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OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is a technology used to convert different types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files or images captured by a digital camera, into editable and searchable data.

In the first stage of OCR, an image of a text document is scanned. This could be a photo or a scanned document. The purpose of this stage is to make a digital copy of the document, instead of requiring manual transcription. Additionally, this digitization process can also help increase the longevity of materials because it can reduce the handling of fragile resources.

Once the document is digitized, the OCR software separates the image into individual characters for recognition. This is called the segmentation process. Segmentation breaks down the document into lines, words, and then ultimately individual characters. This division is a complex process because of the myriad factors involved -- different fonts, different sizes of text, and varying alignment of the text, just to name a few.

After segmentation, the OCR algorithm then uses pattern recognition to identify each individual character. For each character, the algorithm will compare it to a database of character shapes. The closest match is then selected as the character's identity. In feature recognition, a more advanced form of OCR, the algorithm not only examines the shape but also takes into account lines and curves in a pattern.

OCR has numerous practical applications -- from digitizing printed documents, enabling text-to-speech services, automating data entry processes, to even assisting visually impaired users to better interact with text. However, it is worth noting that the OCR process isn't infallible and may make mistakes especially when dealing with low-resolution documents, complex fonts, or poorly printed texts. Hence, accuracy of OCR systems varies significantly depending upon the quality of the original document and the specifics of the OCR software being used.

OCR is a pivotal technology in modern data extraction and digitization practices. It saves significant time and resources by mitigating the need for manual data entry and providing a reliable, efficient approach to transforming physical documents into a digital format.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OCR?

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a technology used to convert different types of documents, such as scanned paper documents, PDF files or images captured by a digital camera, into editable and searchable data.

How does OCR work?

OCR works by scanning an input image or document, segmenting the image into individual characters, and comparing each character with a database of character shapes using pattern recognition or feature recognition.

What are some practical applications of OCR?

OCR is used in a variety of sectors and applications, including digitizing printed documents, enabling text-to-speech services, automating data entry processes, and assisting visually impaired users to better interact with text.

Is OCR always 100% accurate?

While great advancements have been made in OCR technology, it isn't infallible. Accuracy can vary depending upon the quality of the original document and the specifics of the OCR software being used.

Can OCR recognize handwriting?

Although OCR is primarily designed for printed text, some advanced OCR systems are also able to recognize clear, consistent handwriting. However, typically handwriting recognition is less accurate because of the wide variation in individual writing styles.

Can OCR handle multiple languages?

Yes, many OCR software systems can recognize multiple languages. However, it's important to ensure that the specific language is supported by the software you're using.

What's the difference between OCR and ICR?

OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition and is used for recognizing printed text, while ICR, or Intelligent Character Recognition, is more advanced and is used for recognizing hand-written text.

Does OCR work with any font and text size?

OCR works best with clear, easy-to-read fonts and standard text sizes. While it can work with various fonts and sizes, accuracy tends to decrease when dealing with unusual fonts or very small text sizes.

What are the limitations of OCR technology?

OCR can struggle with low-resolution documents, complex fonts, poorly printed texts, handwriting, and documents with backgrounds that interfere with the text. Also, while it can work with many languages, it may not cover every language perfectly.

Can OCR scan colored text or colored backgrounds?

Yes, OCR can scan colored text and backgrounds, although it's generally more effective with high-contrast color combinations, such as black text on a white background. The accuracy might decrease when text and background colors lack sufficient contrast.

What is the DDS format?

Microsoft DirectDraw Surface

The DirectDraw Surface (DDS) format is a raster image file format, primarily used for storing textures and cubemaps in video games and other 3D applications. Developed by Microsoft, the DDS format is optimized for hardware acceleration, enabling the direct use of texture data on graphics processing units (GPUs). This optimization significantly reduces the loading time of images in real-time rendering applications by allowing the GPU to directly access the compressed texture data, thus bypassing the need for additional processing or decompression by the CPU.

One of the key features of the DDS format is its support for DirectX Texture Compression (DXT), a lossy texture compression algorithm that reduces file size and the bandwidth required for texture transfer without significantly degrading image quality. DXT compression is available in several variations, namely DXT1, DXT3, and DXT5, each offering a different balance between compression ratio and quality. DXT1 is designed for textures with no alpha channel or simple binary alpha, DXT3 is used for textures with explicit alpha, and DXT5 for textures with interpolated alpha transparency.

