Take scans

You can use the Adobe Scan app to instantly scan various types of documents, capture new images, or use existing images and convert them to digital copies. The Scan app converts images to PDF and saves them to Adobe cloud storage. Empowered with Optical Character Recognition (OCR), the app supports automatic text recognition that automatically converts image text to real text.

The scan feature requires access to your camera. If prompted, choose Allow. For details, see Change settings.

To quickly scan a document in auto-capture mode:

  1. Open the app and wait for the capture.

  2. Once the app captures the document, tap on the thumbnail to view and modify your scan.

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Scan a document

To scan a document from the capture window:

  1. Open the app and tap cameraicon

  2. Select the document type. Refer to Perform quick actions for more details.

  3. Optionally, tap the flashiconon to change flash settings. Refer to Perform quick actions for more details.

  4. Invoke a scan using one of the following capture modes:

    • autoscan Auto-capture (default): The app displays the capture screen and detects the document. In auto-capture mode, the app uses live edge boundary detection that displays blue dots to identify document corners.

    • autoscanoff Manual-capture: Center the document in window and tap the capture button.

  1. Follow the on-screen messages to complete the scan workflow:

    • Looking for document: The app is looking for the document and trying to detect its boundaries.

    • Capturing… hold steady: Edge detection can see the entire document.

    • No document found. Capture manually: The app cannot detect the document edges.

    The app uses auto crop and image cleaning to improve scan quality. The captured scan appears on the screen with crop handles and the modifying tools menu.

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  1. On the capture screen, modify your capture as desired using the tools menu.

  2. Optionally, tap Keep scanning to continue capturing more documents or tap Retake to recapture the document if you are not satisfied with your current capture. Refer to Modify your scans for more details.

  3. Tap Save PDF.

It automatically converts your scan to a PDF and saves it to Adobe cloud storage.

Note

The Scan app uses live edge boundary detection to automatically detect the document boundaries in auto-capture mode.

Scan books

Adobe Scan now allows you to simultaneously scan both left and right pages of a bounded book. The Scan app’s book scanning feature can help you scan an entire book in less time by scanning two pages at a time. It automatically splits the capture into separate pages.

To scan the pages of a book:

  1. Open the app and tap cameraicon

  2. Select the document type as Book.

  3. Set the optional settings as desired.

  4. Rotate your camera to a landscape view for a better capture of both sides, as prompted on the screen.

  5. Align the dotted divider line to your book’s center bind and adjust the borders. The divider line and the borders automatically identifies the book binding and the split.

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  1. Verify the scanning order. To change the book scanning order, tap switchicon

  2. Tap the capture button if auto-capture is not enabled. The scan is captured and split into 2 pages.

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  1. Tap the thumbnail icon to open the captured scans.

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  1. Modify each page as required and tap Save PDF.

Note: The Adjust border screen shows the full original photo for both pages, allowing you to readjust the border and center binding.

Scan ID Cards

Adobe Scan now allows you to scan ID cards with the new ID card scanning feature. To scan ID cards:

  1. Open the app and tap cameraicon

  2. Select the document type as ID card.

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  1. With auto-capture enabled, keep the ID card with first page up. The app captures the first page and prompts you to capture the second page.

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  1. If you need to recapture the first page, tap Retake.

  2. Tap Next page to capture the other side of the ID card.

  3. Tap Review and save to modify the scan and save as PDF.

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  1. If prompted to select settings for adjusting borders, select a desired option in the Adjust borders dialog, and then select OK.

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The two sides of an ID card are scanned and appears as a single page.

  1. Modify the scanned page as desired and then select Save PDF.

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Perform quick actions

Adobe Scan now allows you to perform common actions from your scans. For example, when the app recognizes an email address or a phone number, the capture screen provides you with options to directly email, call, or copy the captured text. You can also use this feature to quickly contact a person from your business card scans.

To perform quick actions:

  1. Scan a document with text. The scan type can be set to Document, Whiteboard, or Form. If the Scan app recognizes and email address or phone number, buttons appear on the capture screen.

  2. Tap one of the quick action buttons: email, call, select text, or more.

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  1. Choose an action. You can invoke a call or send an email.

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Customize scan capture

Use the options on the capture screen to control how you scan :

Item

Description

Scan type

Streamline your workflow by selecting one of the Document types.

flashiconon

If your device has a flash, you can set it to always on flashiconon, always off flashiconoff, or auto flashiconauto (only use in dark settings).

autoscan

Toggle auto capture on autoscan and off autoscanoff.

scanaddicon

Add an existing photo or document to your current scan collection

thumbs

Long press the thumbnail to view your last 3 scan thumbnails–you can delete these captures now or later. Tap the thumbnail to end your scan session and modify the file.

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Create scan from digital photos or documents

Scan’s integration with the device photo library allows you to create scans from existing photos or digital documents. Scan uses the document detection feature to distinguish documents from selfies, artwork, and other non-document photos.

To create scans from photos or documents:

  1. Tap scanaddicon. It opens the image gallery.

  2. Tap one or more images to select them.

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  1. Optionally, enable Show only documents to view only the documents. Tap one or more documents to select them.

  2. Optionally, disable Auto-crop to import the original photos or documents without cropping. By default the app auto-crops the imported photos or documents.

  3. Tap checkicon to capture the image/images as scan.

  4. Modify the scan if required and tap Save PDF.

You can also directly import images from your gallery. To do so, open your gallery, tap shareicon, and then tap scanicon. When the image opens in the scan app, modify, rename, and save your scan as usual.

Document types

Selecting a scan type changes the scan name as well as how the app captures the scan. For example, the app captures the entire camera view for a whiteboard but uses boundary detection when capturing a business card.

The default menu options available on the preview screen and document thumbnails may vary by context. For example, a document shows the Save as JPEG menu item while a business card shows the Save to Contacts menu item.

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Note

You can configure the default file name from the app’s preferences screen.

Whiteboard:

  • File name: Whiteboard + <date>

  • Full screen capture

  • iconedit Edit text shown as 2nd option

  • Save as JPEG shown as the 3rd option on file card

Book:

  • File name: Book + <date>

  • Boundary detection

  • iconedit Edit text shown as 2nd option

  • Save as JPEG shown as the 3rd option on file card

Form:

  • File name: Adobe Scan + <date>

  • Boundary detection

  • iconedit Edit text shown as 2nd option

  • fillsignicon shown as the 3rd option on file card

Document:

  • File name: Adobe Scan + <date>

  • Boundary detection

  • iconedit Edit text shown as 2nd option

  • Save as JPEG shown as the 3rd option on file card

ID Card:

  • File name: ID card + <date>

  • Boundary detection

  • Set password passwordicon shown as the 2nd option on file card

  • Save as JPEG shown as the 3rd option on file card

Business Card:

  • File name: Business Card + <date>

  • Boundary detection

  • iconedit Edit text shown as 2nd option

  • contacts1 shown as the 3rd option on file card