Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Illuminate and how it works.
Credits & Subscription
One credit allows you to process one image using cloud OCR and translation. Each time you capture an area on your screen for translation with Pro, one credit is deducted from your monthly allowance.
Pro subscribers receive 200 credits per month. That's enough to translate approximately 200 images or selected areas. Credits reset on the same day each month as your subscription start date.
When you exhaust your 200 monthly credits, you'll automatically revert to the Free tier. You can still use local OCR (Tesseract.js) which runs entirely in your browser, but cloud OCR and translation features will require a credit top-up or renewal next month.
Yes, you can cancel your Pro subscription at any time. Your access to Pro features will continue until the end of your current billing period. No refunds are provided for partial months, but you won't be charged again after cancellation.
Local vs Cloud Processing
Local OCR (Free) uses Tesseract.js running entirely in your browser via WebAssembly. It works offline and is great for basic text extraction.
Cloud OCR (Pro) uses Qwen3-VL-Flash, a powerful AI model that delivers superior accuracy on complex fonts, handwriting, and multi-language content. It also provides translations directly.
Yes! Local OCR with Tesseract.js runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server, making it completely private and functional without an internet connection. However, it only extracts text—it doesn't provide translations.
Use Local for quick text extraction, offline use, or when privacy is paramount. Use Cloud (Pro) when you need the highest accuracy, seamless translations, or inpainting overlays. You can switch between modes anytime in the extension settings.
Features & Usage
Inpainting is a Pro feature that removes original text from an image and replaces it with matching background texture before overlaying the translation. This makes translated text appear as if it was originally part of the image, providing a natural reading experience.
Illuminate offers multiple ways to capture text:
- Capture Mode: Click the extension icon or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S (Mac: Cmd+Shift+S) to select any area
- Right-click: Right-click any image and select "Translate with Illuminate"
- Hover: Move your cursor over images to reveal a translate button (Pro feature)
Illuminate supports 30+ languages for OCR, including all major languages. Translation capabilities include popular language pairs. The extension automatically detects the source language, but you can also manually specify languages in settings.
With local processing, your data never leaves your device. For cloud processing (Pro), images are sent to our AI provider for OCR and translation. We don't store your images or use them for training. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
General
Illuminate is available for Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. Visit the homepage and click "Add to Chrome" to install directly from the Chrome Web Store.
Currently, Illuminate is designed for Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, etc.). Firefox and Safari versions may be available in the future.
If you encounter issues or have questions, you can reach out through our GitHub repository or contact support. Include details about your browser version, operating system, and a description of the issue for faster assistance.