Hi Jenny,
In practice the Prizmo program is not complicated to use. The actual sequence
of gestures are:
1) Open the app and flick right to "Text", which is the first listed source
type, and double tap
2) On the next page, flick right to the "Camera" button and double tap
3) If you want to use the new iOS 5 feature of taking a picture by pressing the
volume up button, you don't need to do any set up, and when you're on the
"Camera" screen you only need to center the iPhone's camera on the page --
which means putting the top right corner in the center -- and lift the iPhone
about seven inches from the page, listening for when you hear "autofocused".
If you don't turn on the speech control, you'll hear everything at normal
volume.
4) When you've lifted the iPhone to a height around 7 inches above a standard
letter sheet, press the volume up button on the side, taking care to hold the
iPhone as steady as possible while you hear the shutter click. This is the
stage at which using the speech control can improve results, because in most
instances tapping buttons on the screen introduces a slight motion and blurring
when the picture is taken. It's a bit easier to do this without motion shake
using the volume control to take a picture under iOS 5. The other way to do
this and minimize motion shake without using speech control by saying "Take
Picture" is to put one finger on the "Take Picture" button just above the
"Home" button on the "Camera" screen just before you lift the iPhone. Try to
hold things steady when you've lifted the phone to seven inches, and gently tap
another finger on the screen to activate this button with a split tap gesture.
5) Flick to the "Use" button or just touch it in the bottom right corner of the
screen and double tap. This is also the last element on the screen, so you can
alternatively use a four finger tap on the bottom of the screen to navigate to
this button.
6) Flick to the "Next" button (top right corner) and double tap
7) Wait for the "Processing" message to finish, and for "Edit" screen to be
announced. You can read the OCR results from this screen. If you want to edit
to make corrections, double tap in the text area and make changes. Double tap
the "Done" button at the top right corner, which will turn in to a "Next"
button. Then double tap the "Next" button (top right corner).
8) At the bottom of the "Text" screen are option buttons to "Copy" or "Mail"
among other things. Flick to the one you want and double tap. I usually don't
bother to save the results within the Prizmo app, but you can do so by double
tapping the "Save" button at the top right corner.
Notice that most of the length in these instructions involve explanations of
different options (in step 4) and what other buttons do. Prizmo actually gives
full instructions at their web site, but they're visually oriented. My
original description that Anne quoted is long, because it also explains control
options like how to set up OCR for different languages. For English, all you
have to do after taking the picture and double tapping "Use" is to keep double
tapping the "Next" button in the top right corner until you want to mail or
copy the results.
Also, you don't have to use the Light Detector app. I just take it out and pan
across the page to check the volume level before I use Prizmo. That's it.
HTH. Cheers,
Esther
On Mar 19, 2012, at 10:55 AM, Jenny Keller wrote:
> That sounds way too complicated for me. Is there an easier program?
>
> Also is there a bar code reader ap and what info does it tell you?
>
>
>
> Jenny and my goofy guide Brooks
>
> On Mar 19, 2012, at 2:07 PM, Anne Robertson <a...@anarchie.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> Hello Paul,
>>
>> The Light Detector app is just called Light Detector and you just launch it
>> and it plays a tone which rises with the light level.
>>
>>
>> Here are the instructions for Prizmo that Esther posted a little while ago.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Anne
>>
>>
>>
>> One of the features that contributes to Prizmo's increased effectiveness for
>> visually impaired users is the ability to take pictures with speech control,
>> by saying, "Take Picture", which reduces the likelihood of a blurred image
>> due to moving the phone when you double or split tap a button to take a
>> picture. You turn this feature on in the Settings menu by double tapping
>> the "Settings" button in the top right corner of the main Prizmo screen.
>> Flick right to the "General Settings" button under the "Settings" heading
>> and double tap. On the "General Settings" screen, flick right past the
>> "Capture" heading and set the "Alignment Grid" to "Switch button, off", then
>> set the "Speech Control" to "Switch button, on". I believe both switches
>> are turned on by default, but it is several months since I configured
>> Prizmo. I'm not sure whether turning off the "Alignment Grid" is necessary,
>> but you certainly don't need it to be displayed, since you can't see it
>> while using the camera. Once you have checked that these settings are in
>> place, double tap the "Settings, back button" in the top left corner to
>> return to the "Settings" screen, then double tap the "Done" button in the
>> top right corner to return to the main Prizmo screen.
