Converting Scanned PDFs to Editable Text
Some PDFs are basically pictures of text - from scanning paper docs or saving images as PDFs. They look like text but are actually just images, so you can't search, copy, or edit. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) analyzes the image and recognizes text characters. This applies advanced OCR to identify text regions, determine characters, reconstruct them as actual text in a new PDF.
Upload
Click upload. Pick your PDF or image. Supports:
- Scanned PDFs from paper scans
- Image PDFs with pictures of text
- Image files - JPG, PNG with text
- Multi-page PDFs
OCR Processing
Once uploaded, prepares for processing:
- File analysis - detects type and page count
- Image conversion - converts pages to high-quality images
- Text recognition - analyzes images to identify characters
- Language detection - identifies text language
- Confidence scoring - measures accuracy
Language Settings
Pick document language for better accuracy:
- English - most common, highest accuracy
- European - Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese
- Asian - Chinese, Japanese, Korean
- Right-to-Left - Arabic, Hebrew
- Multiple languages - mixed docs
Choose primary language for best results.
Processing Options
Customize how OCR works:
- Page range - all pages or specific ones
- Output format - plain text or structured JSON
- Image quality - adjust resolution
- Text preservation - maintain formatting and layout
Start OCR
Click "Start OCR". Tool will:
- Convert each page to image
- Apply OCR algorithms to identify text
- Process multiple pages in parallel
- Calculate confidence scores
- Compile results into editable format
Monitor progress with real-time status and percentage.
Results
Once complete, review:
- Confidence score - accuracy percentage
- Page-by-page text organized
- Word count extracted
- Processing time
Extracted Text
Text now fully editable:
- Searchable - use Ctrl+F
- Copyable - select and copy to other apps
- Editable - modify in text editors
- Exportable - save in multiple formats
Saving
Choose how to save:
- Text file - plain text, universal compatibility
- JSON format - structured data with metadata
- Searchable PDF - new PDF with hidden text layer
- Copy to clipboard - quick transfer
Uses
Transformative for:
- Digitizing archives: Convert old paper to editable digital
- Accessibility: Make scanned docs work with screen readers
- Data extraction: Pull info from scanned forms
- Document search: Enable full-text search in unsearchable PDFs
- Legal docs: Convert scanned contracts
- Academic papers: Make scanned research searchable
- Historical docs: Preserve and digitize old manuscripts
Tips for Best Results
Highest accuracy:
- Use clear, high-quality scans
- Ensure proper lighting and contrast
- Choose correct language
- Process large docs in smaller batches
- Check confidence score and review low-confidence sections
- For mixed languages, process with primary language first
How It Works
OCR preserves original visual layout - you still see the scanned image - but adds transparent text layer over it. Dual-layer approach maintains appearance while adding functionality. Supports multiple languages (including special characters or right-to-left scripts), handles various font styles and sizes. Transformative for digitizing paper archives, making scanned docs accessible, extracting data from forms, or making old scanned docs usable in modern workflows.