OCR, or Optical Character Recognition, is a technology that converts text within a bitmapped image-made up of dots or pixels-into editable digital text. By analysing the shapes of characters in scanned documents or photographs, OCR software translates them into machine-readable formats such as ASCII text files.
This process allows previously uneditable content, such as printed pages or scanned images, to be searched, copied, and modified. OCR is widely used in photography, archiving, and document management, helping to digitise printed materials and streamline workflows for both personal and professional use.