DEV Community: iScanner for iPhone and Android

Use AI to Find Any Document in Seconds on Your iPhone

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 08:52:20 +0000

Among all document-related tasks, file searching firmly holds an honorable fourth place for the most time spent. Although AI has the potential to swiftly complete file searches, it's not a simple tool you can instantly pick up and use, is it? Hence, choosing an app that employs AI-powered search is the solution. iScanner has added two features that will help you find any document in seconds.

How to Search for a PDF Like a Pro: Streamline Your Workflow with Smart File Search

Locating files in iScanner is pretty easy because the app has an excellent file manager and displays file previews. However, if you’re something of a digital hoarder who never deletes anything, manual search can get old very fast (and probably faster than you find what you need).

This is why we’ve added Name Search—a feature that allows you to search for files automatically. All you need to do is type the file name or at least some portions of it into the search bar.

How to Find Files by Name in iScanner

First, open the app or install it if you don’t have it—you’ll see a search bar at the top of the screen.
Next, switch from Ask AI (which is a fantastic feature incidentally, basically, ChatGPT for your documents) to Name Search.
Type the file name, parts of the name, or any numbers the file name may contain into the search bar.
As you type, the app will present you with the file(s) that contain your search query in their name(s). Voilà!

No Name—No Problem!

When you have a lot of files, remembering their names can often be difficult. So, how to find scanned documents on your iPhone if there’s a whole bunch of them and you have no clue as to what they might be called or when you scanned or uploaded them?

The good news is that if you’re on the hunt for a particular document, chances are you have a rough idea of what it’s about. That’s more than enough to track it down with iScanner! Our app now comes equipped with a super handy Content Search feature. Just type in a word or phrase you think might be in the document, and the app will find all your files containing that search term.

How to Find Scanned Documents on iPhone with Content Search

Open the app and you’ll see the search bar at the top of the screen.
Toggle the switcher to Content Search.
Type any words or numbers that you think your file contains within it.
Next, you’ll need to decide whether you’d like to refine your search by selecting specific files or search across all your files. Keep in mind that if you have a substantial number of files in the app that haven’t undergone text recognition, the search may take some time as it will need to process and recognize text within them using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology.
iScanner will search the contents of your documents for your search query and present you with a shortlist of suspects.

Check out this blog post for more tips on finding files faster and easier.

Ask AI: AI Rewriter, Proofreader & Translator for Paper & Digital Documents

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:00:13 +0000

AI rewriter, AI translator, AI summarizer, and AI proofreading tools have become incredibly popular because they have revolutionized the way we work and interact with texts and PDFs. With the new iScanner update, you can stretch the AI goodness to any hard copy too!

The Ultimate Productivity Tool

Do you talk to your documents often? Paper or digital, they, sadly, ignore all attempts at a conversation. But wouldn’t it be fantastic if, instead of rifling through the pages in search of a particular piece of information, you could just ask it a question and get back an answer? Or if a poorly written conclusion could rewrite itself?

Now with the Ask AI feature, iScanner can not only scan the pages in front of you but also scan the contents of the pages for the exact info you need. And that’s not all it does, because Ask AI does whatever ChatGPT can, and you’ve probably heard a thing or two about ChatGPT.

The cool part is that you can use it with digital documents and with hard copies alike—simply scan the pages that need a proper read and ask away! For example, you could ask AI to find the section with liabilities in a legal document or notice periods in a rental agreement.

AI Summarizer

Raise your hand if you like to read instruction manuals. Financial reports, anyone? How about scientific articles? The reality is that sometimes we all have to read them and in some cases pretty thoroughly too. With Ask AI, you can simply skim through the document to get a general idea of its structure, and ask questions on particular sections—the AI will read the document on your behalf and answer them. All results will contain quotes and page citations for your reference.

AI Rewriter

An AI rewriter tool can come in handy in an innumerable number of ways. You could rephrase parts of your written work for a better flow or you could ask the app to rewrite it using a different angle, thereby providing a fresh perspective and enhancing the overall quality of your content. A handy AI rewriter tool offers flexibility and efficiency, making them valuable assets for various writing and content-creation endeavors.

AI Translator

Ask AI can be immensely helpful during your travels too! Struggling to decipher which dishes contain peanuts you’re allergic to on a foreign-language menu or an official-looking notice someone left on your windshield? Simply scan it with iScanner and hit Ask AI! The app can provide summaries or answers to your questions, making your travel experiences smoother, safer, and more enjoyable.

