Here's how to turn image-based text from images or PDFs into editable text.
1. OCR
Ashampoo PDF Pro features built-in optical character recognition to turn image-based text into editable characters. For this example, I've opened a scanned document that contains image-based text I'd like to edit further. First, I click "Document" (1) and then "Recognize Text (OCR)" (2) to bring up the OCR dialog. I then specify the range, document language and type of image used and click "OK" (3).

Depending on the amount of text, recognition can take a few seconds.

The recognized characters will then be layered below the image.
To edit it, select "Document" (1), followed by "OCR Corrections" (2) and "Start..." (3). Then. click "Start OCR mode" (4) to switch to that mode.

The recognized text will be displayed as individual blocks and appear like a slight shadow relative to the original image. Click the blocks to edit the corresponding text inside Ashampoo PDF Pro.

You can also export the document as a Word document and edit it in that application. Here's how.
2. Microsoft Word export
Click "File" (1), then "Export" (2) and finally "Pages As..." (3) to open the export dialog.

Next, click "Format" (1) to select the desired output format. The currently selected format is shown below the range selection (2). Click "OK" (3) to proceed.

Finally, select the output location (1), enter a file name (2) and click "OK" (3) to conclude the process.
Aside from editable text, the exported file also contains the scanned images which are easy to remove should you need character-based text only.
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Further instructions for Ashampoo PDF Pro 2 can be found here: