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Importing from Photo or Camera

Have a recipe on a handwritten card, in a cookbook, or in a screenshot? Marinaid can read it using your device’s camera or photo library.

How to import from a photo

  1. Open Marinaid and tap the + button.
  2. Tap Import from Photo.
  3. Choose one of the following:
    • Take a photo — point your camera at a recipe card, cookbook page, or printed recipe and snap a picture.
    • Choose from library — select an existing photo or screenshot from your photo library.
  4. Marinaid uses on-device OCR to read the text and organize it into a structured recipe.
  5. Review the result and tap Save.

What gets extracted

Marinaid reads all visible text in the photo and looks for common recipe patterns:

  • Title — usually the largest or first line of text
  • Ingredients — lines with quantities and units
  • Instructions — numbered steps or paragraphs

Tips for best results

  • Good lighting matters. Make sure the recipe text is well-lit and in focus before taking a photo.
  • Capture the full recipe. Include the title, ingredients, and instructions in a single photo if possible. If the recipe spans two pages, take a photo of each and import them separately, then merge by editing.
  • Flat and straight. Lay the recipe card or cookbook flat to avoid warping and shadows that make text harder to read.
  • Screenshots work great. If you see a recipe on a website or in an app that won’t import via URL, take a screenshot and import it as a photo.
  • Handwriting works too. Marinaid can read most handwritten recipes, though neat handwriting produces the best results.

When to use photo import

  • Recipe cards — grandmother’s handwritten recipes, index cards, printed cards
  • Cookbook pages — snap a photo instead of typing out the whole recipe
  • Screenshots — recipes from apps that don’t support the share sheet, or images shared in messages
  • Magazine clippings — recipes torn out of magazines or printed from the web

After import

You’ll see a preview of the parsed recipe before saving. You can edit the title, ingredients, instructions, and any other fields before tapping Save.

Importing Recipes from Browser Import recipes by pasting a URL or sharing from Safari.
Importing from Text Paste recipe text from Apple Notes, OneNote, or any other source.
Import Troubleshooting What to do when a recipe import fails or produces incomplete results.