AI Proofreader

Proofreading your written work with Ask AI is the next best thing to having a private tutor, one that speaks dozens of languages at that! Ask AI can identify and correct semantic, syntactic, punctuation, and even nuanced contextual errors, ensuring that your writing is not only error-free but also polished to perfection. Whether you’re a student wishing to improve your grades or a professional seeking impeccable business communication, Ask AI can help you present your ideas with clarity and confidence in any language.

Find out how to use the Ask AI feature from this blog post.

Some Handy Scenarios to Keep In Mind

Need to sift through a pile of resumes in search of the most suitable candidates? Scan them and question Ask AI like you would during an interview! The same goes for digital resumes—simply upload them to the app and take a break from reading.
Emails pending your reply piled up? Upload them to the app or scan them and Ask AI will draft replies in no time.
Want to enhance your writing or brainstorm more content ideas? Just upload your text and let Ask AI suggest counterarguments for your points or ideas you could reflect upon. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can extract from a single piece of content.
Making a stab at a particularly difficult recipe? Ask AI can simplify the process if you scan the recipe first. Ask it about the quantity of the ingredients, prep times, or the order in which to add things without having to pore over the recipe book.
Need to read something in miniscule font like a patient information leaflet? No need to squint or look for a magnifying glass—scan it with iScanner, and Ask AI will tell you everything you need to know.
Stumbled upon an intriguing foreign-language newspaper clipping? Snap a picture and let Ask AI summarize it and answer your questions.
Need a quick review of personal information in a legal document before signing? In seconds, Ask AI can help you verify that all details are accurate. The amount of information we encounter every day is unlimited unlike the time we have—a tool like Ask AI can give your productivity a real boost regardless of where you are in your career or education. Don’t miss out on trying a time-saving tool like this—install the iScanner app and see how much of a difference it can make. You know what they say—the AI won’t take our jobs, but people who master it might.

Remove Shadows and Denoise Your Color and B&W Scans

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:35:28 +0000

Hundreds of things can impact the quality of your scanned documents, from multiple types of image noise to uneven lighting and glare to shadows, stains, paper wrinkles, and show-throughs on the source page. At the end of the day, do we really care what all these artifacts are called and what causes them? We just want to remove them from our pictures and scans with as little time and effort as possible. If you’re on board with this, iScanner’s got great news for you. We’re happy to announce the release of our newest filter that allows you to denoise images and remove shadows, show-throughs, and other artifacts from scanned documents in one tap.

What Does Denoise Mean

Image denoising is a term used to describe a range of techniques and processes aimed at removing digital noise and unwanted artifacts from an image. Essentially, it involves the removal of visual information that lacks meaning to the viewer or a processing system, such as random color pixels, shadows, smudges, etc., while preserving the important details of the image.

Why Is It Important to Denoise Your Scans

There are three main reasons why you should denoise your scans.

First of all, denoising gives them a tidier, more professional look.
Second of all, denoised images are much easier to read, which makes it easier to focus on the actual content.
Lastly and most importantly, noise and various artifacts create a serious problem for optical character recognition software. Shadows, stains, glare, creases, and show-throughs can cause OCR algorithms to misread the characters which can result in incorrect or incomplete extraction of data. This is why most organizations will reject applications containing scanned images with low resolution or multiple visual artifacts. So even if you aren’t fussy about the overall look of your scans, there might be situations where it will be necessary to denoise them, and it’s always handy to have an easy-to-use tool that is always on hand.

Get the Best Possible Scan Quality Even in Tricky Conditions

Tricky conditions are unfortunately much more common than perfect ones. Therefore, the Clear filter is an invaluable tool if you need to scan a lot on the go. Here are several things it can help you with:

Glare and shadow removal—Natural light is great, but trying to scan something on a sunny day can be a real quest because glare and shadows are pretty much impossible to avoid. Save time with the Clear filter—just make a shot and the filter will remove shadows and glare.
See-Throughs Correction—See-throughs are a common issue with thin pages because the contents of the underlying page will inevitably show on the one you’re trying to scan. The Clear filter can take care of that too.
Smudges and Stains Removal—If your source document isn’t in a pristine condition, you can remove smudges and stains with just a tap.
Colored Pixel Noise Reduction—Pixelated images are very common if the picture was taken in insufficient lighting conditions. The Clear filter can identify random colored pixels responsible for visual noise and remove them, creating a much clearer, tidier picture.

