Copying Text From A Photo Image

[Khandro]

I have some stored jpeg images which are a pictures with several lines of text (poems) beneath each one. I would like to copy the text to keep as a file. I obviously can't highlight and cut and paste it in that form, so is there a simple way of doing this please?

[Zacs-Master]

Use the computers 'Snippit' tool. Search for it if you don't have it pinned to the task bar or desktop.

[naomi24]

Not being terribly technical, I print a copy of the picture and then scan it back in as text. That works.

[Buenchico]

The Windows Snipping Tool (as mentioned by Zac) will enable you to 'take a picture' of the relevant text area, which you could then insert into a Word (or similar) file. However it will still be just a picture; the text wouldn't have been 'read' by your computer. (I wouldn't actually both with the Snipping Tool anyway. To end up with a picture of the relevant text area I'd simply crop the original picture in an image viewer, such as Irfanview).

To get your computer to 'read' the text you need to use OCR ('optical character recognition') software. If you've got an all-in-one printer (or a standalone flatbed scanner) it might have come an OCR program. It will be intended for use with scanned documents but you should be able to use it just as well with jpeg images. Otherwise you'll need to install one of the programs suggested here:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-free-ocr-software-tools-to-convert-your-images-into-text-nb/

[Buenchico]

^^^ " . . . come with an OCR program"

I really must learn to check my typing before posting!

[Khandro]

I have just used the snipping tool and it works, in that I get a print of the poem, which is useful, but I can see what Chris is saying, it isn't actually text, but an image of text.
I'll try the more advanced stuff in the morning. Thanks.

[naomi24]

Khandro, I realise my way is probably considered as something akin to steam-powered, but it's quick and simple and you get just the actual text which are able to edit as you wish.

[Old_Geezer]

Alternatively there is always the old l&t method. (Look and Type)

[ll_billym]

When I've needed to do this I just upload the image file containing the text to the site below and a couple of clicks and it outputs the text ready to copy.

Takes literally seconds per image and you can also crop out parts you don't want. You should be able to use your original images rather than making another screenshot from them.

http://www.newocr.com/

[CrapAtCryptics]

unless the poems are original just type the first few words into google and copy and paste from the source.

[Khandro]

CAC; (I use an acronym, which I think you will agree is preferable to an abbreviation :0)
There are 50 of them, and an example first line is;
Cet oiseau s'appelle condor

[Khandro]

Murdo; Thanks for that and I get another one as a bonus.
Btw. If you don't know who Hans Carvel (and his ring) was, he is worth looking up, it might bring a smile to your face, - as it has done over the centuries.

[Khandro]

I found a website from which I have been able to snip and save the entire suite of images and texts in 15 shots and have saved them as files in a folder as MHT files and I would like to convert them to jpegs, how do I do this please.

[Buenchico]

You seem determined to do things the hard way, Khandro!

I assume that you've been using the Windows Snipping Tool. If so, when you go to 'File > Save As' the default file format should be 'JPEG file'. So you should already have a set of jpegs. Somehow or other you seem to have changed that to 'Single File HTML (MHT)'.

You could now try an online file-conversion service, such as this one:
https://www.coolutils.com/online/MHT-to-JPG
but it might be easier just to re-capture the 'snipped' images in the correct format anyway.

[Khandro]

Chis; //...but it might be easier just to re-capture the 'snipped' images in the correct format anyway//

Which is what I have now done - all's well that ends well, or as they say around these 'ere parts Ende gut, alles gut ta muchly!