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How to Copy Text from Photos: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have you ever encountered a situation where you came across an image containing important text, but you couldn't copy it due to its uneditable format? If yes, then you're in the right place! In this blog post, we will discuss various methods to extract text from images using freely available tools.

Method 1: Using Google Lens

Google Lens is an intelligent tool that can recognize text within images. Here's how to use it:

  1. Install the Google Photos app on your smartphone and sign in with your Google account.
  2. Open the Google Photos app and select the image containing the text you want to extract.
  3. Tap on the three vertical dots located at the top right corner of the image preview and select 'More' > 'Search Google for this image'.
  4. In the search results, tap on the image thumbnail. If Google Lens recognizes any text within the image, it will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
  5. To save the extracted text, tap on the three vertical dots next to the recognized text and select 'Save'.

Method 2: Using Adobe Acrobat DC

If you're using a desktop computer, follow these steps to copy text from images using Adobe Acrobat DC:

  1. Install Adobe Acrobat DC and open the application.
  2. Import the image containing the text by clicking on 'File' > 'Open File', then navigate to your image file and select it.
  3. Once the image is imported, click on the 'Select Tool' icon in the toolbar at the left side of the interface, and choose 'Full-Page OCR'. This will recognize the text within the image.
  4. After the OCR process is complete, the recognized text will be displayed as selectable text within the document. You can now copy the text using standard keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C for Windows or Cmd+C for Mac).

Method 3: Using Online OCR Tools

For those without access to Adobe Acrobat DC, online OCR tools like Tesseract OCR or Online-OCR.com can be an effective alternative. Here's a simple guide on how to use Tesseract OCR:

  1. Visit the Tesseract OCR website and download the installer for your operating system.
  2. Install Tesseract OCR on your computer.
  3. Once installed, open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory containing the image file.
  4. Run the following command: tesseract input.jpg output -l eng --dpi 300. Replace 'input.jpg' with the name of your image file.
  5. The extracted text will be saved in a file named 'output.txt'. Open this file to view and copy the recognized text.

With these methods, you should now be able to extract text from images effortlessly! If you have any questions or need further assistance, please leave a comment below.

Published March, 2018