From Images to PDFs: OCR Workflows with ImagePickerKMP

#kotlin #machinelearning #mobile #tooling

Modern mobile apps are increasingly moving beyond just "viewing" images to "understanding" them. Whether it's scanning a receipt, reading a business card, or extracting data from an ID, document workflows are a top requirement. ImagePickerKMP supports these workflows by providing a unified way to capture images and select PDFs. The feature list at https://imagepickerkmp.dev/ highlights PDF and OCR-ready capture as key capabilities.

The library's role in an OCR workflow is to provide high-quality, predictable input. For OCR to work well, the image needs to be clear, correctly framed, and available in a format the OCR engine can read.

Workflow Step	ImagePickerKMP Role
Capture	Use `CameraScaleType.FIT_CENTER` for precise framing
Selection	Use `mimeTypes` to allow both images and PDFs
Preparation	Use `PhotoResult.absolutePath` to pass to a native OCR SDK
Shared Logic	Use `PhotoResult.toPath()` for shared extraction logic

val picker = rememberImagePickerKMP(
    config = ImagePickerKMPConfig(
        galleryConfig = GalleryConfig(
            mimeTypes = listOf("image/*", "application/pdf")
        ),
        cameraCaptureConfig = CameraCaptureConfig(
            cameraScaleType = CameraScaleType.FIT_CENTER
        )
    )
)

The documentation source for document capture and PDF selection is https://imagepickerkmp.dev/. Refer to it for the latest API reference on MIME types and camera configuration.

By allowing both images and PDFs in the same picker, ImagePickerKMP simplifies the UI for document apps. The user doesn't have to choose "Upload Photo" vs "Upload PDF" in separate buttons; they can tap one action and find their document regardless of its format.

Once the file is selected, extensions like absolutePath or toPath() make it easy to pass the data to an OCR engine like ML Kit, Tesseract, or a cloud-based AI service.

As AI-driven features become standard in mobile apps, having a reliable media picker that understands the difference between a "pretty photo" and a "readable document" is essential. ImagePickerKMP provides that foundation.

For more examples of document-focused configurations, visit the live documentation at https://imagepickerkmp.dev/.