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How To Extract and Copy Text from Videos and Images

Being able to extract text from videos, images, PDFs and other non-textual formats can be incredibly useful. Whether you need to copy text from an image for your notes, extract text from a video for subtitles, or make documents more accessible, optical character recognition (OCR) software makes it possible.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to effectively extract and copy text from videos, images, PDFs and more.

What is OCR?

OCR, or optical character recognition, is the conversion of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-readable text. OCR software works by analyzing images and using pattern recognition to identify characters and words.

The text that is extracted can then be edited, formatted, searched and used like any other digital text. OCR makes documents more accessible, enables new ways of working with content, and automates tedious manual data entry.

Why Extract Text from Images and Videos?

There are many reasons you may want to extract text from non-textual formats:

  • Accessibility – OCR enables assistive technologies for visually impaired users. Extracted text can be read aloud by screen readers.
  • Searchability – Search engines can’t read images. OCR allows images and PDFs to be indexed and searched more effectively.
  • Editability – Extracted text can be edited, formatted, translated – opening up new ways to work with content.
  • Productivity – Avoid manually typing up information from images. OCR automates transcription.
  • Subtitles – Adding subtitles to videos enables them to reach wider audiences. OCR makes this faster.
  • Notes – Quickly copy text from images into your notes app or documents.
  • Data analysis – Extract tables of data from images into spreadsheet formats for analysis.

Free Online OCR Tools

There are many free online OCR options available requiring no downloads or sign ups. Here are some top picks:

  • Google Drive OCR – Upload images and PDFs to Google Drive and use the built-in OCR to make them selectable and searchable.
  • ABBYY FineReader Online – Recognize text from JPG, PNG images and PDFs up to 12 megapixels.
  • OnlineOCR – Supports image formats like JPG, PNG, BMP and TIFF up to 20 megapixels.
  • NewOCR – Upload an image, PDF, screenshot or camera photo for OCR. Recognizes text in 100+ languages.

These free online OCR options are quick and convenient for extracting text from the occasional image. But for handling large volumes, complex documents or specific file types, a desktop OCR software is recommended.

Best OCR Software for Windows and Mac

More powerful OCR applications for your desktop or laptop provide faster, more accurate text recognition capabilities, better language support and a range of specialized tools.

Windows OCR Software

  • ABBYY FineReader – The industry leading OCR software for Windows. Handles images, PDFs and scans in 190+ languages with high accuracy.
  • OmniPage Ultimate – Another very accurate OCR tool from Nuance supporting 180 languages. Good for complex layouts.
  • Microsoft OneNote – Built-in OCR allows you to import images and make text searchable. Handwriting recognition also available. Part of Microsoft 365.

Mac OCR Software

  • ABBYY FineReader – Cross-platform OCR software also available for macOS. Recognizes text in images and PDFs in 190+ languages.
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro – The full Adobe Acrobat software has built-in OCR to make text in PDFs and images selectable and editable.
  • Readiris Pro – Fast and accurate OCR from images and PDFs. Good value for money.

When choosing desktop OCR software, look for accuracy ratings over 99%, support for your required languages, tools that match your specific needs, and affordable pricing options.

5 Steps to Extract Text from Images and PDFs

Extracting text from images, PDFs and other documents is a straightforward process with OCR software:

1. Select image/PDF – Upload or open the file containing text you want to recognize. JPG, PNG, TIFF images and PDFs are commonly supported.

2. Pre-process if needed – Some OCR tools will auto-detect page orientation, brightness and contrast. Others allow you to manually adjust this to optimize text recognition.

3. Start OCR process – Click a button to start optical character recognition, converting image/PDF to selectable and searchable text.

4. Check and correct OCR results – Review text, check accuracy and make corrections if needed before exporting/copying.

5. Export/copy text – Finally, export OCR results to Word, Excel, PDF and other formats or copy directly from the OCR editor.

Tips for Best OCR Accuracy

Follow these tips when preparing images and documents for OCR to achieve maximum accuracy:

  • Use high resolution images with sharp text – at least 300 DPI.
  • Ensure consistent, even lighting and clear contrast.
  • Straighten pages and correct skew.
  • Remove artifacts, lines, frames that intersect text areas.
  • Upscale small text for better recognition.
  • Set document language to improve character recognition.
  • Clean up low quality scans by adjusting brightness, contrast etc.

Taking a bit of time to optimize images pays off with better OCR results.

Extracting Text from Videos

Extracting text from videos works on a similar principle to OCR, except it uses speech recognition technology rather than optical character recognition.

Here are some options for extracting subtitles and closed captions from videos:

  • YouTube Auto Captions – Enabling auto-captions on YouTube videos uses speech recognition to automatically generate subtitles. These can be downloaded as text.
  • Desktop Software – Video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro has speech-to-text features to generate transcripts from video, which can be exported.
  • Amara Subtitle Editor – A free online editor that lets you create subtitles for videos using speech recognition to get you started.
  • Rev.com – A paid service for automated video captions and transcripts. Accurate speech-to-text powered by human and AI technology.

Cleaning up auto-generated captions is recommended before using subtitles and transcripts. But these tools eliminate the need to manually type everything up.

Conclusion

The ability to extract text from PDFs, images, screenshots and even videos enables all kinds of new applications that increase accessibility, productivity and efficiency.

A wide range of free and paid OCR software options are available to suit different use cases. With a few simple steps you can unlock textual data trapped inside non-textual formats and really leverage the power of searchable, editable text across your work and personal projects.

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