How to stop converting photos to black and white when OCR'ing??!!!

[andrewl80662224]

I have adobe pro dc 2015 and I am batch converting pdfs in a folder (and subfolders) by using enhance scans, multiple pdfs. However, when this completes, all pdf photos are now black and white. How do I stop the conversion of photos to black and white when batch OCR'ing?

[andrewl80662224]

Can someone please help?

[Bernd Alheit]

Can you share a photo?

[andrewl80662224]

[Bernd Alheit]

This doesn't help.

[risharmaAdobe]

Hi Andrew,

Could you please share one of the documents that you are OCRing using multiple files path?

Also please share the Settings you used for OCR.

Steps to share the file using Adobe send

Share the file using https://cloud.acrobat.com/send

a.            Open this link

b.            Click on “Select files to Send”

c.             Click link "Select file from my computer" and Select the file

d.            Click on Create link

e.            Share this link

Alternatively you can also try latest Acrobat DC Download Adobe Acrobat free trial | Acrobat Pro DC to see if the issue is resolved here.

Thanks

Rishabh

[andrewl80662224]

Rishabh,

Thank you for the reply.  Unfortunately, I cannot share the info as it details information about our server. The only OCR setting I know about is the option to change the language and change the resolution. Do you know of other OCR settings?

Bernd Alheit asked for a photo, which was supplied. But he said it didn't help, which I knew it would not, but I provided it nonetheless.

As I have stated in the intro, I have Adobe Pro DC 2015. Please read the description again.

[Bernd Alheit]

I asked for one of the pdf photos, not for a schreenshot.

[andrewl80662224]

"Can you share a photo?" my apologies.

[Test Screen Name]

For clarity, I should explain why we asked you for a photo, so you can choose whether to do this (which may help us to help you).

You say "and I am batch converting pdfs... when this completes, all pdf photos are now black and white" . We want to TRY EXACTLY THE SAME THING AS YOU, because this is not a common or recognised problem. Our only hope, therefore, is to do what you do and then play with settings and files to try and find a solution for you.

This means we need one of your actual PDF files (of photos) - NOT a picture of it or something else. Ideally, share both "before" (presumably, this is in colour) and "after" (presumably, this is in black and white). You CANNOT post a PDF in this forum, so you share it by placing it on a web site or file sharing site of your own, and posting a link.

If the information is sensitive, this shouldn't be a big obstacle since you say it affects all files. Just make up a mock up file with no real info in it, and see whether you get the same issue. If you do, share the mock up before and after.

[risharmaAdobe]

Hi andrewl80662224​,

There is no such issue encountered by anyone yet that running OCR makes the doc BW form color. So I am interested in knowing what steps do you use in Acrobat to OCR docs.Please share the steps and screenshots of the screens of Acrobat showing all those mentioned steps.

I understand the confidentiality of the documents earlier mentioned by you but i believe sharing these screenshots won't be any issue.

Thanks

Rishabh

[andrewl80662224]

Thank you for the much needed clarification. I have created a link to the actual document (thanks to Rishabh in making links easy): Shared Files - Acrobat.com .  The PDF after OCR(which made the photo pdf black and white) can be accessed here: Shared Files - Acrobat.com .

Here are my steps to batch convert a folder of pdfs and all its subfolder pdfs:

Tools, enhance scans, or recognize text in multiple files, add files, add folders. I initially tried action wizard, but when OCR'ing, it asked me to select the resolution and to save the document, of each pdf... unacceptable for an entire database.

Again, I have Adobe Pro DC 2015 (File version: 15.006.30352.41391). Says no updates available.

This now makes me wonder about other issues, as in the platform. I am using Windows 7 Pro, svc pck 1, bld7601. I have an i5-6400 @ 2.7ghz, 4 core, 8gb memory. Java: 1.8.0_111-b14.

[Bernd Alheit]

When I use Tools > Enhance Scans > Recognize Text I get this:

Shared Files - Acrobat.com

[andrewl80662224]

The photo is in color, but now has thin lines across the image. I used to have Adobe Pro 9, and it never did that. Thank you for your effort.

[Bernd Alheit]

The lines are in your original file.

[andrewl80662224]

That is so weird, I do not see any.

[Bernd Alheit]

Look on your shared file:

Shared Files - Acrobat.com

[andrewl80662224]

I do not know how to explain this.  The image I shared above is from the original file that I shared on the link, and as you can see, the original file does not have any lines.  HOWEVER, when I click on the link I shared, that original file has lines!!!

[Bernd Alheit]

Put the file in a zip file and share the zip file on cloud.acrobat.com

[andrewl80662224]

Zipped: Shared Files - Acrobat.com

[Bernd Alheit]

Here the converted file:

Shared Files - Acrobat.com

[risharmaAdobe]

Hi Andrew,

This issue is very much unheard to us given that we see all kinds of issues in OCR but not this automatic BW conversion.

Please follow these steps as we are unable to reproduce the issue:

1) Put this color version of file in a folder.

2) Launch Acrobat -> Tools ->Enhance Scans->Recognize text in multiple files

3) Add folder -> Here select the folder you just created

4) In file output settings -> select wherever you want to save your new file

5) In OCR settings use Searchable Image -> English -> 300dpi

6) Proceed

Share the original and the result files.

You can share multiple files in same link.

P.S.: if this issue is readily reproducible to you(occurs every time) then probably you can create a document from a screenshot which will be OCR-able one and not some object.

Thanks

Rishabh

[andrewl80662224]

Rishabh, that is the exact procedure I have been using.

[risharmaAdobe]

Hi Andrew, In that case I think we should set up a remote session where you may share your screen window and do this process.

It wont take much time but we hope that will help us go deeper into the issue to figure out the root cause and solve it sooner.

Thanks

Rishabh

[Bernd Alheit]

Caution: He/she is not a Adobe employee.