Scanned document in PDF

[DestinyIsCallin]

I have a scanned document in PDF format. Before scanning some of the text on the document was marked over using a black marker. It was done in such a way that the text underneath the black marker lines is almost unreadable. Can anyone please guide me as to how I can erase those marker lines completely and make the text visible.

[steve.ledger]

Welcome to TG.

I think what you are asking is only possible in Movies.

A scanner can not distinguish between printed text and applied marker ink.
Just like a digital photo, it records only light intensity.

You cannot reveal the text beneath, but if you know what the text spells, you can artificially paint a similar background over the hidden areas and repaint the missing text.

[DestinyIsCallin]

I have actually seen this happen. A scanned document was so prefectly cleared that the text underneath was clearly visible. I just wanted to find out how that can be acheived. Would the healing brush help?

[steve.ledger]

The Healing Brush tool allows you to fix image imperfections such as scratches, blemishes, etc. By sampling the surrounding area or using a predefined pattern you can blend the imperfections into the rest of the image.
The healing brush is a great tool, but it would not do what you are asking.

I am unaware of any technique where a document has been defaced with black marker over black text could have the marker ink cleared away to reveal the text beneath.
Scanning creates a raster image, saved to a PDF simply embeds the bitmap.
Even an OCR would not handle such conditions.

Perhaps another member has come across a technique that could be shared?

[handrawn]

if you can read the text do as Steve suggests - mask over the affected area and remake - job done, document cleaned

if you can't read the text - do you have the paper document that was scanned?

[DestinyIsCallin]

edited

[ss-kalm]

As Steve suggests, you could possibly recreate the text by guessing what was originally there. However, erasing the black marker from the original black text off a scan is not possible with current technology as far as I know.

[Soquili]

Working with a scanned image, best guess is the only way to make the text readable.

With the original document and a very well equiped physics and optics laboratory you might be able to isolate the text if it was written in ink and not printed using a laser printer.

[steve.ledger]

Here's one example of such a document:

Destiny I zoomed in on a small section from your example to illustrate how a scanner can only 'see' light intensity and create a digitized result from that.
It would be quite impossible to digitally remove the black marker from the text on the paper from such an image. Unless you know what the text says, you would not be able to recreate it.
However, of course, if you do know what the text says, then you'd simply retype such a simple document.

[DestinyIsCallin]

Thank you for your help everyone.