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Process Image

Processes an image file using ABBYY Cloud OCR to extract text with specified language and export format.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.

Inputs​

  • Image Path - Path to the image file to process with OCR. The path can be absolute or relative to the project directory.

Options​

  • Language - Language of the text in the image for OCR recognition (default: English). Choose from over 200 supported languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, and many more.
  • Export Format - Output format for the OCR results (default: txt). Available formats:
    • Text File - Plain text output
    • Unstructured Text File - Text without formatting
    • Rich Text File - RTF with formatting
    • Microsoft Word File - DOCX format
    • Microsoft Excel File - XLSX format
    • Microsoft PowerPoint File - PPTX format
    • Searchable PDF File - PDF with text layer
    • PDF with Text And Images - Combined PDF
    • PDF A - PDF/A archival format
    • XML File - Structured XML
    • XML For Corrected Image - XML with image corrections
    • Alto - ALTO XML format

Outputs​

  • Task - ABBYY task object containing processing results, task ID, status, and download URLs.

How It Works​

The Process Image node uploads an image to ABBYY Cloud OCR service and initiates text recognition. When executed, the node:

  1. Reads the image file from the specified path
  2. Validates the language and export format options
  3. Uploads the image to ABBYY Cloud servers
  4. Initiates OCR processing with the specified language
  5. Returns a task object with task ID and status
  6. The task object can be used with Wait Task to retrieve results

Requirements​

  • Valid ABBYY Cloud credentials configured in credentials.yaml
  • Valid image file at the specified path (supported formats: JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, PDF)
  • Active internet connection for cloud API access
  • Valid language and export format selections

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • Robomotion.ABBYYCloud.ErrImagePath - Image path is invalid or file not found
  • Robomotion.ABBYYCloud.ErrImageData - Cannot read image file data (file may be corrupted or inaccessible)
  • Robomotion.ABBYYCloud.ErrOption - Invalid language or export format option selected

Usage Example​

Scenario: Extract text from a scanned receipt image

1. Process Image node:
   - Image Path: "C:/receipts/receipt_001.jpg"
   - Language: English
   - Export Format: Text File

2. Wait Task node:
   - Task: {{ $.task }} (from Process Image output)
   - Timeout: 60 seconds

3. Access the recognized text from the task status result URL

Common Use Cases​

  • Document Digitization - Convert scanned paper documents to editable text
  • Receipt Processing - Extract text from receipt photos for expense tracking
  • Invoice OCR - Recognize invoice details from images
  • Screenshot Text Extraction - Extract text from application screenshots
  • ID Card Recognition - Extract text from ID card images
  • Sign Recognition - Digitize text from photos of signs and labels

Tips and Best Practices​

  • Image Quality: Use high-resolution images (300 DPI or higher) for best accuracy
  • Lighting: Ensure images are well-lit with minimal shadows
  • Language Selection: Always specify the correct language for optimal results
  • Format Choice: Use XML or Alto formats when you need structured output with coordinates
  • Multi-Language: For mixed language documents, select the primary language
  • Preprocessing: Consider image enhancement before OCR for better results
  • Task Management: Always use Wait Task and Delete Task for complete workflows
  • Error Handling: Enable Continue On Error for batch processing scenarios