11.0

ABBYY FineReader 11 User’s Guide
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To obtain good quality photos of documents, be sure to position the camera correctly and follow
these simple recommendations.
• Use a tripod whenever possible.
• The lens should be positioned parallel to the page and look towards the center of the document. The
distance between the camera and the document should be selected so that the entire page fits
within the frame when you zoom in. In most cases this distance will be between 50 and 60 cm.
• Even out the paper document or book pages (especially in the case of thick books). The text lines
should not be skewed by more than 20 degrees, otherwise the text may not be converted properly.
• To get sharper images, focus on a part of the image between the center of the document and one of
its edges.
• Enable the anti–shake system, as longer exposures in poor lighting conditions may cause blur.
• Use the automatic shutter release feature. This will prevent the camera from moving when you press
the shutter release button. The use of automatic shutter release is recommended even if you use a
tripod.
When you need to take another photo
Please make sure that your camera meets the technical requirements and follow the simple
recommendations provided in the "Lighting" and "Taking Photos" sections.
How to improve an image, if:
• the image is too dark and too soft
Solution: Try to use brighter lighting. Otherwise, set a lower aperture value, i.e. open up the
aperture.
• the image is not sharp enough
Solution: Autofocus may not work properly in poor lighting or when taking pictures from a close
distance. Try using brighter lighting. If this does not help, try focusing the camera manually.
If the image is only slightly blurred, try the Photo Correction tool that is available in the Image
Editor. For more information, see the "Editing Images Manually" section.
• only part of the image is blurry
Solution: Try setting a higher aperture value. Take pictures from a greater distance at maximum
optical zoom. Focus on a point between the center and the edge of the image.
• flash causes glare
Solution: Turn off the flash or try using other light sources and increasing the distance between the
camera and the document.
Automatic Image Preprocessing
OCR quality may be affected by distorted text lines, document skew, noise, and other defects
commonly found on scanned images and digital photos.