This is built into the OS itself. I don’t get it. What am I missing? I can select text in any image or screenshot seamlessly and very accurately, for $0.00 up front and $0.00 per month.
Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
21–30 of 42 posts
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#22Any decent alternative for Linux or Ubuntu-based OS? Thanks.
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#23Cleanshot has OCR built in as a feature too
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#24> Are there other solutions out there? yes you can just do cmd+shift+4 to take a screen shot, then open the screenshot in the popup that appears and MacOS will automatically OCR it (orc button in the bottom right). This is a built in functionality in MacOS
I have been using this one for quite a while, it works well for me:
https://github.com/schappim/macOCR
(I'd say my number one use is snagging urls out of Zoom presentations, quicker and easier than a screenshot)
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#25> Are there other solutions out there? yes you can just do cmd+shift+4 to take a screen shot, then open the screenshot in the popup that appears and MacOS will automatically OCR it (orc button in the bottom right). This is a built in functionality in MacOS
Interestingly the macOS one is not very accurate. I took a screenshot of your comment and macOS OCR read the "cmd+shift+4" as "cod+shift+4".
It correctly OCR'd it for me.
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#26If you have installed Microsofts Power Toys on Windows [1], you can win+shift+T and select any area on screen and windows will OCR it and store it on your clipboard.
It's not SOTA AI powered OCR, but works great for copying a link on a streamed tech talk or text from an application / website that tries to make text not-selectable.
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#27Anyone know of good windows alternatives for this?
Windows 11 native screenshot tool does OCR for me. You can also get it free with PowerToys from Microsoft and press WIN+SHIFT+T.
> Windows 11 native screenshot tool does OCR for me.
The win+shift+s command / snip & sketch tool? It doesn't appear to have any OCR option before or after capturing
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#28What makes it better than screenshot and Preview? The built in OCR is pretty great on MacOS.
If it's something you'd have to screenshot to use OCR on (i.e. it doesn't just let you directly select the text), this (and the other options) is a bit faster than having to take a screenshot then select the text from it (you select the region like when taking a screenshot and the text is OCRed and copied to the pasteboard in one go).
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#29This is built into the OS itself. I don’t get it. What am I missing? I can select text in any image or screenshot seamlessly and very accurately, for $0.00 up front and $0.00 per month.
Native OS is limited to a few apps, so not seamless?
Re: Show HN: I launched a super cheap and simple to use OCR tool for macOS
#30> Are there other solutions out there? yes you can just do cmd+shift+4 to take a screen shot, then open the screenshot in the popup that appears and MacOS will automatically OCR it (orc button in the bottom right). This is a built in functionality in MacOS
Works for images in Preview and even in Safari too. Super handy.
You can even search for text in images in Safari. I was dumbfounded the first time I searched for some text in a page and Safari found it in an image on the page.