1. PDF Tools
  2. OCR PDF

PDF Tools

OCR PDF

Perform OCR on PDF files, making text in images selectable and searchable.

Uses

Use this task to convert unselectable text in images within a PDF to selectable and searchable text. The OCR process makes text selectable and searchable, which is essential for further processing, indexing, or accessibility.

Basic Usage

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Flow Data Explained

files
required
array

An array of PDF files to be processed by OCR.

function
required
string

The pdf_tools function to call, in this case it would be ocr_pdf

ocr_settings
required
object

The OCR settings.

Show child attributes
languages
required
array

Specifies one or more languages for OCR text recognition. Use language codes from the list below:

  • eng – English

  • chi_sim – Chinese (Simplified)

  • deu – German

  • fra – French

  • por – Portuguese

ocr_type
required
string

Determines how the OCR engine handles existing text in the PDF:

  • Normal – OCR only images or pages without existing text.

  • skip-text – Skips OCR entirely on pages where selectable text already exists.

  • force-ocr – Forces OCR on all pages, even if they already contain text.

ocr_render_type
required
string

Controls how the OCR result is embedded into the PDF:

  • hocr – Produces an invisible text layer without altering the visual content.

  • sandwich – Inserts the recognized text behind the existing page images, allowing text selection while preserving the original visual appearance.