# Extract text from photos and noisy scans

**Use case:** 

Read text from phone photos and noisy, low-contrast scans. Small images are enlarged and contrast is stretched before OCR. Every line comes with its position and confidence, so you can tell good reads from guesses.

## Input

```json
{
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/madmaze/pytesseract/master/tests/data/test.jpg",
    "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tesseract-ocr/tessdoc/main/images/noise.png"
  ],
  "languages": "eng",
  "outputDetail": "lines",
  "layout": "auto",
  "minConfidence": 0,
  "preprocess": "auto",
  "pdfMode": "auto",
  "pdfDpi": 300,
  "maxPagesPerFile": 0,
  "urlField": "url",
  "maxDatasetItems": 1000,
  "requestHeaders": {},
  "maxFileSizeMb": 50,
  "maxConcurrency": 2
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "url": {
    "label": "URL",
    "format": "link"
  },
  "page": {
    "label": "Page",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "method": {
    "label": "Read with"
  },
  "confidence": {
    "label": "Confidence",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "lowConfidence": {
    "label": "Low confidence",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "wordCount": {
    "label": "Words",
    "format": "number"
  },
  "text": {
    "label": "Text"
  },
  "error": {
    "label": "Error"
  }
}
```

## How it works

### 1. Sign up on Apify or log in

The Image to Text OCR — Images & Scanned PDFs, 40+ Languages Actor is ready to run with the inputs already set for "Extract text from photos and noisy scans". [Sign up or log in](https://console.apify.com/create-task-from-example/BNkoFVdh1izZ4i9de) and you'll land in Apify Console with a copy of this exact task.

### 2. Start the "Extract text from photos and noisy scans" task

The Image to Text OCR — Images & Scanned PDFs, 40+ Languages Actor will start running based on the input automatically. You can also change all the input fields, like image or pdf urls, languages, and more, to match your specific use case.

### 3. Receive the "Extract text from photos and noisy scans" output

Monitor the progress in real time. You will be notified as soon as your dataset is complete and ready for review. Each result includes data such as URL, page, read with, and more.

### 4. Integrate into your workflow

The final output is delivered in JSON, CSV, or Excel format, ready to be plugged into your workflow. You can also [run the "Extract text from photos and noisy scans" task via API](https://apify.com/saliga/image-to-text-ocr.md).

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [Image to Text OCR — Images & Scanned PDFs, 40+ Languages](https://apify.com/saliga/image-to-text-ocr.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/saliga/image-to-text-ocr.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

This Task's input is already configured above. Use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/saliga/image-to-text-ocr.md

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).