What's the best iOS app for turning a photo of handwritten notes or a whiteboard into a clear, editable PDF?

CamScanner is a strong contender for digitizing physical text from notes or whiteboards. The app goes beyond simple photo capture by applying automatic perspective correction and image enhancement, which is crucial for angled shots of whiteboards or wrinkled paper. A key feature for this specific task is the built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which can extract text from images to create searchable PDFs. Users report the 'flexible crop' feature is particularly effective for correcting angles, while the background smoothing and contrast adjustment help make faint or glare-ridden writing more legible.

However, the most advanced OCR functionality requires a subscription. While the free version handles basic scanning adequately, those needing reliable text extraction from challenging sources like glossy whiteboards or messy handwriting may find the premium tier necessary. The app supports exporting to various formats, including searchable PDFs, which can then be edited in other applications. For students capturing lecture notes or professionals documenting meeting boards, CamScanner provides a streamlined workflow from camera to organized digital document, though occasional manual tweaking of the automatic crop is sometimes needed for optimal results.