dbojan/python-azure-ocr

Using azure ocr with python

python-azure-ocr

use azure ocr from python
#2024-06-30-1

replace dot with newline
#2024-06-16-1

setting azure

You can use azure 12 months for free, then you have to pay $1 for 1000 images. You must move to pay as you go (basic supscription - $0) after first month. Be careful not to go over free amount of units. *

(20 Images per minute, 5k per month). Using ‘document studio’ Pdfs/Multipage tiffs will only scan 1st image.

Command line version of python-azure-ocr utility does not accept pdfs.

you can use pdf-xchange viewer to convert pdf to images, or command line (Ghostscript):

gswin32c.exe -sCompression=pack -dTextAlphaBits=4 -dGraphicsAlphaBits=4 -sDEVICE=tiffgray -r300 -o out-%%03d.tif file.pdf

You need phone number (not virtual), and credit card number. “Your credit card will not be charged, or might be charged for $1 for testing if it real, and $1 will charged back"

If you haven’t already:

• Create free azure account
• go to https://portal.azure.com/#home
• click on computer vision on the left
• click on + to create new resource in "computer vision"
  • subscription: something like Azure subscription
  • resource group: create new, something like: ocr-test1
  • region: I selected North EU
  • name: enter what ever you want
  • pricing: select free f0 (20 calls per minute, 5k per month)

When you click on you created resurce, you will see your key(s) and endpoint. You will need one key, doesn’t matter which one, and endpoint, to use the program.

setting python

if you haven’t already, install ‘azure-ai-vision-imageanalysis’ using pip:
pip install azure-ai-vision-imageanalysis

Note: some versions of azure-ocr are not available for free tiers.

using the program

• download zip, unpack,
• open azure_ocr.py in notepad++, or notepad,
• enter your key and endpoint
• put images created from pdf into 'ocr' folder
• double click “azure_ocr.bat”

*Note:

What happens after I upgrade?
You get 12 months of popular services for free, plus more than 25 products that are always free. Beyond what's free, you pay only for what you use each month and you can cancel any time!

What happens to the Azure credit if I upgrade before 30 days?
Your remaining credit will still be available for the full 30 days after you started your Azure free account.

Do I have to pay after I upgrade?
As long as you use the the product quantities that are included for free, you won't have to pay anything.

What happens with my products if I do not upgrade?
If you don't upgrade by the end of 30 days or before you've used your Azure credit (whichever occurs first), you won't be able to access any Azure services.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/free-account-faq
How do I get popular services free for 12 months?

When you create your Azure free account, you start getting monthly free amounts of certain types of services. If you move to pay-as-you-go pricing within 30 days or after you’ve used your credit, you’ll continue to receive monthly free amounts of popular services until 12 months after you created your account. After that, if you’re using any of these services, they’ll continue to run and you’ll be billed for them at pay-as-you-go rates.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-services#richtext-oc4492

12 months free services is available only to new customers who have not previously had an Azure account or received 12 months of free services. It is not currently available to customers who sign up directly for pay as you go in China and India. Customers who try Azure free must move to pay as you go within 30 days to continue receiving 12 months free services.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-services/translator/translator-faq
Each translation counts as a separate translation

more info here MS:
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/free-account-faq/
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/avoid-charges-free-account
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/check-free-service-usage

relevant services:
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-services#richtext-oc4492

Azure service	Description	Type	Free monthly amount	Free period
*Computer Vision	Extract rich information from images to categorize and process visual data.		5,000 transactions for each S1, S2, and S3 tier	12 months
Speaker Recognition	Accurately verify and identify speakers by their unique voice characteristics.	AI + machine learning	10,000 transactions each of speaker verification, speaker identification, and voice storage	Always
*Speech to Text	Transcribe spoken audio to text.	AI + machine learning	5 audio hours each of Standard, Custom, and Conversation Transcription Multichannel Audio, 1 Custom endpoint hosting model	Always
Speech Translation	Integrate real-time speech translation into your app.	AI + machine learning	5 audio hours Standard	Always
*Text to Speech	Build apps that convert text to lifelike speech.	AI + machine learning	5 million characters Standard, 500,000 characters Neural, and hosting model	Always
Azure AI Document Intelligence (old?)	Automate the extraction of text, key/value pairs, and tables from your documents.	AI + machine learning	500 pages S0 tier	12 months
*Azure AI Translator	Add real-time, multi-language text translation to your apps, websites, and tools.	AI + machine learning	2 million characters S0 tier	12 months

#2024-06-26-1 changes
-now with linux support. open .py in text editor for more info.