What You’ll Like about the New Filter

It has a slider controller, so you can adjust the effect of the filter very easily.
You can see all the changes in real time—no need to save to see the result.
It can deal with color images as well as B&W ones. If you’ve tried to remove shadows from a color image, you probably know that it can be a real pain in the backside.
The filter can change the background color completely while preserving the original color of the text.
You can denoise not only the documents you’ve scanned with the app but also upload images from your camera roll, files, email, etc.
It’s super easy to use.

Learn how to denoise scans and remove shadows with the Clear Filter in this blog post.

Back to Focus: Image Deblurring Is Now for Documents Too

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:52:31 +0000

Most of us have had our fair share of bitter disappointment when the shot of a lifetime we were dying to show off to friends and family came out blurry and unfocused. In fact, it seems that the more exciting the photo opportunity is, the more likely we are to flub it! Luckily for all of us, image deblurring tools that allow anyone to deblur an image in a few clicks are available. They are fantastic and can reduce motion blur caused by the shaky hands of an overexcited photographer or the fast movements of a hyperactive model. However, as amazing as the image deblurring tools are, they all specialize in images.

Meanwhile, blurry documents happen just as often, and apart from causing disappointment, they can also be the reason for a rejected application or a failed deadline. That’s why the iScanner team took it upon themselves to fix this glaring gap in the world of image deblurring tools. We’re thrilled to announce our new feature, Document Deblur.

A Powerful Addition to the AI Enhancer Toolbox

Document deblur is yet another AI-powered feature that has become a valuable addition to iScanner’s AI Enhancer menu. For those who are yet unfamiliar with iScanner’s AI Enhancer, it’s a set of powerful AI algorithms of our own design that allow users to instantly:

Smooth out a scanned page by removing skews, warps, and minor creases.
Fix the geometry of a scanned page by correcting perspective distortions.
Remove accidentally captured fingers from scans.

Now, in addition to that, users can also deblur images and sharpen out-of-focus documents. The great news is that the new feature allows users to fix not only the documents they’ve just scanned but also to upload and fix images from their gallery.

How Image Deblurring Works in iScanner

The document deblur feature is a deep learning algorithm that can cope with various types of focus and motion blur. This means the algorithm can tackle both the blur caused by shaky hands or scanning while on a bumpy bus ride and the blur in out-of-focus images. Basically, what it does is bring back the sharpness to blurry documents by removing rough and fuzzy edges and increasing the contrast between the text and the background.

First, the algorithm identifies the pixels that differ significantly from their neighboring counterparts.
Next, it enhances the contrast between them so that light pixels become even lighter and dark pixels become even darker.
As a result, the contrast between the text and the background is increased, making the text appear much less blurry and more legible.

“The secret of effective document deblur is to train the neural network to understand what perfectly focused documents look like while simultaneously teaching it to identify and rectify diverse forms of motion and focus-related visual disturbances. That’s a hell of a job given how diverse document layouts and visual artifacts can be. In essence, this is what we’ve managed to do with our algorithm. We’re constantly fine-tuning it to supercharge its performance, speed, and accuracy so that you guys can take the quality of your scans up a notch with just a single tap,” says Nik, a deep learning engineer at iScanner.

How to Deblur an Image in iScanner

The flow depends on whether you need to deblur an image that you scanned with iScanner or a document from your gallery, but both ways are super straightforward.

Learn how to deblur your scanned or uploaded documents in iScanner—visit this blog post.

Whether you’re racing against the clock to complete an application, working with challenging scanning conditions, or struggling with unfocused text, Deblur and other cutting-edge tools in the AI Enhancer kit can be your secret weapons. With just a few taps, transform your scanned documents into professional, high-quality outputs that rival those produced by top-of-the-line scanner machines.

Sign Documents Effortlessly with AI on Mobile Devices

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 13:30:46 +0000

When someone sends you a document to sign, one way to go about it would be to print it, sign it, scan it, and email it back. That sounds like a lot of work and a waste of paper, though. Plus, you need to have a printer. Fortunately, there are much easier ways to get it done. In this post, we’re going to cover how to sign documents effortlessly with AI on mobile devices—for free and without needing to print or scan. Don’t worry if you don’t have a digital image of your signature—we’ll be covering how to create one in two easy ways as well. All you need is your smartphone.

