To use the OCR feature follow these steps:
- Tap 'Add Recipe' (on the homepage or side menu)
- Select 'Scan recipe (OCR)'
- Then 'Add photo' or 'Select PDF'
- If you're adding/taking a photo of your recipe, ensure you take a birds-eye photo of the entire recipe page. You can then zoom in on your photo by pinching the photo in/out and dragging it around the screen.
- If your recipe spans across more than one page/photo, tap the '+ Page' button in the bottom left corner to add more.
- Tap on the imported photos/pages in the bottom bar to swap between pages when adding sections. Your sections will save so you can swap between them until you've got everything covered.
NOTE: CookBook will automatically save these OCR original photos to your recipe. - Once you've got your photo/s or PDF page/s loaded, you can select the area that represents the data for that recipe section.
- Tap 'Add' in the top right corner to add a recipe section.
- Select the section you want to add by tapping on it.
- Use the big blue squares in the corners of the drag box to resize the box. To move the selection box, tap and hold your finger down then move your finger around your screen.
- Once you have moved the selection box over the recipe section, tap the 'Add' button again to add another recipe section or tap off the side of the box to secure it.
- Do this for all sections you wish to select for your recipe.
NOTE: If you have ingredients or steps in two columns, you will need to make two selections (one of each column) - Note that you are only able to add a maximum of 5 pages, you should generally never need more than this to capture all areas of a recipe as most can be imported from a single photo, to do this ensure you take a well lit birds-eye photo of the entire recipe page.
- Once finished, your OCR photo will look a little like this. Tap 'Scan' when you're ready to OCR it!
- The OCR tool will then extract and convert the words in the picture to text and import it into the normal 'recipe edit' screen.
- A little editing is sometimes required to correct any characters the tool has confused with another, however the tool does the vast majority for you!
NOTE: Look out for fractions 1/4 can sometimes catch it out - If you need to go back and edit one of your selections or you forgot to add the 2nd page, just tap 'Cancel', 'Yes'. This will take you back to your OCR scan and will ask if you'd like to continue editing the scan you were working on, or start afresh.
- Once you're happy with your scan and edits, add your tags, notes etc. and hit 'Save', job done!