How to make a photo of a document look like a scan

Contrast is what makes it look scanned

The difference between a photo and a scan is mostly tonal. A scanner produces white paper and black text. A camera produces grey paper and dark grey text, because it exposes for the whole scene rather than the page.

Pushing contrast separates those again. The paper goes white, the text goes black, and the uneven lighting across the page becomes much less obvious. Black and white then removes the colour cast that indoor lighting leaves behind.

There is a limit. Push contrast too far and thin strokes break up, faint pencil disappears and anything printed lightly is lost entirely. Check the smallest text on the page before you settle.

A recipe to start from

Begin with the Clean scan preset, which lifts the paper towards white and darkens the text. Then raise contrast a little more if the page still looks grey, and take the picture to black and white if the document is all text. Check that thin lines and small print are still clear.

Keep your original photo in case you want a version with colour. When the picture looks right, save it and put it into a PDF with Image to PDF, which is what most forms are really asking for.