How to copy text from a picture

Have you ever wished you could pull text from photos and videos? Apps like Google Lens and Office Lens offer some level of interactivity, but thanks to a helpful touch of artificial intelligence, iPhone and iPad owners (and Mac users) have built-in support with Live Text.

Introduced in iOS 15, the feature allows you to aim your device's camera at a sign, document, or any other physical object and extract the image's text (supported languages include English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Spanish). It even works on images stored in your camera roll and websites with images that contain text. With the upgrade to iOS 16, you can also pull text from video, and even grab objects from both photo and video captures.

How to Get Live Text

Want to use Live Text? You'll need one of the latest iPhone and iPad models. This includes all iPhone 11, 12, and 13 models, as well as the iPhone XS and XR (sorry, iPhone X owners).

The iPad Pro 12.9-inch model (3rd Gen or later), iPad Pro 11-inch model (all generations), iPad Air (3rd Gen or later), iPad (8th Gen or later), and iPad mini (5th Gen or later) are all supported.

You also need to be running at least iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 to use Live Text. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and you'll be told that iOS is up to date or be prompted to download an update. If you want the latest features, such as the ability to grab live text from video and objects from both, you will need iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 (the latter is still in beta at time of writing).

Finally, before you try to use Live Text,make sure the feature is enabled. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region and turn on the switch next to Live Text if it’s turned off.

How to Copy Text

To copy text from an existing photo, launch the Photos app and open a photo with text. Press down on any word in the text until it’s selected and a menu appears above it. Drag the circular grab points around all the words you wish to capture, then tap Copy to grab the text.

You can also tap Select All to highlight all visible text in the image, then tap Copy to grab it. Now open the app to which you want to paste the captured text, tap in the right spot, and choose Paste from the menu.

If you need to grab text from a sign, document, or other physical object, aim your phone’s camera at the item. Tap the yellow scan button that appears in the lower-right corner of the viewscreen. Now select the text you wish to capture. Tap the selection and tap Copy, then paste the text in your app of choice.

You can copy text from an image on a website just by pressing down on the image. From the pop-up menu, choose the Show Text option, which selects the text. Press down on the selected text to see the Copy command. You can then copy and paste the text.

The only drawback with copying text from an image is that you may need to reformat the pasted text, specifically by adding or removing paragraph returns. Otherwise, the Live Text AI generally does a good job copying over the text correctly.

To copy text from a video, pause the video at the frame that contains what you want to capture. Press down on the text until it’s selected. From the menu, drag the grab points to select all the words you want, then tap Copy. You can then paste the text into your app of choice.

You can also copy text from a live video by capturing a still image. As you’re shooting the video, tap the white shutter button in the lower corner to take a photo of the current scene.

After you’ve shot the video, open your Photos library, find the photo you captured from the live video, and then isolate and copy the text as instructed in the section above.

How to Call a Phone Number

You can make a call from a phone number displayed in an image. Open to the image, then press down on the number and tap the Call [number] option from the menu to place the call. 

You can also aim your device’s camera at a phone number if it's listed on a sign, and make a call from there. Open the Camera app and point at the image. Tap the yellow scan button in the lower-right corner. Press down on the displayed phone number, then tap the number to make a call.

To call a number listed in a photo or image on a website, press down on the number. Tap the displayed phone number to call it. You can also do this from a recorded video. Freeze the video at the frame that contains the number. Press down on the number and tap it to make the call.

How to Send an Email

Sending an email through an address displayed in an image works the same way. To use an existing photo, press down on the address and tap New Mail Message to compose and send your email. 

To use an address on a sign, poster, or other physical item, aim your camera at the object and tap the yellow scan button. Press down on the address to send your email. You can also select an email address displayed in a photo on a website by tapping it and then choosing the displayed address to compose your email.

For a recorded video with an email address, pause the video when the address appears, press down on it, and then tap the address.

How to Translate Text

To translate text in a photo in your library, open the image and press down on the text to select it. Tap the right arrow in the menu and select the Translate command. At the Translate screen, tap Change Language, then tap the Play button to listen to the original text and the translation.

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You can translate text from a physical object as well by aiming your iPhone’s camera at the object and tapping the yellow scan button. Press down on the text and tap the Translate command, then change the translated language as necessary.

To translate text displayed in a photo or image on a website, press down on it and select the displayed text. Tap the Translate command to see and hear the result.

How to Open a Web Search

You can conduct a web search right from a photo or video. For an image on your device, press down on the on the text and select the Look Up command. You will then see a several websites, courtesy of Siri Suggestions. Tap the result you want to open the page.

To search text on a physical object, aim your iPhone’s camera at the item and tap the yellow scan button. Press down on the text, tap Look Up, and select the site you want from the results. You can also look up text in a photo on a website if you press down on it and select the Look Up command.

How to Convert Currency

If you take a photo or video displaying foreign currency, you can sometimes convert it into the default currency set on your mobile device. To do this, snap the photo (or shoot the video), then press down on the foreign currency. If it works, you should see the amount converted into your own country’s currency.

How to Use Visual Look Up

Using a feature called Visual Look Up, you can drag and drop a person or object from a photo or video into another app. The drag and drop part works best on an iPad where you can multitask and display more than one app at the same time.

Open a photo or video frame that contains the subject you want to grab, then open another app such as Mail in a Split View setup. Press down on the subject and start dragging it to the other app. The subject should separate from the rest of the image. You can then drop the figure into the other app and it will appear without the original background.

You can pull the same Visual Look Up trick on an iPhone, but this time you will rely on copy and paste and share instead of drag and drop. Open to the photo or video frame with the subject you want to copy. Press down on the subject, and you should see a white line moving around the subject with a command menu.

Tap Copy on the menu, then paste the subject into another app. Alternatively, tap the Share command and select the person or app with whom you want to share the cut-out.

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