Deep Neural Network: OCR & Translation

Deep neural networks (DNN) are a recent evolution in machine learning which have already surpassed the state of the art in various fields. Optical character recognition (OCR) and automatic text translation are no exception. Prizmo for Mac now features DNN-based OCR as well as cloud-based translation that are more accurate than ever. The new OCR is a major improvement for degraded documents, as illustrated below.

For more information, please review our blog post about Prizmo Go ; On-device OCR and Automatic Text Translation sections also apply to Prizmo for Mac.


Comparison of OCR results from degraded input without and with DNN.




Continuity and Handoff

Prizmo supports Handoff and allows continuous editing of Prizmo documents across Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

iCloud documents are immediately propagated on all your devices. With Handoff, any open document on your iPhone or iPad is made available on your nearby Mac for further editing.

Thanks to iCloud and Handoff, Prizmo makes a perfect match with the iPhone/iPad version of Prizmo.



Extensions

Extensions offer Prizmo's capabilities throughout macOS:
  • Image Cleanup Extension: Prizmo image cropping and cleanup capabilities are now exposed globally to other apps as an image editing extension. See it in action.

  • OCR Extension: Prizmo OCR feature is now made available throughout macOS, as an extension. Textual contents can be retrieved from any image in other apps that support extensions. See it in action.






Extensions are easily accessed. For instance, open Mail, drop a document picture, click the extension button (upper right corner of the picture), and choose "Crop & Clean Up". There, you can use Prizmo cropping and background cleanup all without leaving your email message.



New Design for macOS

Prizmo features a brand new user interface for macOS, with focus on document contents and clarity. Windows are transluscent, making use of latest vibrancy capabilities of macOS for an elegant and modern look and feel.

Moreover, the application toolbar and main window have been updated for easier understanding and workflow, with main options at the top, and document-related tools at the bottom. Prizmo feels right at home on Macs running latest macOS.



Improved Image Processing

Prizmo brings important updates to its image processing methods. Image cleanup is now more robust and more easily controlled, and it will not only preserve text quality like before, but also improve overall image quality, both in black and white and color modes.

Additionally, OCR preprocessing has been improved as well, and although readability tuning is still available to the user, default settings should provide improved results for most document kinds.



Improved Accessibility

Prizmo, both on iOS and macOS, has a long history of support for VoiceOver. As of version 3, Prizmo uses the latest VoiceOver APIs of macOS for improved feedback on its user interface.

Prizmo also keeps its white/black/blurry contents detection, as well as its text-to-speech capabilities to provide additional aid for visually-impaired users.



See all new features.