Braille image to text
Experimental: this uses a simple dot-detection method, not a trained model. It works best on a clear, top-down, well-lit image with dark dots on a light background — accuracy on real embossed paper will vary.
Drag a photo of braille here, or
Max file size: 5 MB.
How to read braille from an image
- 1. Take or choose a photo. Shoot straight down on the braille, with even light and the dots filling most of the frame.
- 2. Upload it. Drag the image onto the box above or choose it from your device. JPEG, PNG and most phone photos work.
- 3. Check the detected cells. The braille grid is the reliable part of the result; compare a few cells with the braille alphabet chart.
- 4. Translate the cells. Copy them into the braille translator, choose Braille → Text, and pick Grade 2 if the braille is contracted — most printed braille is.
How the braille image reader works
The photo is turned to match its orientation, scaled down to at most 1,600 pixels on the longest side and converted to greyscale. A threshold chosen from the image’s own brightness separates dark marks from the background. The reader then keeps the marks that are round and about the same size — the dots — and ignores specks and lines.
Dot centres are grouped into rows and columns. A braille cell is three dot rows tall and two dot columns wide, so the rows are taken in threes and the columns in pairs, and each cell becomes one Unicode braille character. Finally the cells are translated as Grade 1 braille to give a first guess at the text.
What kind of image works
- Works well: braille printed as dark dots on a light background, screenshots of braille, diagrams and worksheets, and high-contrast scans.
- Works sometimes: embossed paper photographed with light from one low side, so each dot casts a clear shadow.
- Rarely works: braille on signs, lift buttons and packaging, curved or shiny surfaces, and photos taken at an angle.
Why the text guess is often wrong
One missed or extra dot turns a letter into a different one, and gaps between words are not detected reliably, so the guess can run words together. It also assumes uncontracted Grade 1 braille, while most real braille is Grade 2. Treat the detected cells as the result and the text as a hint.
Tips for a clean scan
- Shoot straight down. An angled photo distorts the spacing the dot-detection grid relies on.
- Even, diffuse light. Strong side lighting casts shadows next to each raised dot that can be mistaken for extra dots.
- Fill the frame. Crop out excess background so the braille cells are as large as possible in the photo.
- One block of braille at a time. A single paragraph or label reads better than a whole page with margins and headings.