How to Convert PDFs and Images to Text at Home with OCR Technology.

The use of PDF files is widespread across all aspects of life these days, including at home. We download PDFs, we keep important documents and records as PDFs, we read PDF books, and more.

Sometimes you have a PDF file that you want to be able to search, edit or copy the text and find you can’t. Chances are, it has been saved as an image. The answer? Use PDF OCR technology to convert your PDF content into text you can work with. Read on to learn how, and when this can help with the types of PDF content you may use at home.

What you’ll learn

• What PDF OCR technology is and how it works
• Uses for OCR technology in PDFs at home
• How to access OCR tools in Adobe Acrobat
• Tips for converting PDF images to text

What PDF OCR technology is and how it works.

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. It's a technology that recognizes and converts scanned paper documents and image files, into editable and searchable text. OCR technology works by recognising and identifying text by the patterns and ways individual characters are typically shaped and formed. It then translates it into text that you can edit and search.

In simple terms, think about when you have an image or a PDF page with text in it that you can see, but when you try to copy it or edit the words, you can’t. That is because your computer has not recognized the shapes of the text within the image. Running an OCR tool will convert PDF to text.

OCR technology is incorporated into Adobe Acrobat applications, including the free trial of Adobe Acrobat Pro. You can use it within a PDF document, and it’s also the same process that is used when you convert a PDF to Word or convert a PDF to Excel and other file format conversions using Adobe Acrobat online tools.

Uses for OCR technology in PDF files at home.

Most of us have a collection of PDF files on our home computers, devices or in cloud storage. Receipts, recipes, and records of all kinds are sent, saved, and stored as PDFs. It’s a trusted format that’s been around for decades and will continue to be. Here are just a few ways you can use the power of OCR technology with those PDFs in your home files —

• Recipes.
  Have you downloaded a recipe and now that you’ve cooked it and tried it a couple of times you’ve found that you want to tweak it a bit to suit your taste and different quantities? Or maybe you want to create a new version and replace photos with your culinary creations. Use the Scan & OCR tool in Adobe Acrobat to get you started with the text when you’re cooking and creating.
  
  Or do you have a recipe or two that have been handed down through the generations and are now showing signs of much love and possibly food splatters? Preserve the original. Scan the record to PDF and use OCR technology to create a digital record of those priceless food memories and moments. OCR technology can be used to convert both typed and handwritten content to editable text.
  

• Tax documents and receipts.
  Is personal tax time a taxing process for you? Make it easier. You can get the information you need for your tax returns from your PDF files. Even better, use the Adobe Scan mobile app free Adobe Scan mobile app to scan your receipts with OCR technology as you get them.

• Legal documents.
  Have you got legal documents or contracts at home that need revision? Property purchase documents, rental agreements and leases, contracts for services, insurance policies, and so forth? There are, of course, restrictions on changing information in a document that has been signed and agreed on. However, if you want to review a document and create an updated version, you can use OCR technology to convert it to text.

• Quotes and notes for homework and assignments.
  Students of all ages often need to incorporate verbatim quotes into their homework and assignments to back up their work. Using OCR technology, you can cut and paste quotes without having to retype the whole sentence or paragraph.
  
  Notetaking for revision is also made easier with OCR technology. Use the free Adobe Scan mobile app or a desktop scanner to scan your handwritten notes to PDF, and the OCR technology will magically transform it into text hat you can edit and search to revise and prepare for assignments and exams.

• Family history and genealogical records.
  Old newspaper articles and clippings are a great source of information for the family historian or genealogist. You may want to keep the image or clipping intact as it was for reproducing and sharing with others, but you can use OCR technology in your PDFs to make it quicker and easier to copy and paste information into your genealogical database and family tree.
  

How to access OCR features in Adobe Acrobat.

When you open a PDF file in an Adobe Acrobat application, optical character recognition is already running in the background.

• Click on “Scan & OCR” in the Tools menu on the left-hand side of your screen.
• Or click directly on an image and use OCR to recognize text
  
• Choose from the “Enhance file” options to enhance images if you think the quality needs improving.

• Use the “Recognize text” options work to with a single file or multiple files and select your language preference.

In Adobe Acrobat online, the conversion to editable text starts automatically when you upload or open a file. After the text recognition process has finished, use the Edit tools to review and make any corrections that may be needed.

Tips for converting PDF images to text.

OCR technology is fantastic. Like all technology, it is ever evolving. However, because there are so many variations that can be encountered with the convert image to text process, it’s not always perfect. You do need to be prepared to review and sometimes edit the results of images converted to text to ensure it’s accurate. Some tips to follow when using OCR to convert PDFs to text include checking for —

• Image and page quality.
  Try to ensure that the images and pages in your PDFs are of the best quality possible. That includes using high-resolution images when you’re dropping pictures into a PDF file, or converting an image to a PDF file.

• Handwriting legibility.
  Letters and characters are seldom formed perfectly with anyone’s handwriting. If you know you’ll be scanning something you’ve written, try to keep your handwriting clear and consistent.

• Scanning environment.
  Make sure you’ve got good lighting and a clean glass and camera lens when using a document scanner or the free Adobe Scan mobile scan app. That way, the OCR technology has a better chance of recognizing the document or handwriting you’re scanning. When you’re using your phone to scan, hold it steady to reduce the risk of file distortion or blurring.

Related content

Ready for more inspiration on how to use PDFs at home? Some of our articles to help with using PDFs at home include —

• Get Cooking with PDFs for Recipes and Meal Planning
• PDFs for Travel Planning: Getting Ready for Your Family Holiday
• Family Budgets and Financial Plans are Made Easy with PDFs