Can GoodNotes Transform Your Handwriting into Text?

Converting your handwritten notes into text can be a vital step in the organization and digitization of your documents, and GoodNotes offers flexible and user-friendly options to help you do just this.

Turning Handwriting to Text in GoodNotes

The first step towards converting your handwritten notes in GoodNotes is to select the Lasso Tool from the toolbar. Then, circle the specific handwritten text you wish to convert. Once your handwriting is selected, a tap on the selected area will reveal a menu. Here, you’ll find the ‘Convert’ option. Tap this and choose ‘Text’ to start the conversion, your handwritten notes will now be replaced with typed text.

The converted text will have roughly the same size as the original handwriting, and its color will be the same as the first letter of the handwriting. If you need to make any spelling edits before finalizing the text transformation, GoodNotes offers a robust Text Tool for this purpose. Double-tap the converted text, and you will be able to adjust the size, font, and style to match your preferences.

Converting Handwriting to Text using OCR

Another method to convert handwriting to text is to use OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This technology turns “flat” documents such as images or non-editable PDFs into editable text files, and it can work on handwriting, converting sheets of notes into editable PDF files. You can use an OCR-capable scanner or a mobile scanner app with OCR features, such as Adobe Scan, to convert handwriting automatically.

However, for successful OCR scans, it’s suggested that your handwriting is clear and neat. Use lined paper to keep your handwritten lines straight, write in capital letters to aid OCR recognition, and try to keep your written characters from overlapping, as this could lead to misinterpretation by the software.

Organizing Your Notes in GoodNotes

Effective organization of your notes within GoodNotes can be achieved by using folders to store and categorize your documents. This can help you to efficiently access and manage your digitized handwritten notes.

Exporting Converted Text from GoodNotes

After you have converted and organized your notes, you might want to export them. GoodNotes allows for export in PDF or its native format which can only be opened within the application. You can also copy the text from a PDF file and paste it into any text editor for further editing or sharing across multiple platforms.

Conclusions

Whether you are a student, a professional, or a digital journal enthusiast, converting your handwritten notes to text in GoodNotes offers many benefits. It improves readability, accessibility, and organization, and also opens up plenty of opportunities for further processing, sharing, and collaboration of your work. Embrace the versatility of GoodNotes and transform your note-taking and planning tasks into a more engaging and interactive digital experience.