Hurricane Erin Intensifies: U.S. Extreme Weather Threat Overview

This blog post explains why I could not retrieve the text from a link that contained only an image and no accompanying article content. It offers clear, practical guidance for users on how to provide readable text so I can create summaries or analyses.

Drawing on decades of experience working with scientific communication and digital content, I outline the technical limits, quick fixes, and recommended tools to extract text from images. Privacy and copyright are kept in mind throughout.

Table of Contents

Why I couldn’t access the article text

When a link returns only an image, there may be no machine-readable text for me to parse. I don’t have autonomous browsing or image-reading capabilities in every context.

If the webpage contains only an embedded image of text, such as a screenshot, scanned document, or infographic, I can’t extract the underlying words unless you provide them.

Common reasons links return images instead of text

Images used as content containers — PDFs saved as images, screenshots of articles, or social-media graphics often contain the words you need but not in selectable text form.

Webpages behind authentication, dynamic scripts, or content-delivery systems can also limit what I can reach. Some publishers intentionally deliver content as images to deter scraping, which further prevents automated retrieval.

How you can help me help you

Providing the article text directly is the fastest way to get an accurate summary or analysis. Below are simple, user-friendly options to supply the content so I can produce the high-quality output you expect.

Step-by-step: What to paste or attach

Paste the article text — Copy and paste the full text into the chat if it’s short or medium length. This is ideal for precise summaries.

If the content is an image: Use OCR tools (see below) to extract the text, then paste it here. If you prefer, provide a high-resolution image attachment and specify you want OCR applied.

Include the article title, author, and publication date when available.

Indicate any specific sections or sentences you want emphasized in the summary.

If you need a 10-sentence summary or a different format, state that explicitly.

Tools and tips to extract text from images

If your source is an image or a scanned PDF, optical character recognition (OCR) is the reliable method to convert it to editable text. Use reputable tools and follow best practices so the OCR output is clean and easy to paste.

Recommended OCR tools and best practices

Free and easy options: Google Drive’s OCR (upload image or PDF, right-click and “Open with Google Docs”), Microsoft OneNote, or online services like OCR.Space.

For sensitive documents, prefer local tools to avoid uploading to external servers.

Ensure high-resolution scans (300 dpi or higher) and clear contrast between text and background.

Verify the OCR output manually: correct common errors like “rn” read as “m” or misread punctuation.

Preserve formatting where needed — headings, tables, and figure captions can be important for scientific content.

Privacy, copyright, and scientific accuracy

When dealing with scientific articles, be mindful of copyright restrictions and sensitive data. If a work is behind a paywall, quote only short excerpts or provide your own summary.

For unpublished or confidential material, redact personal information before sharing.

Final recommendations

Best workflow: If possible, paste the article text directly.

If not, run a clean OCR pass and correct obvious errors.

Tell me the summary length and emphasis you want.

I’ll deliver a precise, readable product.

If you paste the text now, I’ll create the 10-sentence summary (or any other format) right away.

Here is the source article for this story: US Extreme Weather Hurricane Erin