>>
>> The main Prizmo screen has a list of types of documents to scan and OCR,
>> followed by a "Documents" button at the bottom of the screen that are
>> results you want to store in the app. In general, you will choose to double
>> tap "Text" (the first listed entry).
>>
>> The app works in 3 stages, which are indicated by the 3 buttons at the
>> bottom of the the next ("Photo") screen: (1) Source (obtaining the image
>> using the Camera -- can also use previous images from your photo album taken
>> outside the app), (2) Image (options to apply corrections to image before
>> OCR -- generally requires vision to perform actions, such as cropping to
>> only include the part of the image that contains text or correct for
>> distorted pictures because you didn't hold the iPhone flat), and (3) OCR
>> (perform the OCR with an option to choose the language to improve the OCR),
>> then display the results for editing, copying, etc. or saving in the app's
>> stored "Documents". You can navigate through the app without ever using
>> these buttons, just by double tapping the "Next" button in the top right
>> corner of the screen to move through each stage, and that's probably the
>> easiest way to use the app when you get started, especially if you only work
>> with documents in English. However, if you want to OCR a document in a
>> different language, you can improve your results by double tapping the "OCR"
>> button (third or three at the bottom right corner of the screen) and then
>> flicking left to the language button (e.g., "English") in the row of option
>> buttons for that screen, and double tapping. You'll be able to double tap
>> another language from the list of 10 available languages. (Note that you
>> will not hear "selected" announced beside the currently selected language in
>> the list, but you can only exit the "Language" menu by either double tapping
>> a new language selection or by double tapping the "Cancel" button in the top
>> right corner. Once you have changed the language (e.g., to French) and
>> returned to the "Photo" screen with the OCR button set, you should hear the
>> new language, "French", announced if you flick left to that button.) Setting
>> the OCR language before applying the "next" button improves the recognition
>> of words with accented characters -- otherwise I may get a "6" for an "e"
>> with acute accent, and other such examples.
>>
>> Here's the sequence for the iPhone 4, assuming that you have configured the
>> "Settings" menu as outlined earlier. It is very helpful to use the $0.99
>> "Light Detector" app to check lighting conditions and also get a sense of
>> the optimal centering and height of the iPhone above the page before you use
>> Prizmo. (You can hear when the "Light Detector" signal is loudest if you
>> move the phone up and down or left/right and forwards/back with respect to
>> the page. This only gives a rough sense of where to position the phone when
>> you use Prizmo, but if you can't hear any difference in signal with Light
>> Detector when you move the phone around over the page, chances are that
>> either the background light level is too low to take a good image, or you're
>> blocking the light source with part of your body. You should also use a
>> headset connected to the headphone jack, since as soon as the iPhone camera
>> is accessed in a mode that is capable of responding to your spoken "Take
>> Picture" command the volume of VoiceOver through the speaker will drop, and
>> not get restored until you exit the camera screen either by double tapping
>> the "Use" button in the bottom right corner of the screen or the "Retake"
>> button in the bottom left corner of the screen.
