View
19
Download
0
Category
Tags:
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
Processing PDF: How to Go from PDF to E-text to Audio. Gaeir Dietrich Director High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges Foothill Community College District. PDF from Publishers. Portable document format (PDF) Reads the same on any computer Looks like the book - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Processing PDF:Processing PDF:How to Go from PDF toHow to Go from PDF to
E-text to AudioE-text to Audio
Gaeir DietrichDirectorHigh Tech Center Training Unitof the California Community CollegesFoothill Community College District
PDF from PublishersPDF from Publishers
Portable document format (PDF)Reads the same on any computerLooks like the bookSmaller than TIFFsContains all the text
– Always check to make sure the book is the right one!
Easy for publishers
Requesting through ATNRequesting through ATN
Access Text Network– Now free for requesting files from
ATN-member publishers– Paid membership to exchange files– www.accesstext.org
Not all publishers– But ATN does have the largest ones
Other Resources at ATNOther Resources at ATN
Accessible Textbook Finder– http://www.accesstext.org/atf.php
Link to Publisher Lookup– http://www.publisherlookup.org/– Will have to contact non-ATN member
publishers directly
Using Publisher PDFsUsing Publisher PDFs
Sometimes students can use files directly
Most often files will need further processing for student use
At the very least, large files need to be broken into chapters
PDF StrengthsPDF Strengths
Good format for large print– Cropping– Fit to page on large pages– Print sections on large pages (tiling)
Adobe Reader has some nice features– Change colors– Reflow– Limited voicing
Easy for most publishers to create
PDF WeaknessesPDF Weaknesses
Not always fully accessible– Screen readers do not always like
them—even when they are text-based– Reading order can be problematic
May be graphics (pictures of text)May have too much security
As an Aside…As an Aside…
When faculty create PDFs…– The PDF always started as something
else…usually a Word file– Try to get the starting document– Security concerns?
Word files can be password protected Button > Prepare > Encrypt
Types of PDF DocumentsTypes of PDF Documents
Text-based– Text can be selected
Graphical– Picture of text (i.e., a graphic)– Text cannot be selected
Use text-select tool to tell the difference
Files may be “locked”
Processing PDFsProcessing PDFs
Adobe Acrobat ProfessionalGood OCR program
– Abbyy FineReader– Nuance OmniPage
IF you are a Kurzweil campus, you will also need Kurzweil
Adobe ToolsAdobe Tools Adobe Reader
– Free– Useful for students who need minimal
accessibility features– http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/
Adobe Acrobat Professional – Essential for alt media specialists– Extract text, create accessible PDFs, enabled
Adobe Reader features– www.uscollegebuy.com Discounted Price
Acrobat ReaderAcrobat Reader
Reads aloud– But does not highlight or track
Enlarges text– Nice reflow feature
Changes text/background colorsText highlighting, sticky notes, and
commentsAccess text-based PDFs
Process with Acrobat ProProcess with Acrobat Pro
CroppingEnlargement for printingTilingCombiningSome text extractionWorks with text-based PDF
Processing Graphical PDFsProcessing Graphical PDFs
Must run optical character recognition (OCR)– Computers cannot read pictures– OCR programs recognize the “characters” in
the picture
How you process the file depends on the end format the student wants!
Various OptionsVarious Options
OmniPage or FineReader– FineReader generally easier to learn– Save to Word or HTML or Text based on
student preference Use virtual printer with Kurzweil
– Create KESI files R&W
– Save as Word
Which One When?Which One When?
Want a Word file?– Best choice is OmniPage or
FineReaderWant a Kurzweil document?
– Use Kurzweil to process the PDF
For students to do themselves?– Whichever program they prefer
Why?Why?
OCR programs are designed to make extraction and editing easy
Document readers (R&W, Kurzweil, etc.) are designed to make reading easy…NOT editing.
NEVER!!!NEVER!!!
Do NOT run OCR with FineReader or OmniPage…save to PDF…and then take into Kurzweil, R&W, etc.
Kurzweil, R&W, WYNN will run their own OCR on the PDF!– Wastes time, adds error to do OCR
twice
OCR ProgramsOCR Programs
Treat PDFs the same as a TIFF– If you OCR scanned documents, use
the same process
Load image fileSelect zonesCreate templates as needed
PDF Bottom LinePDF Bottom Line
Source files vs. end-user files– Source files = for you to create alt
media from– End-user files = alt media formats
PDF– Consider PDFs as source files (files to
process) that sometimes double as end-user files (for certain students with limited access issues)
Recommended