Photo to Text Converter
A photo-to-text converter helps you recover editable words from a picture. ScanText reads visible printed text from supported image files without requiring an account.
When this is useful
- Digitizing a printed note, poster, or letter from a phone photo.
- Extracting a product label or storefront sign into text.
- Creating an editable starting point from a photographed page.
- Reading text from a street sign, whiteboard, or menu photo.
How to get better results
- Hold the camera parallel to the page to reduce perspective distortion.
- Use bright, indirect light and tap to focus on the text before taking the photo.
- Take separate photos of long documents instead of shrinking the entire page too far.
- Shoot at the highest resolution your camera allows so small text stays readable.
What to expect
Photos can introduce blur, glare, and tilted lines that lower OCR accuracy. Retake the picture if you cannot comfortably read the text yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good photo for text extraction?
Shoot in bright, even lighting, hold the camera parallel to the page, and make sure the text fills the frame. Sharp focus matters more than a high megapixel count.
Can I read text from a photo taken in low light?
Low light often causes blur or noise. If possible, add light or use the flash, then crop in on the text for the best result.
Does photo orientation matter?
Yes. Keep the text straight and level. Tilted or perspective-distorted text is harder for OCR to read accurately.
Is photo to text free?
Yes. Photo to text conversion runs in your browser with free OCR and does not require an account.