How to Convert Images to Editable Word Documents

Images are everywhere — WhatsApp forwards, restaurant receipts, client emails, and your employee ID card. They are the most common form of communication across channels.

But how do you convert these images into Word files? Is converting them to Word files the ultimate solution or is there a better alternative?

In this article, we will learn how to convert images or photos into editable Word documents. We will also look at limitations for the various methods and understand how we can take this entire process one step further, by cutting out the post processing effort on converted Word documents.

We will understand how to leverage AI-based Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) software to get structured output. Before we dive into the article, here is a quick summary of the methods we will be discussing along with their advantages and limitations, in case you are short on time.

Now that we have seen a quick summary, let's dive into each method in detail.

Using Microsoft Word to convert an image to Word

Microsoft Word does not have a direct option to convert a picture to text. However, converting an image to editable text using Microsoft Word is possible by first converting the image into a PDF. 

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the image in Word as a new file and save it as a PDF

Step 2: Open the saved PDF file in a new Word document

Word will detect the text from the PDF file and show it on the new Word document:

Verdict:

To convert pictures on Word directly, you don't need additional software or an internet connection, but you do need a paid Microsoft subscription. The Read-only Microsoft version doesn’t allow you to use features like Save, Open, etc.

Using Google Drive OCR to convert an image to a document

Did you know that Google Drive has hidden OCR that you can use to convert images into editable documents?

Follow these steps to use Google Drive OCR to convert an image to a document:

Step 1: Upload and open the image you want to convert on Google Drive.

Step 2: Right-click the image and Select Open with Google Docs. 

Step 3: Check and verify the text and download/export the document as a new Word file.

Google Drive converts the image into a Google Doc and displays the image and the extracted text below it.

Verdict:

It also works best with only standard fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman, and scanned images cannot be accurately converted into text. The uploaded image should also be 2 MB or smaller for Google Drive OCR.

Using Adobe Acrobat OCR to convert an image to editable Word

Adobe Acrobat is an excellent tool for converting images into documents if you have a paid Pro version already installed on your computer.

Here are the steps to convert an image into a Word document:

Step 1: Open the image on your computer using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Step 2: Go to Tools > Scan & OCR feature and select Recognize Text.

Step 3: Once the OCR processes the image, review and correct the recognized text as you need.

Step 4: Save the file as a .docx file. 

Adobe Acrobat OCR scans the image and converts it into an editable document: 

Verdict:

While you can use Acrobat to convert images into documents, you need to spend significant time reviewing and correcting the extracted text.

Also, this feature requires Adobe Pro, which can be expensive, especially for a small business or an independent freelancer.

Using an online image-to-word converter to convert images to Word

Online image-to-word converter tools convert an image in JPG/PNG format into a Word/Doc file and are widely available for free. 

The primary purpose of these free tools is to convert JPG/PNG images into Text/Word or Images to Text files. They are not intended to extract text from an image or convert these images into editable Word files as the OCR functionality is not available in the free version. 

Most of these tools convert an image into a PDF first and then convert the PDF into a Word document. You need a paid version to use OCR on scanned images or photographs.

Here are a few popular image-to-word converters to try:

• iLovePDF
• Nanonets JPG to Word
• SmallPDF
• FreeConvert
• Convertio
• PDFSimpli

Verdict:

Challenges in converting complex images into editable format

As we saw above, converting an image to accurate editable text in Word is extremely difficult.

While many image-to-word or image-to-text converter tools are available online, they work best only on a few simple images. Most lack the powerful OCR and deep learning capabilities to convert hundreds of complex images. 

While a few simple images can be converted to editable text documents by using Word or online converter tools, the challenges arise in converting:

• Poorly scanned images with low resolution & fuzzy characters
• Native images with cursive or handwritten text
• Multi-lingual text images
• Skewed or distorted images
• Images with unstructured or complex tables

While there are multiple challenges one faces while converting Images to editable Word documents, the end goal itself is not all it is made out to be. Most images have specific data points that are essential to a user embedded within irrelevant noise. Modern-day Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) tools go one step beyond to extract specific data points and create a structured output, which is something that native Microsoft features or traditional OCR tools fail at.

This ensures that there is significant saving of the post-processing effort that a user has to put in after a successful Image to Word conversion. Imagine trying to convert an Invoice image into a Word document only to end up manually copying and pasting certain details like, Invoice number, date, amount and buyer and seller details.

Using AI-based OCR software to bulk convert images to produce structured output

AI-based software goes beyond simple OCR and leverages intelligent document processing (IDP) and natural language processing (NLP). It can convert any complex document, such as images, scanned pictures, and even template PDFs with tables, into a structured output. It goes beyond just converting images into editable Word documents, saving countless post-processing hours.

If you are looking to convert a large volume of images into structured output using Nanonets AI OCR, here’s how to get started:

1. Sign up on Nanonets.
2. Upload or pull images from your preferred data source.
3. Open the converted image to verify the converted text and line items and make customisations per your needs.
4. Export the data in your preferred format (CSV, XML, XLSX) or push it into your CRM or Database directly.

Verdict:

Final word

We learned how to convert images into editable format using Microsoft Word and different OCR tools. While it is not a single-step process, converting images into text is much easier using these tools than the outdated manual method of Copy + Paste. 

While converting images into editable text is possible using these tools, the accuracy and post-processing time can differ depending on the complexity of the image. Using AI and Deep Learning, extracting text accurately from images is much more accurate, efficient, and reliable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)