Please Note: This Hack is only applicable to devices with an S Pen.
With so much time spent typing on devices and keyboards, it's sometimes easy to forget the benefits of writing things by hand. It might be slower than typing, but many studies have shown that students often engage more deeply and ultimately retain more information as a result of making written notes. The humble pen is also well equipped to sketch diagrams, draw graphs and scribble formulas on the fly.
Having said that, perhaps the biggest drawback of paper-and-pen notations is the time it can take to digitalise them later on, especially when they combine both graphics and text together. Thankfully, that's where Samsung Notes can help out. Use the S Pen to write, doodle and draw straight onto a digital canvas, then convert your handwriting to text and export your multimedia file in a variety of formats. No paper wastage, no typing up notes, no fuss.
Here's what to do:
- Make sure your device is switched on and unlocked
- Remove your S Pen and tap Create note from the S Pen menu
- To use a previously saved note instead, tap View all notes from the S Pen menu and select your note
- Choose Pen mode from the toolbar at the bottom. It's the second tool from the left, after the keyboard symbol
- Use Pen mode to select a drawing tool, colour and line thickness and then create or add to your freehand note
- Using your finger, scroll up to generate more blank pages when required
- Save your note at any time by tapping the more options menu in the top-right corner and then Save as file
- To digitalise your writing, tap the Convert to text symbol. It looks like a doodle with an upper case T
- Adjust the selection field to exclude diagrams or doodles you do not wish to convert to text
- Tap Copy to copy and paste the digital notes elsewhere, or Convert to change your notes into digital text
- Share or save your note using the more options menu
If you've got something to add, let us know in the comments below!
The Community Team 🤝
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