# PDF Rescue (OCR) {% hint style="info" %} You are viewing help for πŸ–₯️ **Supervertaler Workbench** – the free, open-source standalone translation app. Looking for help with the Trados Studio plugin? Visit 🧩 [Supervertaler for Trados help](https://supervertaler.gitbook.io/help/trados/). {% endhint %} ### Overview **PDF Rescue** is a specialised AI-powered OCR tool designed to extract clean, editable text from poorly formatted PDFs. Built into Supervertaler, it uses vision-capable LLM OCR to intelligently recognise text, formatting, redactions, stamps, and signatures–producing professional, translator-ready documents. #### 🎯 The Problem It Solves Have you ever received a PDF translation job where: * The text won't copy-paste cleanly? * Line breaks are all over the place? * Formatting is completely broken? * Traditional OCR produces gibberish? * Redacted sections show as black boxes? * Stamps and signatures clutter the text? **PDF Rescue fixes all of this.** #### Real-World Success Story > *"I had a client reach out for a rush job–a 4-page legal document that had clearly been scanned badly. Traditional OCR couldn't handle it, and manual retyping would have taken hours.* > > *I used PDF Rescue's one-click PDF import, processed all 4 pages with AI OCR, and it produced a flawless Word document that I could immediately start working with. What would have been a multi-day nightmare became a straightforward job I could deliver on time.* > > *I was able to tell my client that I could handle the job–and delivered professional quality. PDF Rescue literally saved a client relationship."* > > – Michael Beijer, Professional Translator *** ### ✨ Key Features #### 1. πŸ“„ **One-Click PDF Import** * **No external tools needed** - Import PDFs directly * **Automatic page extraction** - Each page saved as high-quality PNG (2x resolution) * **Persistent storage** - Images saved next to source PDF in `{filename}_images/` folder * **Client-ready** - Images can be delivered to end clients if needed #### 2. 🧠 **Smart AI-Powered OCR** * **Vision-capable LLM OCR** - High accuracy OCR * **Context-aware** - Understands document structure and formatting * **Intelligent cleanup** - Fixes line breaks, spacing, and formatting issues * **Redaction handling** - Inserts descriptive placeholders like `[naam]`, `[bedrag]` in document language * **Stamps & signatures** - Detects and describes non-text elements: `[stempel]`, `[handtekening]` #### 3. 🎨 **Optional Formatting Preservation** * **Markdown-based** - Uses `**bold**`, `*italic*`, `__underline__` * **Toggle on/off** - User-controlled via checkbox * **Clean output** - Markdown converted to proper formatting in DOCX export * **Visual preview** - See formatting markers before export #### 4. πŸ“Š **Batch Processing** * **Process selected** - Work on individual images * **Process all** - Batch process entire document * **Progress tracking** - Visual progress bar and status updates * **Skip processed** - Already-processed images are skipped (unless re-selected) #### 5. πŸ“ **Comprehensive Logging** * **Activity log integration** - All operations logged with timestamps * **PDF import progress** - Each page extraction logged * **OCR processing** - Per-image processing logged * **DOCX export** - Export operations tracked #### 6. πŸ‘οΈ **Full Transparency** * **"Show Prompt" button** - View exact instructions sent to AI * **Configuration display** - See model, formatting settings, max tokens * **No black boxes** - Complete visibility into AI processing #### 7. πŸ“Š **Professional Session Reports** * **Markdown format** - Clean, readable documentation * **Complete configuration** - All settings recorded * **Processing summary** - Table of all images and status * **Full extracted text** - All OCR results included * **Statistics** - Character/word counts and averages * **Supervertaler branding** - Professional client-ready reports #### 8. πŸ’Ύ **Flexible Export Options** * **DOCX export** - Formatted Word documents with optional bold/italic/underline * **Copy to clipboard** - Quick text extraction * **Session reports** - Professional MD documentation #### 9. πŸš€ **Standalone Mode** Can run independently outside Supervertaler: ```bash python modules/pdf_rescue.py ``` Full-featured standalone application with all capabilities. *** ### 🎯 Workflow #### Quick Start (5 Steps) 1. **Open PDF Rescue** - Open the **Tools menu** at the top of the window β†’ **πŸ” PDF Rescue**. The tool opens in its own window. 2. **Import PDF** - Click "πŸ“„ PDF" button, select your badly-formatted PDF 3. **Check formatting option** - Leave "Preserve formatting" checked (default) 4. **Process** - Click "⚑ Process ALL" to OCR all pages 5. **Export** - Click "πŸ’Ύ Save DOCX" to create Word document **That's it!** You now have a clean, editable Word document ready for translation. *** #### Detailed Workflow **Step 1: Import Your PDF** **Method 1: Direct PDF Import** (Recommended) ``` Click: πŸ“„ PDF button β†’ Select PDF file β†’ Automatic page extraction to {filename}_images/ folder β†’ All pages added to processing queue ``` **Method 2: Manual Image Import** ``` Click: πŸ“ Add Files β†’ Select individual images OR Click: πŸ“‚ Folder β†’ Select folder with images ``` **Result**: All images listed in left panel with βœ“ status indicators *** **Step 2: Configure Settings** **Model Selection**: * `gpt-4o` (Recommended) - Latest, fastest, best quality * `gpt-4o-mini` - Budget option, good quality * `gpt-4-turbo` - Alternative, similar quality to gpt-4o **Formatting Option**: * βœ“ **Preserve formatting (bold/italic/underline)** - Enabled by default * Unchecked = Plain text output only **Extraction Instructions**: * Default instructions optimized for badly formatted PDFs * Handles redactions, stamps, signatures automatically * Can customize if needed (advanced) * Click **"πŸ‘οΈ Show Prompt"** to see exact AI instructions *** **Step 3: Process Images** **Option A: Process Selected** ``` 1. Select image(s) in list 2. Click: πŸ” Process Selected 3. View result in preview pane ``` **Option B: Process All** (Recommended) ``` 1. Click: ⚑ Process ALL 2. Confirm batch processing dialog 3. Watch progress bar 4. All pages processed automatically ``` **Processing Details**: * Each image sent to the OCR model * Text extracted with context awareness * Formatting detected (if enabled) * Redactions/stamps/signatures handled * Results stored in memory * βœ“ indicator appears when processed *** **Step 4: Review & Export** **Review Extracted Text**: * Click any processed image in list * Preview pane shows extracted text * Formatting shown as markdown (`**bold**`, `*italic*`, etc.) * Verify quality before export **Export Options**: 1. **πŸ’Ύ Save DOCX** (Primary export) * Formatted Word document * Markdown converted to proper formatting * One page per document page * Page headers with filenames * Ready for translation work 2. **πŸ“‹ Copy All** * All text to clipboard * Includes page separators * Quick paste into any application 3. **πŸ“Š Session Report** * Professional markdown documentation * Complete configuration record * All extracted text included * Statistics and metadata * Client-ready deliverable --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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