FREE Screenshot OCR - Take a Screenshot then Convert It to Text with dpScreenOCR on Windows 11

Unlike Capture2Text (my old post: https://windowsfreewareguide.blogspot.com/2022/03/capture2text-extract-text-from-screen.html), this app is easy to set up - just download and install it. Capture2Text is a good name, it tells what the app is all about. dpScreenOCR can use the same definition, it captures the screen, extracts text from it and sends text to the clipboard.

The test steps - dpScreenOCR 1.3.0
OS: Windows 11 Home
Download: https://danpla.github.io/dpscreenocr/

 1. Download the installer for Windows.

 

Open the downloaded file, a new window shows, click 'More info'.

Click 'Run anyway'. 

A new window shows, I clicked 'Install for all users'.

Follow the on-screen instructions until the installation finishes.

2. Open the program.

A program window showed, at tab 'Main', I checked 'Copy text to clipboard', then unchecked 'Add text to history'. I set a hotkey: Ctrl+Shift+O.

Minimize the program window, don't close it because the program will quit.

3. How to use it: place a mouse pointer at top left or bottom right of target area.

Then press a hotkey, drag to create rect., press the hotkey again.

The extracted text will be sent to the clipboard. Paste the text to the document.

The result shows in the picture above. I think it's pretty good.

Next one, I captured the text on the program window.

4. I checked 'Add text to history', Text was sent to the tab 'History'

At tab 'History', I clicked 'Export...'.

I was exported as .txt file.

The picture below is the content of the exported file.

It should be the options for the exported file:
a. Show/hide date and time.
b. Show text and remove blank lines:
    Character recognition
    Name Code
c. Show text in one line with a separator (comma,colon etc...):
    Character recognition, Name Code

Those options will save users time for editing a text file.

 

The test steps - dpScreenOCR 1.3.0
OS: Windows 11 Home
Download: https://danpla.github.io/dpscreenocr/

Capture2Text - Extract Text from Screen FREE on Windows 11

Quality of screenshots depends on quality of the display, so the test results you will see in this article may vary on other computers. This freeware takes a screenshot and copy the extracted text to the clipboard, users can take benefits of that.

 

The test steps - Capture2Text 4.6.2
OS: Windows 11 Home
Download from developer's website
https://sourceforge.net/projects/capture2text/files/Capture2Text/

1. Download zip file and extract and copy its contents.

 2. I created the folder 'Capture2Text' in C:\Program Files

 

And pasted to that folder, then opened file 'Capture2Text', the 'welcome' dialog box appeared. You can read the instructions from this dialog box.

3. From the picture above, click the arrow at taskbar, right click at the app icon, go to settings.

Set hotkey: start OCR capture, I unchecked the rest of hotkeys. The problem occurred when I pressed 'Windows' key and searched at the box, typing letter 'o' brought the label 'Vertical' 'Horizontal' 'Auto' at the bottom-right corner.

I selected 'Unmapped' for that hotkey, the problem was fixed. But on the way of testing, there was a problem on one of the hotkeys that I unchecked, so I decided to select 'Unmapped' to all hotkeys I unchecked.

4. Set current OCR language at 'OCR1' section, I set to 'English'.

5. I located mouse pointer to the corner to the desired area, pressed hotkey (Windows + Q), drag to create the rectangle area.

You can move that area by holding right click button and move the pointer. To cancel, press 'Esc'. To accept that area, just click the mouse.

The extracted text was shown in the dialog box (picture above), the result was unacceptable.

From the picture below, the result was OK.

I clicked 'OK' button on the dialog box (picture above), this action sent the the extracted text to the clipboard. It was ready to paste to other applications.

 

5. You can edit the extracted text right from the dialog box, what you appended or change will be sent to the clipboard after 'OK' button is clicked.

That's it for test steps, I'm pretty sure if you have high quality of display, the extracted text from complex picture will be more accurate.

The test steps - Capture2Text 4.6.2
OS: Windows 11 Home
Download from developer's website
https://sourceforge.net/projects/capture2text/files/Capture2Text/

IT'S WORTH WRITING ABOUT 'Monosnap'

Developer's website
https://monosnap.com/

Monosnap is not in BEST FREEWARE SCREENSHOT APPS FOR BLOGGING 2021 (https://windowsfreewareguide.blogspot.com/2021/10/best-freeware-screenshot-apps-for.html) because I can not get the latest version from its website - monosnap.com via creating a free account. I don't test it, there won't be the test steps.

 

I have version 3.0.9, the 'crop' tool of this freeware helps me get things done faster. If I need to get pictures of 'right-click menu' or 'program window with menu that is not in the window' , the screenshot needs to be cropped.

The test steps - 'crop' tool (Monosnap 3.0.9)
OS: Windows 7 Home Edition

1. Open the program, its icon is at the taskbar.

 

2. I prefer using 'delay' option to normal mode, because when something goes wrong, I have time to fix it right away. The special thing about this freeware is the 'delay' mode is separated from the normal mode but it's for 'fullscreen' and available via keyboard shortcut only. To set shortcut, right click at the program icon > settings... > tab 'Hotkeys'

 

The 'delay' mode has 'countdown' user interface at the bottom left corner of the screen that I have not seen in other freeware apps.

3. After taking screenshot, at the annotation window. Click icon below to crop.

 

 

4. Drag white dots to resize cropping area, then click OK.

5. At the new window of annotation, click save to save picture. Interface of this freeware is friendly that makes me think "It may not be freeware someday."

Developer's website
https://monosnap.com/

BEST FREEWARE SCREENSHOT APPS FOR BLOGGING 2021 (2 of 2)

Part 1 of 2: https://windowsfreewareguide.blogspot.com/2021/10/best-freeware-screenshot-apps-for.html

Part 2 of 2, I try to add what Lightscreen 2.5 doesn't have - 'built-in annotation tool'

HotShots 2.2
Download from sourceforge
https://sourceforge.net/projects/hotshots/

 

The test steps - annotation tool

1. Open the program > set Output path > set  Caption mode (window,region,freehand,all screens) to Grab Screen > set After snapshot to 'Launch Editor'

2. Click the icon to take screenshot.

3. Look at the picture above, a question pops - where do I begin? Don't look at the whole picture, just focus on essential elements first.

Size of Picture - 'magnify' icon = scale to fit window, '1:1' icon = original size. Now I got the idea about resizing picture.

To drag and select object or picture, click 'up arrow' icon. Then mouse pointer turned to hand and I was ready to drag picture or circle I drew, select objects and delete them.

Color - Click icon above, to change foreground or background color. Then edit styles (pic below).

4. Move mouse over the tool, tool tip shows the name of the tool.

5. Click Export image > change extension (png,jpg,bmp...)

6. I have not seen a freehand screenshot from normal searching except from  'freehand screenshot' search term. People might find it hard using it but HotShots provides this feature and I will use it.

7. Lightscreen and HotShots are the freeware screenshot apps for blogging I picked from about 11 freeware apps I tested. I wanted to add 'Monosnap' I've already tested the old version - 3.0.9 but I can not get the new version from its website - monosnap.com via creating a free account - I'm stuck in the middle of process so I do not have a free account.

HotShots 2.2
Download from sourceforge
https://sourceforge.net/projects/hotshots/

Part 1 of 2: https://windowsfreewareguide.blogspot.com/2021/10/best-freeware-screenshot-apps-for.html