Another significant advantage of the DDS format is its support for mipmapping. Mipmaps are pre-calculated, optimized versions of a texture, each at progressively lower resolutions. These smaller textures are used when an object is far away from the camera, improving performance and reducing aliasing artifacts. By storing an entire mipmap chain within a single DDS file, game engines can quickly select the most appropriate level of detail for texturing objects based on their distance from the viewer, further boosting rendering efficiency.

The DDS format also supports cubic environment mapping with the use of cubemaps. A cubemap is composed of six square textures that represent the reflections on an environment viewed from a single point, simulating reflections in a 3D world. Having these cubemaps stored directly in the DDS format allows for efficient environment reflections in real-time applications, enhancing the immersive quality of 3D graphics.

In addition to compression and efficiency features, the DDS format can store textures with high dynamic range (HDR). HDR textures offer a wider range of brightness and color, providing more realistic lighting effects in 3D rendering. This capability is essential for modern game engines and graphics software aiming to achieve photorealistic visual quality. The support for HDR in DDS files contributes to its widespread use in high-end graphics applications.

The DDS file format structure includes a header and optional additional headers that contain metadata about the texture data, such as height, width, the format of the pixel data, and flags indicating the presence of mipmaps or cubemaps. This structured approach to metadata allows applications to accurately interpret and utilize the texture data within a DDS file without needing to process or interrogate the data extensively.

Despite its numerous advantages, the DDS format has limitations and challenges. For instance, while DXT compression significantly reduces file size, it can introduce artifacts, especially in textures with high levels of detail or complex alpha transitions. The choice of compression level (DXT1, DXT3, DXT5) impacts the visual fidelity of the texture, making it crucial for texture artists and developers to choose the appropriate compression setting based on the specific needs of their project.

Another challenge related to the DDS format is its limited support outside of game development and 3D applications. While widely supported and used within the video game industry and by graphics APIs like DirectX, DDS files are not universally supported by image editing software. This limitation necessitates the conversion of DDS files to more universally supported formats for editing or viewing outside of specialized software, potentially complicating the workflow for graphics artists.

However, advancements in graphics development tools and libraries have alleviated some of these challenges. Many modern image editing software packages have introduced plugins or built-in support for the DDS format, allowing for direct editing of DDS files without conversion. Furthermore, open-source libraries and toolkits have made it easier for developers to integrate DDS support into their applications, expanding the accessibility and usability of the DDS format beyond its traditional video game and 3D application niches.

The adoption of the DDS format extends beyond traditional video games to fields such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and professional visualization applications. In these areas, the efficiency and compression capabilities of the DDS format are particularly valuable, as they allow for the real-time rendering of high-quality textures in immersive environments. This has facilitated the development of more complex and realistic VR and AR experiences and high-resolution visualization tools for scientific and industrial applications.

Looking to the future, the continued evolution of graphics hardware and software is likely to further increase the relevance and capabilities of the DDS format. New compression algorithms, more advanced support for high dynamic range imaging, and enhanced support for emerging rendering techniques may be integrated into the DDS specification. These advancements will enable the DDS format to continue serving as a key tool in the development of cutting-edge 3D graphics and game technologies.

In conclusion, the DDS image format represents a crucial technology in the field of 3D graphics and game development, offering a blend of efficiency, quality, and flexibility that is tailored to the demands of real-time rendering. Its support for various compression algorithms, mipmapping, cubemaps, and high dynamic range imaging make it an indispensable format for developers aiming to push the boundaries of visual quality and performance. Despite some challenges related to its adoption and the introduction of artifacts through compression, the DDS format remains a cornerstone of modern 3D graphics applications, with ongoing support and advancements ensuring its continued relevance in the industry.