>>
>> 1) From the main Prizmo screen, double tap "Text"
>> 2) On the Photo screen, flick right to the "Camera" button that is the first
>> of the 3 "Get text from picture" source options, near the bottom of the
>> screen, and double tap
>> 3) On the iPhone 4 Camera screen (no heading), there are three buttons at
>> the top: one for the "Flash" at the top left and one for "Camera Chooser" at
>> the top right. In between is an unlabeled "Button" that toggles on and off
>> the speech control function when the switch for that option is turned on
>> under the "General Settings" submenu of the "Settings" menu. If the switch
>> for the speech control option is not turned on in "Settings", this unlabeled
>> button will not appear on the screen. If, when you enter the Camera screen,
>> your phone does not vibrate, and VoiceOver's volume through the speaker does
>> not immediately drop, then the ability to use speech control to take a
>> picture by saying "Take Picture" on this screen has not been toggled on, and
>> you will have to double tap that unlabeled button to the left of the "Camera
>> Chooser" button to activate this function. Once you toggle on the speech
>> control function, your iPhone should vibrate, and the volume of VoiceOver
>> through the speaker should immediately drop. I believe that the first time
>> you access the Camera screen, speech control is toggled off (i.e., you can
>> do a two finger flick down to "Read All" the controls on the screen and hear
>> everything announced through the speaker). If you double tap the unlabeled
>> button at the top of the screen to turn on voice control of the camera
>> shutter, then whenever you enter the Camera screen your speaker volume will
>> automatically be lowered, requiring use of headphones. Presumably this is to
>> get a good trigger when you say, "Take Picture". Your speaker volume will
>> remain lowered until you leave the Camera screen (either by double tapping
>> the "Use" button in the bottom right corner after taking a photo, or by
>> double tapping the "Cancel" button in the bottom left corner to leave the
>> screen without taking a picture), or until you
>> toggle the speech control feature off by double tapping the unlabeled button
>> at the top of the screen again. (Note, if you become very confident and
>> proficient in the layout of the camera screen, so you can double tap the
>> "Use" button in the bottom left corner without a VoiceOver prompt, you can
>> run this without headphones. Alternatively, if you're at home in a quiet
>> setting you may still be able to hear VoiceOver through the lowered speaker
>> volume and also work without headphones. Also, if you're fast at getting
>> the iPhone to the correct height and level before you hear the buzz, and
>> then say "Take Picture", you can work without headphones. But in general,
>> be prepared to use headphones when you use voice control for the camera
>> shutter.)
>> 4) Revisiting step 3. Assuming you set your speech control on, and exited
>> the Camera screen (e.g. by double tapping the "Cancel" button in the bottom
>> left corner), you can start the process again, with your headphones
>> connected. After double tapping the "Text" button (Step 1) and before
>> double tapping the "Camera" button (Step 2), place your iPhone on the page
>> you want to OCR using the edges of the paper to align the sides of the
>> device. Center the iPhone so that the camera lens (top right corner as you
>> normally hold the device) is approximately in the center of the page. (If
>> you use a case, make sure that the back of the case does not block the
>> camera lens). Sandy has mentioned suggestions like lightly folding the page
>> in half length-wise and width-wise to guide positioning and aligning the
>> iPhone, in the case of practicing with a sheet of letter paper. Make sure
>> that you flatten the paper because failing to keep either the page or the
>> iPhone flat when you take the picture will cause some of the letters to show
>> up as tildes; this is typical if you scan a book page and haven't flattened
>> the section near the spine enough.
>> 5) Double tap or split tap the "Camera" button, then, using two hands to
>> make sure you keep the iPhone level, raise it steadily up from the page to a
>> height of about 7 to 9 inches. (Nine inches is roughly twice the length of
>> the iPhone.) You'll feel the iPhone vibrate, and then VoiceOver will
>> announce "auto-focused". At this point you can say "Take Picture" and hear
>> the shutter close. (You'll probably start by lifting the iPhone too slowly
>> to reach 7-9 inches before you feel the vibration and hear "auto focused".
>> Say "Take Picture" anyway -- your image is more likely to be in focus. The
>> actual distance you lift depends on the size of the page. Small billings
>> only require about 6 or 7 inches. I practice lifting and then check the
>> distance I've lifted an iPhone against the handspan of one hand, which for
>> me is 7 inches, but I have small hands.
>> 6) Double tap the "Use" button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
>> This is the last element on the screen, so you can also just use a four
>> finger tap on the bottom of the screen and then double tap. (I preferred
>> the four finger swipe down, but this is the current gesture for moving tot
>> he end of the screen.)
>> 7) On the next screen flick right the "Next" button in the top right corner
>> and double tap. You'll move to a screen labeled "Processing"
>> 8) The results of the OCR will show up in an "Edit" screen which will let
>> you review and edit your results.
>> 9) Double tap the "Next" button in the top right corner when done. You can
>> Save your results, or copy them, mail or upload them. Options such as copy
>> or email are listed as buttons along the bottom of the screen. Do a three
>> finger flick left to hear the second page of options, which include
>> MobileMe, DropBox, etc.
>>
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