Export Original Text

Export Original Text uses the legacy image detection/OCR and JSON-write flow by default. Enabling Settings → Mode Specific → Text Export → “Export Text from Local JSON Only” instead reads regions[].text from existing local project JSON and writes only <stem>_original.<template-format> without opening the image, running detection/OCR, or writing JSON back.

See Output Directory and Workflow for the nine-mode overview and Mode-Specific Workflows and Template Alignment for this toggle and cli.template.

When to use it

• Selecting Export Original Text (combo index 2) sets cli.template=true; by default it detects/OCRs the main image and writes the original-text sidecar.
• With the toggle on, inputs become the matching project JSON and a readable template. The image path only locates JSON and is not decoded; no main image is written and JSON is unchanged.
• With the toggle off, the legacy flow remains active; it requires cli.save_text=true and runs detection, OCR, mask processing, and JSON write-back.

Run this workflow

Select the Export Original Text workflow

1. Open the “Translation” page and click the “Translation Workflow Mode:” combo box in the “Translation Task” card.
2. Select “Export Original Text”. The UI sets only cli.template=true, clears the other seven workflow fields, and saves the configuration; the title changes to “Export Original Text” and the subtitle shows the matching tip.
3. Click “Generate Original Text Template” to start the task. Switching modes does not start a task automatically; while a task is running, the button shows states such as “Stop Translation”; see Progress, Stop, and Task State.

imagename in the tip is the program's example name for the input <stem>, not a private user file name; manga_translator_work/originals/ is a fixed subdirectory under each image's work directory.

Processing order

When cli.export_from_local_json is enabled, translate_batch() reads local JSON before image materialization. Missing JSON fails that image without OCR fallback. The toggle defaults off; when off, the legacy template + save_text branch runs.

flowchart LR
    Input["Input image path"] --> Find["Find matching project JSON"]
    Find -->|found| Read["Read regions.text"] --> Export["Render original sidecar through template"]
    Export --> Tpl["originals/<stem>_original.<extension>"]
    Find -->|missing or invalid| Fail["Fail this image; never fall back to OCR"]
    Read -. "not executed" .-> Skip["Image decode / detection / OCR / JSON write-back"]

Input and discovery rules

• The translation-page file list still supplies image paths; each path determines the work directory and matching project JSON, but the export branch does not open image content.
• Project JSON must exist at the new manga_translator_work/json/<stem>_translations.json location or the compatible legacy sibling path.
• The original sidecar is written to manga_translator_work/originals/<stem>_original.<template-format>; a readable template is required, with invalid/missing formats falling back to json.
• detector.import_yolo_labels applies only to the legacy detection flow after local JSON export is disabled.

Skipped and kept stages

• With the toggle on, image loading, colorization, upscaling, detection, OCR, translation, mask processing, inpainting, rendering, main-image saving, and JSON write-back are skipped.
• With the toggle on, regions[].text is read from existing JSON and rendered through the template. <translated> may still use the JSON's existing translation value.
• With the toggle off, the legacy flow runs conditional colorization/upscaling, detection, OCR, mask refinement, and JSON writing; it still does not call a translation service.

Project JSON details

• With the toggle on, project JSON is opened read-only and its bytes remain unchanged, including mask, font size, translations, and editor fields.
• generate_original_text() exports non-empty source text through the template and removes [BR]; no regions produce the template's empty output.

Output files

Output	Path	Notes
Project JSON	manga_translator_work/json/<stem>_translations.json	Required, read-only, and unchanged when the toggle is on
Original-text template	manga_translator_work/originals/<stem>_original.<template-format>	Written by both paths; extension comes from template output_format
Main output image	not written	Export mode does not render a main image
Editor base image	conditional	Only the legacy path with the toggle off may colorize or upscale

Inputs, outputs, and limitations

• With the toggle on, an existing project JSON and readable template are required. Missing JSON fails without OCR fallback; batch_concurrent remains incompatible.
• With cli.overwrite=false, an existing original sidecar is skipped before processing.
• cli.save_text remains part of the Export Original Text workflow flag combination; with the toggle on, JSON is never saved or overwritten.
• With the toggle off, the legacy flow and its detection, OCR, colorization/upscaling, and save_text write behavior remain active.

Read next

• Other workflows: Normal Translation · Export Translation · Translate JSON Only · Import Translation and Render · Colorize Only · Upscale Only · Inpaint Only · Replace Translation
• Selecting a workflow, output directory, and mutually exclusive writes: Output Directory and Workflow
• Inputs, skipped stages, and outputs of all nine workflows: Workflow Matrix
• Mutually exclusive workflow fields, parameter overrides, and template alignment: Mode-Specific Workflows and Template Alignment

See the reference index: Workflow Matrix.