How to Run Two OCR Settings on the Same PDF in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
Configure Adobe Acrobat to sequentially apply two different OCR text recognition settings to a single PDF document using the Action Wizard.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Automating advanced PDF text recognition tasks where a single source file needs to be processed with distinct OCR configurations.
- Observed behavior
- The user wants to set up a sequence in Action Wizard to execute 'Recognize Text Using OCR' twice, outputting both 'Searchable Image' and 'Editable Text and Images' correctly.
Ensure you have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed, as the Action Wizard feature is not available in the standard Acrobat Reader. Additionally, group your source PDFs into a dedicated folder for easier batch processing.
Configure Acrobat Action Wizard for Dual OCR
Create a custom Action Wizard sequence that applies the OCR tool twice, configuring specific file-handling to capture both 'Searchable Image' and 'Editable Text' results.
By default, standard OCR is a single-pass process. However, Adobe Acrobat Pro's Action Wizard allows you to string together multiple actions. To achieve dual OCR results without conflicts, you must configure the output paths so the second step recognizes the correct version of the document or saves as a distinct file.
Open Adobe Acrobat Pro. Navigate to the 'Tools' tab and select 'Action Wizard'. Click on 'New Action' in the top toolbar to open the creation dialog.
In the 'Choose tools to add' pane on the left, expand 'Recognize Text' and click 'Recognize Text Using OCR'. Click the '+' button to add it to the right pane. Uncheck 'Prompt user' and click 'Specify Settings'. Set the output style to 'Searchable Image'.
Repeat the process by adding 'Recognize Text Using OCR' a second time to the action steps list. Click 'Specify Settings' for this second instance and change the output style to 'Editable Text and Images'.
Under 'Save & Export' on the left pane, add 'Save' to your action list to ensure the final document is stored. Click 'Save', name your custom action (e.g., 'Dual OCR Processing'), and hit 'Save' again.
Select your newly created action from the Action List. Add your target PDF files or a folder of PDFs, and click 'Start' to begin the dual OCR processing.
Use WPS PDF to Quickly Recognize and Extract Text
If you want to bypass complex wizard setups, you can use the built-in OCR capabilities in WPS Office. It provides an intuitive way to convert scanned PDFs directly into editable Word or Excel files in just a few clicks.
- 1. Open Your PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open the scanned or image-based PDF document you wish to process.
- 2. Access the OCR Tool: Navigate to the 'Tools' tab on the top ribbon and select the 'OCR' button.
- 3. Select Output Preference: Choose how you want to handle the text. You can select 'Extract text only', 'Convert to Word', or 'Convert to Excel' based on your needs.
- 4. Start Recognition: Click 'Start' to begin the conversion. Once finished, WPS will immediately provide you with an editable Microsoft Office compatible file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I need two different OCR settings for the same PDF?
Users often need a 'Searchable Image' version to maintain the exact visual appearance of an archival document while making the text selectable, alongside an 'Editable Text and Images' version to actively modify fonts, words, and layout elements.
Can I use the Action Wizard on the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader?
No, the Action Wizard is a premium automation feature exclusive to Adobe Acrobat Pro. Free versions like Acrobat Reader cannot create or execute custom batch actions.
Why does my second OCR step overwrite or fail in the Action Wizard?
This commonly occurs if the file-handling steps are not configured to output separate files, or if the first OCR step degrades the image rendering in a way that the second step cannot properly parse. Ensure you carefully define output folder paths in the Action Wizard settings.
