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AI-Powered Comic & Manga Translation

Translate comics and manga automatically with deep learning. One click detection, OCR, inpainting, and typesetting for Japanese, English, and Chinese content.

Get StartedInstallation Guide
BallonTranslator interface preview showing manga translation in action

Quick Start

Get up and running with BallonTranslator in minutes

1

Install Python and Git

Download and install Python (≤ 3.12) and Git. Avoid the Microsoft Store version of Python.
# Verify installation
python3 --version
git --version
2

Clone and Launch

Clone the repository and run the launcher. The first run will automatically install dependencies and download AI models.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dmMaze/BallonsTranslator.git
cd BallonsTranslator

# Launch the application
python3 launch.py
The first launch may take 5-10 minutes to download required models (approximately 1-2GB). If downloads fail, manually download the data folder from MEGA or Google Drive.
3

Configure and Translate

On first run, configure your source and target languages in the settings panel. Open a folder containing manga/comic images and click Run to start automatic translation.
The translation pipeline will:
  1. Detect text regions using deep learning
  2. Extract text with OCR
  3. Remove original text using inpainting
  4. Translate text to your target language
  5. Render translated text with automatic typesetting

Core Capabilities

Everything you need for professional manga translation

Automated Translation

One-click pipeline for detection, OCR, inpainting, translation, and typesetting with automatic formatting estimation.

Image Editing

Mask editing and AI-powered inpainting tools to cleanly remove text and restore backgrounds.

Text Editing

WYSIWYG rich text editor with font presets, search & replace, and Word document import/export.

15+ Translators

Google, DeepL, ChatGPT, Sakura-13B, Sugoi, and more translation engines with custom API support.

Multiple OCR Engines

manga-ocr, MIT models, PaddleOCR, and cloud services for accurate text recognition.

GPU Acceleration

CUDA and ROCm support for fast processing with NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards.

Explore by Module

Deep dive into each component of the translation pipeline

Text Detection

Deep learning models for detecting text in Japanese, English, and Chinese manga/comics.

Learn more

OCR Engines

Multiple OCR backends including manga-ocr, MIT models, and PaddleOCR for text extraction.

Learn more

Inpainting

AI-powered text removal with AOT, LAMA, and PatchMatch algorithms for clean backgrounds.

Learn more

Translators

15+ translation services including Google, DeepL, ChatGPT, Sakura-13B, and custom APIs.

Learn more

Advanced Features

Power user capabilities and customization options

Headless Mode

Run batch translations from the command line without the GUI for automated workflows.

Custom Translators

Add your own translation services by implementing a simple two-method interface.

Configuration

Fine-tune detection, OCR, inpainting, and typesetting parameters in config.json.

API Reference

Integrate BallonTranslator modules into your own Python applications.

Ready to translate your first manga?

Follow our quickstart guide to install BallonTranslator and run your first automated translation in minutes.

Get Started Now