Top 5 Tools to OCR Screenshot
2024-09-27 19:02:30 • Filed to: Best PDF Software • Proven solutions
Optical character recognition, or OCR, is a way to convert typed, handwritten text, or a screenshot into a form that your machine (computer) can understand. You can use it to modify or edit documents in hard form, extract text from screenshots, and much more. Nowadays, there are many OCR screenshot conversion products on the market. But which should you use? And why exactly? Well, let's take a look at some of the popular choices for OCR screen capture conversion products.
Top 5 OCR Screenshot Software for Windows
1. PDFelement
Considered one of the best optical character recognition software on the market, Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement is much more than that. This professional PDF editor allows you to manage PDF files in a variety of ways. After completing the OCR process, you can edit your text, image, and other content in the screenshot. And that is a feature few other OCR software allow it.
Supports multiple languages, and also allows for batch conversion. Among the many features you can markup files, create PDF files from file/scanner, insert or delete pages within the PDF, split the PDF into different pages, and much more.
Pros
- Powerful set of features
- Excellent accuracy in terms of OCR
- Familiar Microsoft office interface
- Full-featured trial version available
- Quick and effective customer support and services
2. Adobe Acrobat DC
When you think of PDC documents, you think of Adobe. While Acrobat was the gold standard of the PDF world several years ago, other products have come close lately. Still, Adobe is a premium PDF tool with any feature you can think of in managing your document.
One of the biggest advantages of Adobe is the seamless integration with cloud services. Since Adobe introduced Adobe cloud, you can turn manual documents into digital ones, and store them efficiently in the cloud. You can also share them with other users and collaborate on them.
Pros
- Seamless cloud integration
- Robust range of features
Cons
- Adobe is known to crash a lot
- Converting scanned PDF can result in loss of content
- Font options are limited in formatting
3: Boxoft Free OCR Converter
If you are looking for a free and reliable OCR software, Boxoft might be your solution. It will enable you to extract text from all types of images, and detect multiple languages. You can also use it to scan hard copies of documents.
The software is handy and works efficiently, and it was designed specifically for OCR and extracting text from images. On the flip side, the user experience is a bit outdated, but it still gets the job done. Also, do not expect a lot of other features from free software. Basically, this is a do-only-OCR software.
Pros
- Free and efficient
- Detects multiple languages
- Can scan hard copies of documents
Cons
- User experience is outdated
- No other features aside from OCR
4: ReadIRIS
ReadIRIS is first and foremost OCR software, but comes with other features as well. However, many of the features are challenging to use, as there are no instructions, and they might not work at all times. If OCR is what you need, the product will let you work with a wide variety of file formats.
One of the best features is the business card recognition. And that comes in handy in the business world. You can also use it to listen to books in the desired format. Latest versions have tried to improve the user-interface and make it easier to use. Still, it is far from simpler PDF solutions.
Pros
- Business card recognition
- Listen to books in the desired format
- Great OCR accuracy
Cons
- Users report it is hard to register the product
- Many features do not work as advertised
5: Abbyy FineReader
This software was originally designed for Mac users. Since then, however, the company has added Windows support. You can try the free trial, which will last you for 30 days. While it was designed to work as an OCR software, there are some issues with the accuracy and results. For example, the OCR does not recognize pages, and some of the results can be muddled.
The company says it made the product to be used by people. And while there is support for almost 200 languages, there are still some downsides.
Pros
- Exceptionally clear interface
- Recognizes almost 200 languages
- Cross-format document comparison
Cons
- OCR doesn't recognize pages
- Lack of editing tools
How to OCR Screenshot - Detailed Guide
Among the many software options for OCR screenshot on Windows, we highly recommend PDFelement. It makes the process simple, easy to use, and the results are amazing. Most importantly, you can edit the document after the OCR conversion. Here is a step by step guide how to turn your screenshot into editable text in Windows.
Step 1. In the Home menu, click on "Create PDF". This option allows you to create PDF from any document, including scanned documents and screenshots.
Step 2. It will give you the following message "We detect this is a scanned PDF, and recommend you to perform OCR". Performing OCR will enable you to edit the document. In the editable text pop up window, you can change languages of some of the text, as well as customize the page.
Step 3. When the OCR conversion finishes, you can further edit the document. There is a wide range of editing tools in the "Edit" tab. When you finish with editing, go to "File" > "Save".
Compare the 5 Tools to OCR Screenshot on Windows
|
PDFelement
|
Adobe Acrobat DC
|
Boxoft Free OCR Converter
|
ReadIRIS
|
Abby Reader
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Powerful set of features at a lower price than Adobe | Widest range of features on the market | Only OCR software | There are other features, but they do not work as intended | Abby is mostly an OCR software, with lack of editing tools |
| Results | Great at OCR, and gives you more features to furthermore edit the file | Converting sometimes results in loss of formatting | Decent OCR, but nothing else | Great OCR accuracy | Doesn't recognize pages at times |
| Ease to use | Simple and intuitive interface, almost one click OCR conversion | Adobe can crash at times, making usage painful. It is also quite complicated in terms of "how to do tasks" | User experience is outdated | Some features do not work, and users report challenges when registering the product | Clear interface and simple to use |
| Price | Most affordable and competitive price options | Adobe gives you option for monthly subscription which works for short-term, but is expensive long-term | Free | Price can be quite high | High price for only OCR software |
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Elise Williams
chief Editor