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PDF Rescue (OCR) ​

This page is the GitBook version of the original PDF Rescue guide.

If you prefer the repository copy, see: https://github.com/michaelbeijer/Supervertaler/blob/main/docs/guides/PDF_RESCUE.md

PDF Rescue - AI-Powered OCR Tool ​

Part of Supervertaler • by Michael Beijer

📖 Overview ​

PDF Rescue is a specialised AI-powered OCR tool designed to extract clean, editable text from poorly formatted PDFs. Built into Supervertaler, it uses vision-capable LLM OCR to intelligently recognise text, formatting, redactions, stamps, and signatures—producing professional, translator-ready documents.

🎯 The Problem It Solves ​

Have you ever received a PDF translation job where:

  • The text won't copy-paste cleanly?
  • Line breaks are all over the place?
  • Formatting is completely broken?
  • Traditional OCR produces gibberish?
  • Redacted sections show as black boxes?
  • Stamps and signatures clutter the text?

PDF Rescue fixes all of this.

Real-World Success Story ​

"I had a client reach out for a rush job—a 4-page legal document that had clearly been scanned badly. Traditional OCR couldn't handle it, and manual retyping would have taken hours.

I used PDF Rescue's one-click PDF import, processed all 4 pages with AI OCR, and it produced a flawless Word document that I could immediately start working with. What would have been a multi-day nightmare became a straightforward job I could deliver on time.

I was able to tell my client that I could handle the job—and delivered professional quality. PDF Rescue literally saved a client relationship."

— Michael Beijer, Professional Translator

✨ Key Features ​

1. 📄 One-Click PDF Import ​

  • No external tools needed - Import PDFs directly
  • Automatic page extraction - Each page saved as high-quality PNG (2x resolution)
  • Persistent storage - Images saved next to source PDF in {filename}_images/ folder
  • Client-ready - Images can be delivered to end clients if needed

2. 🧠 Smart AI-Powered OCR ​

  • Vision-capable LLM OCR - High accuracy OCR
  • Context-aware - Understands document structure and formatting
  • Intelligent cleanup - Fixes line breaks, spacing, and formatting issues
  • Redaction handling - Inserts descriptive placeholders like [naam], [bedrag] in document language
  • Stamps & signatures - Detects and describes non-text elements: [stempel], [handtekening]

3. 🎨 Optional Formatting Preservation ​

  • Markdown-based - Uses **bold**, *italic*, __underline__
  • Toggle on/off - User-controlled via checkbox
  • Clean output - Markdown converted to proper formatting in DOCX export
  • Visual preview - See formatting markers before export

4. 📊 Batch Processing ​

  • Process selected - Work on individual images
  • Process all - Batch process entire document
  • Progress tracking - Visual progress bar and status updates
  • Skip processed - Already-processed images are skipped (unless re-selected)

5. 📝 Comprehensive Logging ​

  • Activity log integration - All operations logged with timestamps
  • PDF import progress - Each page extraction logged
  • OCR processing - Per-image processing logged
  • DOCX export - Export operations tracked

6. 👁️ Full Transparency ​

  • "Show Prompt" button - View exact instructions sent to AI
  • Configuration display - See model, formatting settings, max tokens
  • No black boxes - Complete visibility into AI processing

7. 📊 Professional Session Reports ​

  • Markdown format - Clean, readable documentation
  • Complete configuration - All settings recorded
  • Processing summary - Table of all images and status
  • Full extracted text - All OCR results included
  • Statistics - Character/word counts and averages
  • Supervertaler branding - Professional client-ready reports

8. 💾 Flexible Export Options ​

  • DOCX export - Formatted Word documents with optional bold/italic/underline
  • Copy to clipboard - Quick text extraction
  • Session reports - Professional MD documentation

9. 🚀 Standalone Mode ​

Can run independently outside Supervertaler:

bash
python modules/pdf_rescue.py

Full-featured standalone application with all capabilities.

🎯 Workflow ​

Quick Start (5 Steps) ​

  1. Open PDF Rescue - Navigate to Assistant panel → PDF Rescue tab
  2. Import PDF - Click "📄 PDF" button, select your badly-formatted PDF
  3. Check formatting option - Leave "Preserve formatting" checked (default)
  4. Process - Click "⚡ Process ALL" to OCR all pages
  5. Export - Click "💾 Save DOCX" to create Word document

That's it! You now have a clean, editable Word document ready for translation.

Detailed Workflow ​

Step 1: Import Your PDF ​

Method 1: Direct PDF Import (Recommended)

Click: 📄 PDF button
→ Select PDF file
→ Automatic page extraction to {filename}_images/ folder
→ All pages added to processing queue

Method 2: Manual Image Import

Click: 📁 Add Files → Select individual images
OR
Click: 📂 Folder → Select folder with images

Result: All images listed in left panel with ✓ status indicators

Step 2: Configure Settings ​

Model Selection:

  • gpt-4o (Recommended) - Latest, fastest, best quality
  • gpt-4o-mini - Budget option, good quality
  • gpt-4-turbo - Alternative, similar quality to gpt-4o

Formatting Option:

  • ✓ Preserve formatting (bold/italic/underline) - Enabled by default
  • Unchecked = Plain text output only

Extraction Instructions:

  • Default instructions optimized for badly formatted PDFs
  • Handles redactions, stamps, signatures automatically
  • Can customize if needed (advanced)
  • Click "👁️ Show Prompt" to see exact AI instructions

Step 3: Process Images ​

Option A: Process Selected

1. Select image(s) in list
2. Click: 🔍 Process Selected
3. View result in preview pane

Option B: Process All (Recommended)

1. Click: ⚡ Process ALL
2. Confirm batch processing dialog
3. Watch progress bar
4. All pages processed automatically

Processing Details:

  • Each image sent to the OCR model
  • Text extracted with context awareness
  • Formatting detected (if enabled)
  • Redactions/stamps/signatures handled
  • Results stored in memory
  • ✓ indicator appears when processed

Step 4: Review & Export ​

Review Extracted Text:

  • Click any processed image in list
  • Preview pane shows extracted text
  • Formatting shown as markdown (**bold**, *italic*, etc.)
  • Verify quality before export

Export Options:

  1. 💾 Save DOCX (Primary export)

    • Formatted Word document
    • Markdown converted to proper formatting
    • One page per document page
    • Page headers with filenames
    • Ready for translation work

  2. 📋 Copy All

    • All text to clipboard
    • Includes page separators
    • Quick paste into any application

  3. 📊 Session Report

    • Professional markdown documentation
    • Complete configuration record
    • All extracted text included
    • Statistics and metadata
    • Client-ready deliverable

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© Michael Beijer