doesn’t read .docx files. Export or print your Word document to PDF first (Word and Google Docs both have a “Save as PDF” option), then upload that PDF to Scanlooks to apply the scanned look.

What file formats are supported?

You can upload PDF, JPG, and PNG files. Once processed, you can download the result as either a PDF or a PNG image.

Does the scan effect work on multi-page PDFs?

Yes. The live preview shows page 1, but when you download as a PDF, every page in the document gets the scanned effect applied and is included in the final file.

Can I adjust the scan quality?

Yes. The Adjust panel gives you full control over brightness, contrast, blur, noise, rotation, shadow, and paper color, plus a toggle for the vignette and scan-line effect — so you can dial the scanned look in exactly how you want it.