Illustrator 28 Retype selection not recognized, text recognition failed. Try another selection

[AstrantiaMajor]

Hello, 

I was so exited when I discoverd the Retype-tool, however, I can't get it to work at all. I select the image (or the outlined text if it's in vector), and I click enter and all I get is this: 

Super bummed, cause it would be so usefull if I could get it to work. Any suggestions?

[Lorenzo Moro]

+1!
Thank you!

[@cesarqueb_]

Same issue here! Retype (beta) feature does not work with latest version of AI (28.0). Using Windows 11 Pro x64 and 16 GB RAM, SSD. Previous version working fine.

[Monika Gause]

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@cesarqueb_  schrieb:

Same issue here! Retype (beta) feature does not work with latest version of AI (28.0). Using Windows 11 Pro x64 and 16 GB RAM, SSD. Previous version working fine.

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Did you already try what has been mentioned in this thread?

[@cesarqueb_]

Hello! 👋 

Thank you  for you reply! 
I was missing to update my latest impressions. Yes I did! Installing the English package language in my OS, fix the isssue. The big issue here is... what if the text is in Spanish or another language?

TIA

[Anshul_Saini]

Thank you for the update! I'm glad to hear that installing the English package language resolved the issue. You're right; it might not be an ideal solution if you're working with text in Spanish or another language. Retype OCR should ideally recognize words from various languages, so it's unfortunate that it currently requires an English-like alphabet to work correctly. Since the feature is currently in beta, it has limited language support. As it evolves and reaches general availability, more languages are likely to be added.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask! 😊

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @cesarqueb_,

I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with the Retype (beta) feature in the latest Illustrator version. Have you tried the steps I mentioned above? If you've followed those steps and are still encountering the problem, it would be helpful if you could share a screenshot of the error (if any) or a screen recording demonstrating the issue. This will assist us in identifying and addressing the problem more effectively.

Best,

Anshul Saini

[danielt57738565]

When Retype was first issued a month or so ago, I installed it and worked just fine. German Version, Win 10 pro on a 32 Gig Ram more than sufficient graphics workstation. After the last AI update it never worked again. Today I tried it again on another Workstation in the office, same configuration, but first time module download. Didn't work either. Very dispappointing.

[peter30576124lur6]

I have windows 11 Pro. There is not selection for "preferred language".  I have done all the other steps listed (it was already setup that way so no changes in language were needed/allowed)  Even if i just type something with a system font and create outlines, it still doesnt identify or show any selections. Anybody else have this problem and create a work around?

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @peter30576124lur6 @danielt57738565,

I am sorry to hear about that. I just wanted to reconfirm with you both if you have tried the steps to add an English language module for OCR to work in Retype on your system. Here are the steps with screenshots:

1. Click the “Start” button on your Windows system and navigate to “Settings.”
2. Choose “Time & Language” and then select “Language.”
   
3. Under “Preferred languages,” click on “Add a language.”
   
4. Select the language you’d like to install, choose “English (United States),” and click “Next.”
   
5. Check all the checkboxes except for “Set as my Windows display language,” and then click “Install.”
   
   
   

After completing these steps, please let me know if the issue still persists.

Best regards,

Anshul Saini

[MartijnVerduin]

This is a very good guide to install an extra language in Windows. However, if you're not the Administrator on your PC (I'm using Adobe Creative Cloud in my company's account) and if they have closed this option off for all employees, it will not be possible to add an extra OCR language. So I guess I will not be able to check it out as long as it's still in beta, and that's Just too bad, was looking forward to this. Can we do it using firefly or something (cloud based) for the time being or is it only an Illustrator feature?

[peter30576124lur6]

Thank you again for the guide but English is ALREADY my prefered language so its grey'ed out. I cannot select it again. Perhaps uninstall and reinstall it?

[peter30576124lur6]

English (united states) is also my Windows display language

[Anshul_Saini]

HI @peter30576124lur6,

I understand the frustration you're facing with the Retype feature. If you're unable to add an additional language module due to restrictions on your company's account, you might indeed encounter limitations in accessing Retype (beta).

