Scanning & Manual Entry

Got a recipe from a cookbook, handwritten card, or your own head? ClipDish can digitize it. Use OCR scanning to extract text from photos, or manually type (or dictate) a recipe from scratch.

Two Ways to Add Recipes

Scan a Recipe

Take photos of recipe pages and ClipDish uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to extract the text and format it into a structured recipe.

Best for:

• Recipes from cookbooks
• Printed recipe cards
• Handwritten recipes (if legible)
• Magazine clippings

Write a Recipe

Type or dictate a recipe and ClipDish's AI parses it into ingredients and instructions.

Best for:

• Family recipes you know by heart
• Recipes you're creating from scratch
• When you want to dictate instead of type

Both methods process the recipe using AI to organize it into ingredients, instructions, and metadata (prep time, cook time, etc.).

Scanning a Recipe

Step 1: Open the Scanner

From your recipe list:

1. Tap the plus button in the toolbar
2. Select "Scan a Recipe"

The scanner opens with an empty state showing two options: "Take Photo" and "Choose from Library".

Step 2: Add Photos

Option A: Take a Photo

1. Tap "Take Photo"
2. Point your camera at the recipe page
3. Tap the shutter button to capture
4. The photo appears in the scanner

Option B: Choose from Library

1. Tap "Choose from Library"
2. Select one or more photos from your photo library
3. The photos appear in the scanner

Multi-page recipes: If the recipe spans multiple pages, add more photos by tapping "Add Another Page" and repeat the process.

Step 3: Review and Manage Photos

Each photo is labeled as "Page 1," "Page 2," etc. You can:

Replace a photo:

1. Tap the ellipsis button on the photo card
2. Select "Replace"
3. Choose "Take Photo" or "Choose from Library"

Remove a photo:

1. Tap the ellipsis button on the photo card
2. Select "Remove"

Add more pages:

• Tap "Add Another Page" at the bottom to add additional photos

Step 4: Process the Recipe

When you've added all the pages:

1. Tap "Next" in the toolbar
2. ClipDish processes the photos using OCR (this takes a few seconds)
3. A processing overlay appears while the AI extracts and organizes the text

Step 5: Review and Edit

Once processing completes, you'll see the recipe detail view with:

• Extracted title
• Ingredients list
• Step-by-step instructions
• Quick info (prep/cook times, yield) if detected

Important: OCR isn't perfect. Review the recipe for errors and use the editing tools to fix any issues.

Tap "Done" when finished, and the recipe is saved to your library.

Writing a Recipe Manually

Step 1: Open the Manual Entry View

From your recipe list:

1. Tap the plus button in the toolbar
2. Select "Write a Recipe"

The manual entry view opens with a text editor.

Step 2: Type or Dictate

Typing:

• Tap the text field and start typing your recipe
• Include the recipe title, ingredients, and instructions
• Don't worry about formatting—ClipDish's AI will organize it

Dictating:

• Tap the microphone button on your iOS keyboard
• Speak the recipe out loud
• The keyboard transcribes your speech into text

What to include:

• Title: The recipe name (e.g., "Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies")
• Ingredients: List each ingredient (e.g., "2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar")
• Instructions: Step-by-step directions
• Optional: Prep time, cook time, yield

Example format:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Mix in flour until combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Tip: You don't need to use perfect formatting. The AI will parse ingredients and instructions even if you just write them out in paragraph form.

Step 3: Process the Recipe

When you're done typing:

1. Tap "Next" in the toolbar
2. ClipDish processes the text using AI (this takes a few seconds)
3. A processing overlay appears while the AI organizes the text into structured fields

Step 4: Review and Edit

Once processing completes, you'll see the recipe detail view with:

• Extracted title
• Ingredients list
• Step-by-step instructions
• Quick info (prep/cook times, yield) if detected

Review the recipe and use the editing tools to fix any formatting issues or add missing details.

Tap "Done" when finished, and the recipe is saved to your library.

Tips for Better Results

For Scanning

Use good lighting Make sure the recipe page is well-lit and there are no shadows covering the text.

Keep the page flat Avoid wrinkles, creases, or curves that might distort the text.

Fill the frame Get close enough so the recipe text fills most of the photo. Don't include unnecessary background.

Avoid reflections If scanning from a glossy page, angle the camera to avoid glare or reflections.

Capture the whole recipe If the recipe spans multiple pages, make sure to photograph all of them. Don't skip ingredients or instructions.

Use high contrast Black text on white paper works best. Faded or low-contrast text may not scan well.

For Manual Entry

Include the title first Start with the recipe name so the AI can identify it as the title.

List ingredients separately Write each ingredient on its own line (or separate them with commas) for better parsing.

Number your steps (optional) If you number instructions, the AI will preserve that numbering. But it's not required—the AI can detect steps even without numbers.

Mention times and yields If you include phrases like "Prep time: 15 minutes" or "Serves 4," the AI will extract them as metadata.

Speak naturally when dictating You don't need to say "comma" or "period"—just speak the recipe as you would explain it to someone.

What Happens During Processing?

When you tap "Next", ClipDish sends the photos or text to its servers for processing. Here's what happens:

1. OCR (for scans): The AI extracts text from the images
2. Parsing: The AI identifies ingredients, instructions, title, and metadata
3. Formatting: Everything is organized into a structured recipe
4. Return: The processed recipe is sent back to your device

Note: Processing requires an internet connection and typically takes 5-10 seconds.

Common Issues

Q: The scanned recipe is missing ingredients or instructions. A: OCR isn't perfect, especially with handwritten text or low-quality images. Review the recipe and manually add what's missing using the editing tools.

Q: The AI didn't separate ingredients and instructions correctly. A: This can happen if the recipe text is ambiguous. Use the editing tools to move items between ingredients and instructions, or use Magic Cleanup to reorganize.

Q: Scanning failed with an error. A: Check your internet connection. If the problem persists, try retaking the photo with better lighting or typing the recipe manually instead.

Q: The manually entered recipe is jumbled. A: The AI does its best to parse free-form text, but it's not perfect. Review the recipe and use the editing tools to fix formatting.

Q: Can I scan recipes in languages other than English? A: ClipDish is optimized for English recipes. Other languages may not scan or parse correctly.

Q: How many pages can I scan at once? A: There's no hard limit, but scanning more than 5-10 pages may take longer to process. If you have a very long recipe, consider breaking it into multiple scans.

Q: Can I scan from a PDF? A: Not directly from the app. Save the PDF images to your photo library first, then use "Choose from Library" to select them.

For more scanning and manual entry questions, see the FAQ.

After Adding a Recipe

Once you've scanned or manually entered a recipe, it behaves like any other recipe in your library. You can:

• Add it to collections
• Edit ingredients, instructions, or metadata
• Cook from it
• Ask Chef Beverly questions about it

Privacy and Data

What's sent to ClipDish's servers:

• Photos of recipe pages (for scanning)
• Text you type or dictate (for manual entry)

What's NOT sent:

• Other photos from your library
• Your recipe collection or saved recipes

Data retention:

• Photos and text are processed and then discarded. ClipDish doesn't store the original images or text long-term.

For more details, see ClipDish's Privacy Policy.

What's Next?

Now that you know how to scan and manually enter recipes:

• Editing Recipes - Fix and customize scanned or manually entered recipes
• Working with Recipes - Learn to browse and cook from your recipes
• Organizing with Collections - Keep your recipe library organized

Happy cooking!