Two Ways to Create Your Electronic Signature

Sign Documents with AI

The iScanner app has implemented an AI algorithm that can recognize and extract signatures from any document. The AI signature extractor is the easiest way to create a perfect digital replica of your signature. Simply take a picture of a document you signed or upload one into the app, and iScanner will pull your signature from it.

To do this, first hit the Sign button and then the blue plus icon at the bottom of the screen. Next, choose Camera (if you have a hard copy) or Photos (if you have a pic). Now all you need to do is either take a picture of the document containing your wet-ink signature or select one from your gallery by tapping it. No need to worry if there’s more than one signature in the document—the app will let you choose yours.

Tap on your signature, and it will be saved in the app. You can also adjust it (i.e., remove or add elements) and change its color.

Method Two: Draw & Save

Another way to create a digital signature in iScanner is to simply draw it on the display of your mobile device using your fingertip. The process is super straightforward. First, tap Sign at the bottom of the screen and press the blue plus icon. Then, within the next menu, choose Draw. You will see a blank space in which you can draw your signature. Change the thickness and color of the brush and make as many attempts as you please. Once happy with what your signature looks like, tap Save in the top right corner. Your signature will be saved in the app. To watch a video demonstartion of how it works in the app, please visit this blog post.

Sign Documents with AI on Mobile Devices in One Tap

You need to perform the actions described above only once since the app will save your signature for future use. Next time, when you need to sign, you’ll see it at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it, and it will appear on the page. You can resize and move it around the page. Once happy with the size and positioning, tap Save. All done!

Add Your Name or Initials

Some documents require us to add our printed name or initials to our signature when signing off. The good news is that in iScanner, you can save your name or initials as well as your signature. To do this, tap Sign and then Type. You can go ahead and type your name, initials, or both into the box, and the app will save it. It will show at the bottom of the screen next to your electronic signature.

Apply to All Pages

Some organizations require people to initial every page of documents they sign. If you need to initial every single page of a lengthy document, we’ve got you covered. In iScanner, you can automatically apply your initials, name, or signature (or any other word that you saved in the app for that matter) to all pages. Simply tap Sign, choose the pre-saved item you need, and then tap the Apply to all pages button at the bottom of the screen.

Share in One Tap

You can share your signed document directly from the app in iScanner. To do this, tap the share button in the top right corner. Next, choose the file format. You can choose from various options, but the general recommendation for signed documents is to share them as PDFs. Next, the app will show you a list of available sharing options—tap the preferable one. You’re all done.

Remove Fingers from Scans in One Tap!

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 08:01:43 +0000

Scanning book pages or passports with your mobile phone can be tricky because they sometimes refuse to stay put. Some book-scanning enthusiasts even use translucent polycarbonate plates to flatten a book spread, but most people use their fingers. This technique yields good results, and fingers are convenient tools that are always on hand. However, it's not like they are a valuable addition to the overall document design.

If you share our dislike for fingers on scans, we’ve got great news for you—with our new feature, you can remove fingers from scans in one tap!

With the new AI Finger Eraser feature, you can get perfect scans of any document in seconds, even if you’re on the go and there’s nowhere to set it down. Just hold the document with your hand, and the app will take care of any fingers that get in the way. No more wasting time on retakes or editing!

How Does the New Feature Work?

The new feature is an AI algorithm that we developed from scratch and named the AI Finger Eraser. It’s been trained to accurately identify fingers on scans and remove them to help you create perfectly legible and professional-looking scans.

How Does the Algorithm Remove Fingers from Scans?

It processes the image around the document's edges
Identifies fingers
Analyzes the background around the fingers
Removes them
Fills in the void with the same background color

As a result, you get a perfect, clean, and finger-free scan. The highlight of it all is that it works not only with regular white printer paper but also with all sorts of colored documents.

When Can the AI Finger Eraser Come in Handy?

