This tool provides deep learning-assisted comic translation, automating the process of translating text within comic panels and offering image and text editing capabilities. It is designed for comic artists, translators, and enthusiasts looking to streamline the translation workflow.

How It Works

The core functionality relies on a pipeline of deep learning models for text detection, OCR, image inpainting (for removing original text), and machine translation. It aims to preserve original typesetting, including color, outline, and alignment, by using the detected text blocks as a reference. The tool supports various translation engines and offers both automated and manual editing options.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: Clone the repository and run python3 launch.py. For Windows users, a pre-packaged executable is available for download.
• Prerequisites: Python < 3.12, Git. For GPU acceleration, an NVIDIA GPU is recommended. AMD GPU acceleration via ZLUDA is supported with specific setup steps.
• Dependencies: Automatically installs torch and other libraries on first run. Models and data may need manual download if automatic download fails.
• Links: Official GitHub

Highlighted Details

• Supports both Japanese and American comics, with optimized layout for English-to-Chinese and Japanese-to-English translations.
• Features include mask editing, a repair brush for image manipulation, and WYSIWYG rich text editing with formatting options.
• Offers batch text formatting, automatic typesetting, and full/original/translated text find-and-replace.
• Command-line interface (--headless) is available for batch processing.

Maintenance & Community

• The project is actively developed by dmMaze.
• It heavily relies on manga-image-translator and encourages support for its developers.
• Community support channels are not explicitly mentioned in the README.

Licensing & Compatibility

• The project's licensing is not explicitly stated in the provided README snippet.
• Compatibility for commercial use or closed-source linking is not detailed.

Limitations & Caveats

• The effectiveness of text removal depends on the algorithm's accuracy with complex backgrounds.
• Vertical text layout for Japanese-to-Chinese translation requires improvement.
• Third-party input methods might cause display bugs in the editing box.
• The Windows packaged version is not compatible with Windows 7.