Hello! Is there a good program or site out there that can take my existing PDF, “read” it, and help me transcribe it in (convert it to) LaTeX code?
I'm not familiar with OCR software that work flawlessly. Correcting the OCR's output was always a hassle, specially in books that have columns. With regards to this matter, straight up copying it down seems to work best (or reading it out loud with a speech-to-text converter). Keep in mind that TeX can include multiple files (like Lilypond), so you can write files based on chapters (or even smaller divisions). These copyist feats are daunting and challenging... Yet we keep on writing. Em sáb., 21 de fev. de 2026, 08:37, Gabriel Ellsworth < [email protected]> escreveu: > Here is my situation. > > > 1. I am trying to typeset a new edition of a public-domain book. > 2. I have a PDF that contains a scanned copy of a 20th century > printing of this book (about 700 pages). > 3. My output will contain a bit of LilyPond output, but music notation > will not be “the main actor” (to borrow Lucas’s very apt phrase below). I > estimate that the book will be 97% text and 3% LilyPond. > 4. Based on past helpful input from this list, I suspect that LaTeX > will be the best way to create this book. > 5. I have never used LaTeX before. > 6. I know almost nothing about how OCR software or AI works on the > back end. > > My question: > > Is there a good program or site out there that can take my existing PDF, > “read” it, and help me transcribe it in (convert it to) LaTeX code? > > The “3% music” portion of my output will be easy for me to code myself in > LilyPond. But I’m hoping to save several hours of work coding the “97% > text” component of this 700-page book. > > Gabriel > > > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: Lucas Pinke > Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2026 > Subject: Re: Wrapping Lengthy Text around a Score-as-Markup > Cc: Lilypond-User Mailing List <[email protected]> > > I strongly recommend trying out lylua! As you can import Lilypond files > straight to the processor, you only headbutt the TeX processor and the TeX > language. > > Like I said, TeX and lylua work best when notation ain't the main actor: > Cherubini's treaty could be written without any notation and still would be > somewhat understandable. It isn't in this, but that's the beauty of things: > diverse alternatives. > > As per Kieren's question, I'm using Urs Liska's lyluatex package > (available in CTAN). I don't know of another Lilypond code integration in > TeX; other options would be importing the output images or using specific > environments of the TeX language. Side note: unfortunately, I didn't get to > know Urs before his passing... However, I always cite him with regards to > TeX and serialist music! > > My programming knowledge is limited, but I've managed to like and > understand TeX and the lylua integration. I'd said lylua works best than > LibreOffice's oOOOoLilypond plugin (which is still a great plugin!). > > Em ter., 20 de jan. de 2026, 16:36, Gabriel Ellsworth escreveu: > >> I think Gabriel wants to stay in native Lilypond for the moment — >>> @Gabriel: Correct me if I’m wrong! — but @Gabriel: Ultimately, something >>> like LuaLaTeX is, I believe, something you’ll want to eventually have as >>> your platform. >>> >> >> Thank you, Raphael and Lucas! >> >> I have never used a TeX processor but am intrigued to learn more. For my >> current project, native LilyPond is working just fine. And at present I am >> intimidated by TeX — as I was by LilyPond for years until I discovered >> Frescobaldi! >> >> But at some point I imagine that it will be worth it for me to learn >> LuaTeX. >> >