If you’re on the go and there’s no available surface to lay your document on. You can simply hold it in one hand while scanning with the other. The app will detect and remove all accidental fingers in seconds.
If you need to scan your passport. Passports are notoriously stubborn, and most refuse to lie flat. The important thing to keep in mind when dealing with passports is to make sure that your finger is not covering any important information. That’s because the AI algorithm, while perfectly capable of detecting and removing fingers, can’t restore the text underneath. It will merely fill in the blank with a similar background.
If you need to scan a page from a thick book with a rigid spine. The pages are unlikely to lie flat and stay put when you’re dealing with such books. Pin it down with your finger, and the app will clean up after you.
If you need to scan any piece of paper that has assumed a certain shape from being bent, folded, or wrapped around something. With this kind of paper, there’s little to no chance you’ll manage to tame it and make it lie flat.
When scanning glossy or coated paper (thick photo paper likes to curl) or adhesive labels and stickers.

How to Use the Finger Removal Feature

We’ve now created a category for the AI features in the app that can enhance the quality of the scans. You can find them both if you tap the AI Enhance button at the bottom of the screen.

Within the next menu, you will see two options: Straighten, which allows you to use the Scan Straightener (our AI algorithm that fixes the geometry of the page and removes skews and warps), and Erase Fingers, which allows you to remove fingers from scans.
Next, you need to tap Erase Fingers, and the app will do the rest. All done!

Limitations to Keep in Mind When Using iScanner’s AI Fingers Eraser

As we’ve already mentioned, it’s crucial to ensure that your finger doesn’t cover any text, numbers, or complex images, such as logos or signatures, because the algorithm will not be able to restore any visual information underneath your finger. What it does is detect fingers, remove them from the picture, and fill in the blank spot with a similar-looking background color.
Don't waste any more time on retakes or editing—remove fingers from scans in one tap! We're psyched about our new feature and can't wait to hear what you think. Please let us know your thoughts through reviews or on social media.

Stay on Top of Deadlines with Custom Reminders

iScanner for iPhone and Android — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 06:58:00 +0000

Oh no, I’m supposed to turn this in tomorrow! I can’t believe I forgot!

If this rings a bell, welcome to the club. We’ve all been there. Small comfort though it is, most people sometimes struggle to keep on top of deadlines. If only essays and reports could remind you that it’s T minus 7 days, it would save you all the last-minute panic and scramble.

Well, the great news is that now they can!

Say Goodbye to Missed Deadlines with Custom Reminders in iScanner

Whether you're a student with assignments to turn in, a freelancer with project deadlines, or a busy professional with reports due, it's all too easy to get caught up in the web of daily chores and forget that an important deadline is approaching.

We’ve got your back, though—now you can set reminders for your documents that need to be turned in on a certain date.

To see how to set a reminder in the iScanner app, please see this blog post.

Make a Note for Your Future Self

Another great thing about the new feature is that you can write a message to yourself within the reminder. When you enter the custom reminder menu, apart from the time and date, the app also allows you to add a short text message.

Don’t hesitate to put those text boxes to good use. Sometimes it’s more than a due date about a report or an assignment that we need to keep in mind, like certain requirements for its length or contents or the name of the person you need to send it to.

Keep Calm and Give Yourself Buffer Time with Repeating Reminders

Sometimes we have so much on our plate that things can get too hectic for a single reminder to do the trick. That’s why we’ve added the Repeat feature. When setting a reminder, you can also choose for it to be repeated after a certain time.

This can come in handy if you’re too busy to do what needs to be done when you get a reminder. The repeat feature will ensure that you get as many notifications as it takes to stay on top of your deadlines.

Reduce Cognitive Overload

Do you sometimes find yourself listening to someone but not hearing a word they’re saying because your mind is overloaded with information and tasks? You’re not alone. Our working memory is a precious resource that also happens to be very limited.

Research shows that we can only keep four to seven things on our minds at a time. Given how busy we all are, it’s no wonder we keep forgetting things!

That’s why offloading some of the information onto a piece of paper or into a mobile app is an excellent way to free up your working memory (a piece of paper won’t send you reminders, though, but iScanner will). This can help you focus on the tasks at hand, process new information more effectively, and enjoy the present moment.

In addition, recent research has shown that using electronic reminders can improve the ability to focus and reduce forgetfulness and stress levels by alleviating the need for individuals to mentally keep track of tasks and deadlines.

So set your reminders for all the documents that are due and forget about them until iScanner reminds you that it’s time to take action. Save your working memory for bigger and greater things than worrying about upcoming deadlines.

The feature is available on both iOS and Android—don’t hesitate to try it!