Sometimes, it happens that someone sends you a document as an image instead of using the usual formats like PDF or .docx.
Instead of bothering the person to send the file again in a suitable format, or instead of copying the text manually, there is a much easier option that you can try.
And that is to use an Image to text tool to extract the written content from the image.
But remember, these tools won’t be able to recognize squiggly and untidy handwriting, so stick to using them for images of printed documents or neat handwritten stuff.
Confused about which apps to use? Fret not. In this post, we will look at a couple of apps for PC and mobile users as well as a step-wise guide on how to use them.
How to Extract Text from an Image Using Web Tool?
Let’s start with web tools.
Although you can use web tools on a mobile device as well, it is much easier and more convenient to use a dedicated app instead.
So, we will stick to discussing this aspect from the perspective of PC users. Skip away to the later parts of this post to see the guides for mobile apps.
Anyhow, coming back on track.
When it comes to using web tools to extract text from any given image, the exact procedure can differ according to the tool you want to use.
However, in general, to extract text from the image, you are usually required to upload the file (i.e., the picture) in a format supported by the app in question.
Some of them may support all image formats while others may restrict to usability to JPEG or PNG.
Then, you can select the output format. This also differs with various apps…depending on how awesome they are.
Some can give the output as only plain text while others can go above and beyond to give formats like PDF, ‘.docx’ and HTML.
Once you are done picking these options, you can press the ‘go’ button to start the process.
Afterward, you’ll be able to copy the text or download the file in a format of your choice.
This was a very rough outline of the general workability of Image to text tools. Now, let’s look at the working of one app in particular.
Image to Text Converter
Signing up, buying a subscription, or downloading a tool just to convert an image to text can be unnecessary hassles that you should try to avoid.
The solution is to simply go for an app that doesn’t require you to sign up, is free, and works completely web-based.
And that is where Editpad.org comes in.
The name of the app won’t make it sound like an Image to text converter but that’s a bit misleading.
True, the main purpose that this app works to fulfill is that of an online editor. But there are many extra and complimentary perks that you can enjoy as well.
One of them is the Image to text converter. Here is a stepwise guide on how you can use it:
Load the app
To begin with, you need to load the app on your browser. Search for ‘image to text editpad’ on your search bar and you’ll see the tool page at the top.
Upload the file or Enter the URL
Next up, you need to import your file to the tool. You can do this by uploading it from your system, or by entering a link to fetch it from the internet.
To upload, drag and drop the file to the given box. Alternatively, click the upload button and select it from the PC storage.
When copying the link to the image, be sure to select the ‘Copy image address’ option and not the ‘Copy link address’ one.
Run the captcha
Once the file is done and ready, complete the captcha verification.
Get the Results
And that is it. Once the app ends analyzing the image, you will get the text in plain written form in the box given below.
You can select the ‘Copy to Clipboard’ option to copy the text to paste it someplace else later on.
How to Extract Text from Image Using Android App?
Moving forward, we have the image-to-text Android app.
Android apps, when it comes to extracting text from images, work more or less the same way as web-based software.
But there is an added perk that you can enjoy should you choose to use a mobile app for converting images to text.
And that is to use the camera directly for snapping pictures of documents.
While web-based apps won’t typically give you this option, you can avail of it when using an Android application.
Anyhow, here is a tutorial on how you can extract text from an image using the Image to text app from Google Play Store.
Install the App and Launch it
Firstly, you need to download the app from the Play Store.
Click on this link to go directly to the app page: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.enzipe.imagetotext
Click the ‘Install’ button to download the app.
Choose a Photo from the System Storage or Take Your Own
Once the app opens up, you will be given the option to either pick a photo from your mobile or to take one directly using the camera.
You will have to give the app the relevant permission for the latter, by the way.
When taking the picture, make sure there are no obstructing items on the document. Also, be sure to only include the part of the document that you want to convert into text.
For example, don’t include the page number or footers, etc. in the image. The software will include them in the text as well, and you’ll have to manually remove them later.
Edit the Image and Run the Scan
Once you upload the image, you will be given a preview screen where you can crop and rotate it.
Afterward, you can press the arrow button to finalize the image. This will also trigger the scanning process.
Save or Copy the Results
A new window will pop up as the scan takes place. The loading icon will continue spinning as the text gets extracted.
Once the process is finished, the content will be displayed in an editable text box. You will be able to make changes to the final text if there are any errors or mistakes.
And after you’re done, you can press the ‘Copy Text’ button to copy it to your clipboard or you can press the ‘Download’ button to save the same as a .txt file.
You will have to, when using the download option, choose a file name for the extracted text. For first-timers, the app will also require permission to save the file on the device.
How to Extract Text from Image using iOS App?
With the iOS app, the process is pretty much the same. But, to not make all of you iPhone users sad, let’s look at the stepwise tutorial once again using the image to text iOS app.
Install the App from the Appstore
Head over to the Appstore and download the application. To get to the app page, tap on this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/Image to text/id1598700044
Install and launch it once it is done downloading.
Pick your Image or Capture Using Camera
Once the app is running, you will see the main screen where you can choose the two options viz. select an image from the gallery or take one using the camera.
Edit the Image and Run the Check
Once you have selected the image from your phone’s storage (or snapped one using the camera, whichever option you opted for), you can edit it a bit using ‘crop’ and ‘rotate’.
This can be useful if you want to select a certain part of the text to extract from the image or if you want to flip an image to the correct orientation.
After you are done with the edits, click on the arrow to start the scanning process.
Copy or Download the Text
The scan will now commence. It will take some seconds to complete. It could even take more depending on the size of the text to be generated.
Once completed, the app will show you the finalized text in a box. Here, you can make some adjustments to stuff like the spellings, etc.
You can copy the text to your clipboard or download it to your device. The downloadable format, however, is only ‘.txt’.
Conclusion
The next time you want to take some text out of an image, you can do it easily regardless of whether you want to use your PC, your Android device, or an iPhone.
The process is different when working with web-based and mobile apps. In this post, we looked in detail at both types of procedures.
If you find it hard to follow the written guidelines, follow the screenshots provided at the different steps.
The job isn’t that difficult to go through with, and you should get a hang of it after you do it once.
