PDF to slides: a clean deck from your reading
Drop in a lecture handout, journal article, or textbook chapter and Scholarly reads its structure, then turns the PDF into slides — one idea per slide, the main argument intact, ready to edit and present.
Free to start · No credit card · Export to PowerPoint, Google Slides, PDF
Want to start from a topic or your own notes instead of a file? Try the AI Slide Generator.
From a PDF to a clean slide deck in three steps
Convert a PDF to slides in one upload — no blank-canvas problem, just a structured draft that follows your source so you can learn it, not just skim it.
Step 1: Upload your PDF
Lecture handout, research paper, textbook chapter, or a reading pack — any text-based PDF works.
Step 2: AI structures the deck
Scholarly reads headings, sections, and key arguments, then splits them into clear, slide-sized points instead of walls of text.
Step 3: Edit & present
Reorder, rewrite, or trim any slide, then export to PowerPoint, Google Slides, or PDF.
Why turn a PDF into slides?
A slide deck forces a dense PDF into one idea per slide — which is exactly how you start to actually understand it.
Understand, don't just reread
Breaking a chapter into one point per slide makes you see the structure of the argument, not just the words on the page.
Faster than building it by hand
Skip the blank deck. Start from a draft that already follows your PDF, then spend your time refining instead of formatting.
Ready to present or revise
Got a paper to present or a chapter to revise? A clear, slide-by-slide version of the source is the best place to start.
How Scholarly turns a PDF into slides
Turning a PDF into slides is not just splitting the text every few lines. Scholarly reads the document the way you would: it finds the real headings and sections, follows the order of the argument, pulls out the claims and evidence that matter, and keeps figures, tables, citations, math, and code anchored to the slide they belong to. The result is a deck that mirrors the source's logic — a title, a short agenda, one idea per content slide, and a closing summary — so you can study the structure instead of rereading dense pages.
If you are not starting from a file — say you only have a topic, a prompt, or your own notes — the general-purpose AI Slide Generator is the better entry point.
Which PDFs work best
Text-based PDFs convert most cleanly — research papers, lecture handouts, textbook chapters, and existing slide decks saved as PDF. Scanned or photographed pages still work, but the deck is sharper when the text is clean and selectable. There is no perfect length: a two-page handout and a forty-page chapter both turn into slides, just at the level of detail the source supports.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert a PDF to slides?
Upload your PDF and Scholarly reads its structure — headings, sections, and the flow of the argument — then turns it into a slide deck: a title, a short agenda, one idea per content slide, and a closing summary. You edit the draft and export it.
What does the AI actually do to turn a PDF into slides?
It parses the document's real layout rather than chopping the text at fixed intervals. It detects headings and sections, follows the order of the argument, separates claims from supporting detail, and keeps figures, citations, math, and code anchored to the right slide — so the deck mirrors the source instead of flattening it.
What kind of PDFs work best?
Text-based PDFs such as lecture handouts, research papers, and textbook chapters work best. Scanned or photographed documents work too, but the deck is more accurate when the text is clean and selectable.
Can I edit the slides after they're generated?
Yes. Every slide is fully editable — add or remove slides, rewrite bullets, reorder the deck, and change titles. The AI gives you a structured starting point, not a locked file.
Can I export the deck to PowerPoint or Google Slides?
Yes. Export to PowerPoint (.pptx), Google Slides, or PDF, then keep refining wherever you present.
Will figures, citations, math, and code be preserved?
Yes. Figure and citation references stay anchored to the slide they belong to, and math notation and code blocks are kept intact instead of being flattened into plain text.
Does turning a PDF into slides help me learn, or just save time?
Both. Splitting a dense PDF into one idea per slide makes the structure of the argument visible, which is the first step to understanding it rather than memorizing it. You can then use the deck to self-test, present, or revise.
Is there a page or length limit for the PDF?
Short handouts and long chapters both work; the deck simply scales to the level of detail the source supports. Very long documents are best on a paid plan, which raises creation limits and document length.
Can I turn the PDF into slides in another language?
Yes. Scholarly supports 70+ languages, so you can generate the deck in the language you study or present in, regardless of the PDF's original language.
How is this different from the AI Slide Generator?
This page is tuned for the PDF-to-slides case: you already have a document and want the deck to follow it faithfully. The AI Slide Generator is the better choice when you're starting from a topic, a prompt, or loose notes rather than a file.
Is it free?
