This activity will help you familiarize yourself with the Adobe Acrobat Pro interface. The goal of this exercise will be to convert a scanned image into a PDF file, implement OCR, and then export the file as a Microsoft Word document.
Step 1: Import JPEG file
- Open Adobe Acrobat Pro (it should be on your desktop, or you can look through the programs on the window button in the lower left-hand corner).
- Once Adobe Acrobat Pro is open, the next step is to locate the document you would like to work with. For this activity, we will use document titled 'Activity #1- Pride & Prejudice', found in the Activity Document section of this page. Download the document.
- Return to Acrobat, and from the file menu select 'Create’ -> ‘PDF from File’. Import the document you just downloaded.
- The image will be immediately converted into a non-editable PDF.
Step 2: Using OCR
- On the right hand tools bar, click ‘Edit PDF’.
- Wait for Adobe to work its magic.
- You should now be able to highlight text, and use the edit tools. Play around with the 'Edit Text & Images' tools to familiarize yourself with them.
Step 3: Exporting as a Microsoft Word Document
- Once you have familiarized yourself with the 'Edit Text & Images' tools, go to 'File' -> 'Export to'.
- From the drop down list of options, choose Microsoft Word Document.
- Give your document a name and save.
- Give the program a few seconds to load, then go to your desktop and open up the document. Notice what did/did not translate correctly, and how time-intensive it would be to fix every oddity or mistake. Let's discuss this as a group.