text extraction Archives

Winsage

February 21, 2025

The Windows 11 Snipping Tool is about to get a killer new feature

Microsoft is adding an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) feature to the Snipping Tool, improving text extraction from images. This feature was discovered by PhantomOfEarth during Windows beta testing and will allow users to extract text with just a couple of clicks, eliminating the need for preliminary screenshots. The Snipping Tool is pre-installed on all Windows 11 devices, making the OCR functionality readily accessible without additional downloads.

Winsage

February 19, 2025

7 ancient apps you can still use in Windows 11

Disk Cleanup, introduced in Windows 98, helps users reclaim disk space by removing system restore points, temporary files, and remnants from outdated Windows Updates. Windows Media Player, which debuted with Windows 3.0, remains available in Windows 11 and is used for playing DVDs and organizing music collections. The Control Panel has been part of Windows since 1985 and provides access to legacy tools, although Microsoft encourages users to use the modern Settings app. Character Map, introduced in Windows 3.1 in 1992, allows users to access every glyph in installed fonts and is useful for inserting specialized characters. Notepad, a staple since 1983, has received updates including spell check and rich formatting options in Windows 11. The Snipping Tool, first introduced in Windows Vista in 2007, has evolved to include features like screen recording and OCR-powered text extraction. WinZip, a third-party compression tool that debuted in 1991, remains popular for managing ZIP files and continues to function on Windows 11.

Winsage

February 10, 2025

9 tools that will supercharge your productivity on Windows

- Microsoft Outlook is a free, built-in tool for managing emails, appointments, meetings, and tasks, featuring calendar sharing and integration with Microsoft To Do. - IFTTT automates repetitive tasks by connecting various apps, services, and devices through customized applets. - The Windows Snipping Tool captures screenshots, records desktop activity, supports full-screen video recording, and has OCR capabilities for text extraction from images. - Microsoft PowerToys is a suite of utilities that enhances the Windows experience, including tools for multitasking, file management, and keeping the PC active. - Grammarly provides real-time grammar and spelling checks, compatible with platforms like Microsoft Word and Google Docs, with a premium version offering advanced features. - Obsidian uses Markdown to create interconnected notes, allowing users to build a personal knowledge base with customizable plugins. - Microsoft 365 includes applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with collaboration tools like Teams and OneDrive, with regular updates for new features and security. - UniGetUI is a package manager that simplifies app installations by allowing users to select and install multiple applications simultaneously. - Flow Launcher allows users to quickly launch applications, files, and websites, enhancing workflow efficiency and providing flexibility as a portable app or standard installation.

Winsage

December 18, 2024

How to extract text from screenshots with the Snipping Tool in Windows 11

Microsoft's Snipping Tool in Windows 11 now includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities, allowing users to extract text from screenshots and images. This feature enables direct copying of text, formatting as a table, or redacting sensitive information. To use it, users must have version 11.2308.33.0 or higher, which can be confirmed in the app's settings. The process involves opening the Snipping Tool, taking a screenshot or opening an existing image, clicking the Text actions button, and then copying the extracted text to the clipboard. Similar OCR functionalities are also available in Microsoft Photos and PowerToys.

Winsage

November 24, 2024

Windows 11’s Photos app is not having a good run lately, as another feature has been put on ice

Windows 11's Photos app has introduced two new features: Super Resolution and Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Super Resolution enhances image quality using AI, while OCR allows text extraction from images. However, OCR has been temporarily removed due to technical issues, as confirmed by Brandon LeBlanc from the Windows Insider team. The feature is expected to return in a future update. Super Resolution also faced challenges, as it was mistakenly made available on incompatible PCs. Microsoft has stated there will be no preview updates in December, potentially delaying OCR's return until early next year.

AppWizard

November 20, 2024

This App Brings the Power of Pixel Screenshots to Any Android Phone

The PixelShot app, developed by Mehul Kanzariya, allows Android users to analyze and search their screenshots using text prompts, similar to the Pixel Screenshots app. It utilizes Google’s ML Kit SDK for on-device text extraction, enabling users to search through screenshots by entering relevant text. The app is ad-free for now and analyzes existing screenshots upon downloading. It requires substantial relevant text for effective identification of images and excels in finding screenshots with text, such as credentials, but struggles with images lacking textual elements. AI-generated summaries and titles are created from extracted text and stored locally, ensuring some privacy, though caution is advised with sensitive information. PixelShot allows users to organize screenshots into collections but does not support direct image capture or reminders. The developer plans to introduce in-app purchases and advertisements in the future as the user base grows.

Winsage

October 24, 2024

Microsoft creates a new reason to buy an AI-powered Copilot+ PC — image upscaling in Microsoft Photos

Microsoft has introduced a preview of its super resolution feature for Copilot+ PCs within the Photos app, specifically for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users. This image upscaling feature is exclusive to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11, version 24H2 or higher, and is available in the Canary, Dev, and Release Preview Channels. The super resolution uses AI to enhance and enlarge images up to 8x the original size, ideal for improving low-quality photos and preparing images for large prints or displays. It processes enhancements using the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) on the device. Additionally, a robust optical character recognition (OCR) feature is available to all users, supporting over 160 languages for text extraction from images.

Winsage

October 23, 2024

This new Microsoft Photos update may make Copilot+ actually useful

Microsoft has introduced a "super resolution" feature for Copilot+ devices that enhances image quality by magnifying images up to eight times their original size using artificial intelligence. This feature is beneficial for improving low-resolution photos and preparing images for large-scale prints. Additionally, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has been integrated into the Photos application, allowing users to scan images for text and convert it for easy copying. All processing is done locally on the device to ensure user privacy. Users must enroll in the Insider build program and update the Photos app to version 2024.11100.17007.0 or higher to access these features.

Winsage

September 7, 2024

Your Chromebook should now have one of Windows’ best features

Chromebooks are introducing Snap groups in ChromeOS M128, allowing users to organize app windows by snapping them to different sides of the screen and save these configurations. This feature provides a more organized workspace, similar to virtual workspaces in Microsoft Windows. Additionally, ChromeOS M128 includes optical character recognition (OCR) in the Camera app, enabling text extraction from images, supporting 77 languages, and detecting text in horizontal and vertical orientations. The OCR feature is disabled by default but can be activated in Settings. Other enhancements include simplified permission controls for microphones and cameras and a system to store performance metrics for one year.

Winsage

September 7, 2024

ChromeOS just copied one of Windows 11’s best features

Google has released ChromeOS 128, which includes new features to improve productivity and accessibility for Chromebook users. The update introduces Snap Groups, allowing users to organize applications into fullscreen configurations by hovering over the maximize button. It also integrates Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in the ChromeOS camera app, enabling text extraction from images and converting them into searchable PDFs. The OCR feature supports 77 languages and recognizes text in both orientations but is disabled by default. Additionally, the Magnifier tool now works with ChromeVox to assist visually impaired users, though both features require activation in settings. The update also streamlines camera and microphone controls by consolidating privacy settings and introduces Auto Gain Control (AGC) to automatically adjust microphone volume during calls, with notifications for users when AGC is active.