How to OCR PDF with PDNob - User Guide
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) enables extracting editable text from images or scanned PDFs. Using PDNob PDF Editor, you can quickly make PDFs searchable and editable. This guide walks you through installing the OCR feature and applying it to your documents step by step.
1. Understanding OCR
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology converts scanned images or image-based PDFs into editable, searchable text. It is especially useful for digitized printed materials and scanned documents, allowing you to manipulate content that was previously uneditable.
2. Installing the OCR Feature
- Launch PDNob PDF Editor on your computer.
- In the main interface, click on the "OCR PDF" button.
- Select the PDF files from your computer and click "Open" to import them into PDNob PDF Editor.
- If prompted, click the "Download" button to install the OCR module.
3. Performing OCR on PDFs
- After installation, press the "OCR" button on the toolbar to begin processing.
- In the settings window, select the OCR mode suitable for your needs:
-
Convert to Editable Text
Transforms scanned text into editable content. Post-OCR, you can edit, move, copy, or delete text directly in the PDF. -
Convert to Searchable Text in Image
Keeps the original scanned image intact while making text searchable and selectable, useful for indexing without altering layout. - Click "Perform OCR" to start recognition.
- Once OCR completes, text becomes searchable and copyable. Choosing "Convert to Editable Text" allows direct editing within the PDF.
4. Advanced OCR Settings (Available in PDNob 2.0)
PDNob 2.0 introduces OCR Advanced Settings, enhancing recognition accuracy. Enabling these features may slightly increase processing time but significantly improves results.
Access the advanced options by opening the OCR settings panel and clicking Advanced Settings. You can toggle various image processing and text detection options as needed. See the screenshot below for reference.
Key options include:
- Auto Crop Page – Detects content boundaries and trims margins to improve OCR precision.
- Auto Deskew Page – Aligns skewed pages horizontally, ensuring better text recognition.
- Enhance Local Contrast – Boosts contrast in small regions to clarify blurred text, with minimal color change.
- Remove Dark Spots – Cleans minor dark artifacts for clearer page appearance.
- Remove Noise – Filters out white specks and visual interference to enhance OCR clarity.
- Detect Text on Pictures – Extracts text embedded in images for thorough OCR coverage.