Supported formats

AAI.aai

AAI Dune image

AI.ai

Adobe Illustrator CS2

AVIF.avif

AV1 Image File Format

AVS.avs

AVS X image

BAYER.bayer

Raw Bayer Image

BMP.bmp

Microsoft Windows bitmap image

CIN.cin

Cineon Image File

CLIP.clip

Image Clip Mask

CMYK.cmyk

Raw cyan, magenta, yellow, and black samples

CMYKA.cmyka

Raw cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and alpha samples

CUR.cur

Microsoft icon

DCX.dcx

ZSoft IBM PC multi-page Paintbrush

DDS.dds

Microsoft DirectDraw Surface

DPX.dpx

SMTPE 268M-2003 (DPX 2.0) image

DXT1.dxt1

Microsoft DirectDraw Surface

EPDF.epdf

Encapsulated Portable Document Format

EPI.epi

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format

EPS.eps

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript

EPSF.epsf

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript

EPSI.epsi

Adobe Encapsulated PostScript Interchange format

EPT.ept

Encapsulated PostScript with TIFF preview

EPT2.ept2

Encapsulated PostScript Level II with TIFF preview

EXR.exr

High dynamic-range (HDR) image

FARBFELD.ff

Farbfeld

FF.ff

Farbfeld

FITS.fits

Flexible Image Transport System

GIF.gif

CompuServe graphics interchange format

GIF87.gif87

CompuServe graphics interchange format (version 87a)

GROUP4.group4

Raw CCITT Group4

HDR.hdr

High Dynamic Range image

HRZ.hrz

Slow Scan TeleVision

ICO.ico

Microsoft icon

ICON.icon

Microsoft icon

IPL.ipl

IP2 Location Image

J2C.j2c

JPEG-2000 codestream

J2K.j2k

JPEG-2000 codestream

JNG.jng

JPEG Network Graphics

JP2.jp2

JPEG-2000 File Format Syntax

JPC.jpc

JPEG-2000 codestream

JPE.jpe

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

JPEG.jpeg

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

JPG.jpg

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

JPM.jpm

JPEG-2000 File Format Syntax

JPS.jps

Joint Photographic Experts Group JPS format

JPT.jpt

JPEG-2000 File Format Syntax

JXL.jxl

JPEG XL image

MAP.map

Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)

MAT.mat

MATLAB level 5 image format

PAL.pal

Palm pixmap

PALM.palm

Palm pixmap

PAM.pam

Common 2-dimensional bitmap format

PBM.pbm

Portable bitmap format (black and white)

PCD.pcd

Photo CD

PCDS.pcds

Photo CD

PCT.pct

Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT

PCX.pcx

ZSoft IBM PC Paintbrush

PDB.pdb

Palm Database ImageViewer Format

PDF.pdf

Portable Document Format

PDFA.pdfa

Portable Document Archive Format

PFM.pfm

Portable float format

PGM.pgm

Portable graymap format (gray scale)

PGX.pgx

JPEG 2000 uncompressed format

PICON.picon

Personal Icon

PICT.pict

Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT

PJPEG.pjpeg

Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format

PNG.png

Portable Network Graphics

PNG00.png00

PNG inheriting bit-depth, color-type from original image

PNG24.png24

Opaque or binary transparent 24-bit RGB (zlib 1.2.11)

PNG32.png32

Opaque or binary transparent 32-bit RGBA

PNG48.png48

Opaque or binary transparent 48-bit RGB

PNG64.png64

Opaque or binary transparent 64-bit RGBA

PNG8.png8

Opaque or binary transparent 8-bit indexed

PNM.pnm

Portable anymap

PPM.ppm

Portable pixmap format (color)

PS.ps

Adobe PostScript file

PSB.psb

Adobe Large Document Format

PSD.psd

Adobe Photoshop bitmap

RGB.rgb

Raw red, green, and blue samples

RGBA.rgba

Raw red, green, blue, and alpha samples

RGBO.rgbo

Raw red, green, blue, and opacity samples

SIX.six

DEC SIXEL Graphics Format

SUN.sun

Sun Rasterfile

SVG.svg

Scalable Vector Graphics

SVGZ.svgz

Compressed Scalable Vector Graphics

TIFF.tiff

Tagged Image File Format

VDA.vda

Truevision Targa image

VIPS.vips

VIPS image

WBMP.wbmp

Wireless Bitmap (level 0) image

WEBP.webp

WebP Image Format

YUV.yuv

CCIR 601 4:1:1 or 4:2:2

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