Yes, free to start with lifetime free AI creation limits. Premium includes 10 AI creations each week and supports longer documents.
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Sign up to turn PDFs into slides
Free to start. No credit card required.
Free
See what it does with one of your own sources.
- 3 AI Chat messages per day
- 1 free AI creation total
- 1 free file upload total (8MB)
- 5 quiz questions per day
- 1 exam attempt per day
- 15 voice minutes per day
- 32-page PDF to flashcards
- 500 autocomplete words per day
Use it to generate flashcards, improve a deck, or create a podcast, video lecture, slides, infographic, mind map, study guide, worksheet, spreadsheet, story book, timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline — or run Deep Research or turn a recording into AI Meeting Notes.
Premium
Steady weekly output from the material you already have.
$30/month
Everything in Free, plus:
- 10 AI creations per week
- Unlimited AI chat & autocomplete
- Unlimited file uploads (up to 300MB)
- Unlimited study sessions
- Unlimited exams & quizzes
- 1000-page PDF to flashcards
- Export to Anki
- Priority support
Laureate
For work where being right matters more than the price.
billed monthly · cancel anytime
Everything in Premium, plus:
- Any Frontier model — Claude Opus 5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Grok 4.6
- 75 AI creations per week
- 20 Frontier creations per week
- 20 Frontier Chat messages per week
- Unlimited uploads up to 1 GB, plus 3,000-page PDFs
- 12 hours of voice mode per day
- Priority support and early access to new Frontier models
Pricing shown in USD. Local currency may be available for Premium in app.
Compare plans
AI chat
Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. Frontier Boost on makes Auto (Laureate) use Claude Opus 5; off uses GPT 5.6 Luna.
- Free
- 3/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Chat Frontier Boosts
Premium includes recommended access to Grok 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Claude Sonnet 5. Laureate adds the remaining Frontier catalog plus 20 Frontier creations and 20 Frontier Chat responses each week; Auto uses Claude Opus 5 while boosts remain and GPT 5.6 Luna afterward.
- Free
- —
- Premium
- —
- Laureate
- 20/week
AI creations
AI creations are used for AI Flashcards, deck edits, AI Podcasts, AI Video Lectures, AI Slides, worksheets, AI Infographics, mind maps, study guides, spreadsheets, story books, timelines, SOPs, flowcharts, lesson plans, outlines, AI Meeting Notes, and Deep Research reports.
- Free
- 1 total
- Premium
- 10/week
- Laureate
- 75/week
Creation Frontier Boosts
Frontier Boost on makes Auto (Laureate) use Claude Opus 5; off uses GPT 5.6 Luna. Laureate includes 20 boosts within its 75 weekly creations. Flashcards never spend a boost.
- Free
- —
- Premium
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- Laureate
- 20/week · included
Video lectures
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- Included in 10/week
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- Included in 75/week
File uploads
- Free
- 1 total (8MB)
- Premium
- Unlimited (300MB)
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- Unlimited (1 GB each)
PDF to flashcards
- Free
- 32 pages
- Premium
- 1000 pages
- Laureate
- 3000 pages
Practice questions
- Free
- 5/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
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- Unlimited
Practice exams
- Free
- 1/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Voice mode
- Free
- 15 min/day
- Premium
- 2 hr/day
- Laureate
- 12 hr/day
Autocomplete
- Free
- 500 words/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Export to Anki
- Free
- —
- Premium
- Included
- Laureate
- Included
Support
- Free
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- Priority
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What customers say
Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.
TD Georgas
Tutor
I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.
Diana
Scholarly user
Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.
Briana
Scholarly user
This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.
Kelvin
Scholarly user
Your questions, answered
Is Scholarly free to use?
Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with clear limits: 3 AI Chat messages per day, one free AI creation total, 1 free file upload total, quizzes, practice exams, and manual flashcard creation. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.
What uses my free AI creations?
Generating flashcards, improving a flashcard deck, making a podcast, creating a video lecture or infographic, building slides, a spreadsheet, or a story book, making a mind map, study guide, or worksheet, having an AI Agent create a timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline, running Deep Research, or processing a recording uses your free AI creation. It is a lifetime free credit and does not reset. AI Chat messages, quizzes, and exams still have separate daily limits; free file uploads are also lifetime credits.
Can I cancel anytime?
Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.
Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?
Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.
What happens when I hit a free plan limit?
You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost — limits only apply to new actions. Free AI creations and the free upload are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.