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A while back I copied from somewhere this script that does the job nicely. #!/bin/bash # Dependencies: tesseract-ocr imagemagick scrot xsel IMG=`mktemp`

A while back I copied from somewhere this script that does the job nicely. #!/bin/bash # Dependencies: tesseract-ocr imagemagick scrot xsel IMG=`mktemp` trap "rm $IMG*" EXIT scrot -s $IMG.png -q 100 # increase image quality with option -q from default 75 to 100 mogrify -modulate 100,0 -resize 400% $IMG.png #should increase detection rate tesseract $IMG.png $IMG &> /dev/null cat $IMG.txt | xsel -bi notify-send "Text copied" "$(cat $IMG.txt)" exit

dsp_person 3y ago
I was using something like this for awhile, but I found tesseract did poorly quite often. That resize trick didn't seem to affect much. I'm not sure what pre-processing would make it better. I'd love to if TextSnatcher does anything to improve on this. The github page is opaque.
- mappu 3y ago
  The source is pretty straightforward - it's calling `scrot -s -o` to a temp file, and then `tessaract` with no further preprocessing. https://github.com/RajSolai/TextSnatcher/blob/master/src/services/TesseractTrigger.vala#L61 https://github.com/RajSolai/TextSnatcher/blob/master/src/ser...
- stevesimmons 3y ago
  > I found tesseract did poorly quite often The script calls Tesseract in default page segmentation mode (PSM 3). [1] Depending on the input text, PSM mode 11 for disconnected text would probably work much better. That uses the flag "--psm 11". [1] From the original repo: string tess_command = "tesseract " + file_path + " " + out_path + @" -l $lang" ;
  - aidenn0 3y ago
    Having used Tesseract for OCR for other things, getting the right PSM helps but it's still rather terrible, especially for sans-serif fonts, which are common in UIs. Granted there's a lot of ambiguity in sans serif fonts, lower-case "L", vertical bar, and upper-case "i" can even be pixel-identical, but I've seen tesseract turn Chapter III into Chapter |l1 which really surprises me. In fact, for books, I run it through sed to replace vertical bar with upper-case "i" and it significantly improved recognition.
doix 3y ago
This is perfect for me! Having a window with a button that I need to click is much worse than just binding a script to a hotkey.
grimgrin 3y ago
In the spirit of sharing, cuz I think this is a great script (thank you), I prefer using maim over scrot simply because it has a --nodrag option. Personally feels better when making selections from a trackpad. Click once, move cursor, click again. maim -s --nodrag --quality=10 $IMG.png 10 is scrot's 100
- raphman 3y ago
  Yet another variation I have been using for ages, using ImageMagick's `import` tool (which probably only works on X11) import "$tempfile" TEXT=`tesseract -l eng+deu "$tempfile" stdout` echo "$TEXT" | xsel -i -b
hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago
I had a PowerShell script which did this as well, but alas, it was lost to time with the rest of my little scripts from my last job. Apologies to all of my fellow Unix-Windows borderers.
Arch-TK 3y ago
trap "rm $IMG*" EXIT see https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/SC2064 https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/SC2064 also, use mktemp -d and recursively delete the directory

dsp_person 3y ago

I was using something like this for awhile, but I found tesseract did poorly quite often. That resize trick didn't seem to affect much. I'm not sure what pre-processing would make it better. I'd love to if TextSnatcher does anything to improve on this. The github page is opaque.

mappu 3y ago
The source is pretty straightforward - it's calling `scrot -s -o` to a temp file, and then `tessaract` with no further preprocessing. https://github.com/RajSolai/TextSnatcher/blob/master/src/services/TesseractTrigger.vala#L61 https://github.com/RajSolai/TextSnatcher/blob/master/src/ser...
stevesimmons 3y ago
> I found tesseract did poorly quite often The script calls Tesseract in default page segmentation mode (PSM 3). [1] Depending on the input text, PSM mode 11 for disconnected text would probably work much better. That uses the flag "--psm 11". [1] From the original repo: string tess_command = "tesseract " + file_path + " " + out_path + @" -l $lang" ;
- aidenn0 3y ago
  Having used Tesseract for OCR for other things, getting the right PSM helps but it's still rather terrible, especially for sans-serif fonts, which are common in UIs. Granted there's a lot of ambiguity in sans serif fonts, lower-case "L", vertical bar, and upper-case "i" can even be pixel-identical, but I've seen tesseract turn Chapter III into Chapter |l1 which really surprises me. In fact, for books, I run it through sed to replace vertical bar with upper-case "i" and it significantly improved recognition.

doix 3y ago

This is perfect for me! Having a window with a button that I need to click is much worse than just binding a script to a hotkey.

grimgrin 3y ago

In the spirit of sharing, cuz I think this is a great script (thank you), I prefer using maim over scrot simply because it has a --nodrag option. Personally feels better when making selections from a trackpad. Click once, move cursor, click again. maim -s --nodrag --quality=10 $IMG.png 10 is scrot's 100

raphman 3y ago
Yet another variation I have been using for ages, using ImageMagick's `import` tool (which probably only works on X11) import "$tempfile" TEXT=`tesseract -l eng+deu "$tempfile" stdout` echo "$TEXT" | xsel -i -b

hiAndrewQuinn 3y ago

I had a PowerShell script which did this as well, but alas, it was lost to time with the rest of my little scripts from my last job. Apologies to all of my fellow Unix-Windows borderers.

Arch-TK 3y ago

trap "rm $IMG*" EXIT see https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/SC2064 https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/SC2064 also, use mktemp -d and recursively delete the directory