You can convert an eBook PDF to an audiobook with a simple Python script. Using some simple libraries, you can develop a project that will read out a PDF and store the audiobook as a new file.
Installing Required Packages
You need to install the PyPDF3, pyttsx3, and pdfplumber packages to get started. You can install these packages using the pip package manager. Make sure you have already installed pip on your system. Run the following command in the command prompt to install the packages:
You can use the PyPDF3 library to read and edit PDF files in Python. The pyttsx3 library provides text-to-speech conversion. pdfplumber is a library that lets you extract text and tables from PDF files.
Converting a PDF to an Audiobook Using Python
Once you’ve installed the above packages, you’re ready to import them into your python file:
You need to provide the name and location of the PDF file you want to convert. For the sake of simplicity, you can use any sample PDF file. Copy it to the same directory as your script and store its name in a variable; if it’s called Lorem.pdf, for example:
Next, create a file object for the PDF file and a PDF reader object:
Later, you’ll loop through all the pages of the PDF file. To find the total number of pages, use the numPages property:
Now, you’re ready to extract the text from the PDF file:
Use a for loop to iterate through all the pages and extract the text from the PDF. You can use the pdfplumber package to open the pdf file and the extract_text method to fetch text from a page.
With the full text stored in a variable, you can process it further, depending on your requirements. If you want to convert the text into audio and save it into a new file, use the following code:
When you run this Python code, it will create an audiobook file in its directory.
If you don’t want to save the audiobook and, for example, want to recite the PDF file, you can use the following code instead:
When you run this script, it will recite the PDF file.
Develop Projects Using Python
Python is known for its versatility. You can easily create projects with practical applications using Python.
If you’re looking to get your hands dirty with Python code, you can start by developing mini-projects. Some good starting ideas are a quiz app, chatbot, snake game, URL shortener, web scraper, or unit converter.
