OCR or Optical Character Recognition is a new technology that captures texts from physical documents. This is highly useful for extracting information from textbooks and other documents during research. With that being said, the only way to do this is by using an image-to-text converter. These are applications that use your phone camera as a scanner to extract characters from documents. However, since this technology is still in its early years, many tools can’t completely recognize characters in a document. That is why we listed down some of the working converters that you can use immediately.
8 Best Image to Text Converters
GitMind
GitMind is a mind mapping application that is accessible online. It also has a mobile version which includes a picture to text converter feature. Using this app, you’ll be able to extract texts from paper documents and turn them into mind maps. The OCR accuracy of the app is high, which means that it can recognize the majority of characters within a document. The app is easy to use which is perfect for newbies and seasoned users of OCR applications.
Photo Scan
Another great tool that you can use to capture text from images is Photo Scan. As the name suggests, it can be used to scan any kind of photo with characters. Aside from a great photo to text converter, the app is also equipped with a QR code scanner making it a very versatile tool. It is available on Windows for free from the Microsoft Store. The only inconvenience that we found while testing this app, is the need for an external web camera. However, if you already have this hardware then there will be no problem in using this image-to-text converter.
Easy Screen OCR
Another useful tool that we have on the list is Easy Screen OCR. This is a cloud-based application that works on both desktop and mobile browsers. The recognition software is powered by Google which means that you’ll need a working internet network for it to work. The app is not entirely free, since you will need to subscribe after 20 uses. However, the quality of the output is satisfactory because, again, it is Google-powered. Aside from that, it also recognizes more than 100 languages which is a very convenient feature for a picture to text converter.
Capture2Text
A very simple tool that we also recommend trying is Capture2Text. It’s a desktop application that is compatible with the Windows operating system. This is a straightforward OCR application that doesn’t need to be installed. You only need to launch the executable file and you’re good to go. One feature of the tool is that it allows users to specifically choose which characters to export into text. If you are looking for tools with fancy features, then this is not for you. However, for those who prefer using a minimalist photo to text converter, then we recommend this one.
Office Lens
Office Lens is a mobile application available on both Android and iOS. It is capable of transferring texts from images with ease. Aside from that, it’s very lightweight and won’t be a burden for your mobile device. The good thing about using mobile phones for OCR is the advanced camera installed in each model. The more advanced the variant of the smartphone, the better the accuracy of this app will be. In general, this means that this image-to-text converter will continue to improve together with the advancement of smartphones.
English OCR
iPhone users can also enjoy the benefits of OCR apps with English OCR. This is an iOS exclusive application that can extract text from pictures. iOS devices are known for their excellent camera quality so there is no question about the accuracy of this app. Aside from that, English OCR is absolutely free to download and use which is a great thing since most apps on the App Store are paid. However, if you want to support the developers of this app, then you can avail the PRO version for added features. Overall, no matter which version you choose, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a good picture to text converter for iPhones and iPads.
Adobe Scan
A rather popular tool that we have on the list is Adobe Scan. Available on both Android and iOS, this is Adobe’s entry into the growing list of OCR applications. Unlike most Adobe applications, Adobe Scan doesn’t charge you nor asks you to subscribe to anything. It’s a straight-up OCR scanner that can extract clear and accurate characters in many languages. The text is then converted into a PDF file which is their staple file format since they invented it. Performance-wise, there is nothing much to say about it, except the fact that it’s a good photo to text converter.
Text Fairy
The last tool on the list is Text Fairy. This is an Android application capable of transforming text documents into digital files. The app is equipped with an auto-fix feature that can produce clear and high-quality output even if the physical document is creased. This is a great tool if you’re working with old documents with a lot of issues and damages. However, it can’t fix smudged texts so be mindful of that when using Text Fairy. Overall you’ll never go wrong with this image-to-text converter.
Conclusion
OCR applications are advancing at an incredible speed these days. This is due to the advancement of optical hardware for both desktop and mobile phones. However, the question will still be about the accuracy since you’ll deal with various languages. On that note, you can refer to the list of the picture to text converters that we presented above for a clear set of options.
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