For the time being, the OCR language addition is a system-level setting and may require administrative privileges one time. If your organization has specific policies in place, it might be a good idea to check with your IT department or system administrator to explore potential workarounds or solutions.

Feel free to reach out if you have further questions or if there's anything else I can assist you with.

Best regards,
Anshul

[PJ340929994ot5]

You're confusing two peoples stuff. I am the admin on my own computer. English is the defaulted and only language on my computer. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the language with all the right settings and it still doesn't work. It just can't read anything that is type , outlined , in an image. It just doesn't register anything. In both the current release and beta versions. 

[danielt57738565]

All in all this cannot be the way. I checked an older Version of Illustrator, 27.9, where the retype module was first implemented. AMD Machine with 24 GB RAM, Win 10, German language, AI in german. And it worked. So the bug must be in the updatet Versions of AI

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @peter30576124lur6 and @danielt57738565,

Thank you for providing additional details. If English (United States) is already your preferred display language, and the Retype feature is still not recognizing text, here are a couple of additional suggestions:

• Uninstall and Reinstall OCR Language:
• Uninstall the English (United States) language from the language settings.
• Reinstall it using the steps mentioned earlier, making sure to check all the necessary checkboxes during installation.
• After reinstalling the language, restart Illustrator and try using the Retype feature again.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, please let me know. I'll escalate the matter to the product team for further investigation.

Best regards,
Anshul

[Omachi]

In the Japanese version of Windows, Retype cannot be executed using only the correct steps.
After performing the correct steps, you must drag "English(United States)" to the top of the list.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9%E3%83%A0-discussions/...

[MartijnVerduin]

Well, at least in the new version that was released today, the suggestion to install English OCR is made by the Retype tool:

Doesn't help me offcourse, still going to have to wait until it gets available for my language.

[Filip Bl.]

Hello, any update? 

I just installed Illustrator on my new machine and this feature does not work. 

Is it Adobe's agenda to discriminate against users who don't use English as their language?

[Monika Gause]

I'm not sure - is that Polish?

I have just tried a Polish text (rasterized) in my German Illustrator version. No problem with that. https://youtu.be/gtjGNlNxGAY

If you have outlined text, try and rasterize it. That sometimes works better. 

[Filip Bl.]

It is Czech. The problem is not the language of the text. It cannot recognize ABC in Helvetica. It cannot recognize anything since my macOS is in Czech and so is the UI of my Adobe apps with the latest updates. Adobe developers have admitted that this feature announcement is misleading, as it only works correctly on certain configurations.

[Monika Gause]

Out of curiosity I installed the Czech version and then tried it and it worked: https://youtu.be/kNsLIcmNj4k

You need to install an extra piece of code in your Illustrator. Did you do that?

[Filip Bl.]

Hi, I did. But I am afraid it is more related to the settings of the system, not the app itself. There is a workaround for Windows by Anshul_Saini.

Unfortunately it only describes the Windows platform.  I have English (UK) as the secondary language in my macOS settings: 

Thank you all for providing the information. I've consulted with the product team, and they suggest trying to incorporate English OCR. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Click the "Start" button on your Windows system and navigate to "Settings."
2. Choose "Time & Language" and then select "Language."
3. Under "Preferred languages," click on "Add a language."
4. Select the language you'd like to install, choose "English (United States)," and click "Next."
5. Check all the checkboxes except for "Set as my Windows

[Filip Bl.]

I eventually uninstalled and installed Illustrator again and suddenly it works. Very user friendly approach.

[MartijnVerduin]

The most recent update made ReType available without the need to install US language pack. I'm not competely convinced though, the background of text is usually changed like this:

as you can see on the right, it had a speckled background but it is now changed to solid. So I will have to do a lot of manual work anyway? Sometimes it really gets messy, even with the tutorial file added by Adobe:

or after moving the text out of the way:

Is this something I'm doing wrong or is it just te fact that it's beta?