This Book is a Movie

July 11, 2023

What is Alt Text?

‘Alt text’ is short for ‘alternative text.’ Just as the name implies, it is text describing an image that can be used as an alternative to viewing the image it accompanies. Alt text can be viewed in different ways on different sites & apps. Sometimes it pops up when you hover over the picture, sometimes it is displayed below the picture, sometimes it can’t be seen at all but screen readers & refreshable braille displays can still access it for people. Alt text is used by people with visual impairments, trouble focusing on/processing visual information, or weak internet connections. It is used by people, like me, who get headaches & turn the screen brightness so far down we can’t see the pictures clearly. It is used by people who can see the image just fine, but want to read the description anyway. Really, alt text is used by so many people I’m surprised it’s not universal!

If you are still not clear on what alt text is, you can follow this link & hover your cursor over the picture or use your screen reader to access the alt text for the picture below.

BucephalusKnight Look at this photograph, tell me what it is so I can laugh

What Isn’t Alt Text?

Sometimes people use the alt text slot to add the photographer’s name or contact info. Put that near the image- alt text is just for description!

Brevity is the Soul of Alt

Keep it as simple as possible without losing accuracy. Transcribe any text that is in the image.

The wonderful Curator of mastodon.Art explained the basic format for alt text for a single image so neatly I’m just going to quote her directly;

Describe the medium (“An oil painting”) Describe the subject (“of a cottage in a field”) Describe the mood (“the colours are warm and create a cozy atmosphere”).

The alt text for this image could be... SpitFire A watercolor painting of a woman resting her chin on her hand. Her head is on fire. The colours create a cozy atmosphere.

Of course, if you are describing art, you may want to be a bit more descriptive. Depending on the art, you may need to change the format or write a bit more:

C&H Watercolor & Ink 2 panel comic. Panel 1: Title Text reads “Calvin and Hobbes by Watterson and Wanderer”. Angry Calvin is marching with his fist in the air, shouting “I'm not tired! It's only 7:30! This is tyranny! I'm” Panel 2: Sleeping Calvin on the floor, voice bubble has a picture of a bee & says “zzzz.”

Make sure you use proper punctuation. It is especially important to add a period at the end, so the screen reader pauses before moving on to read the next part of the screen.

Every person, every app, & every text reader is different. I have given you the broad strokes, but it is worth looking into how/if the different websites/apps you use employ alt text. If you don’t add alt text, most screen readers will just say ‘image’ so trying to write alt text can make a huge difference in someone’s ability to enjoy your pictures! For more information, see organizations like the American Foundation for the Blind & Web Accessibility Initiative!

When You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover

Most book covers – even for audiobooks! – do not include alt text. Book cover design is its own category of art work. It is an integral part of the reading experience. The designers deserve to have their work appreciated by everyone! On 17 July, authors & artists are encouraged to share alt text for their book covers. Readers are encouraged to @ their favorite authors, publishers, etc., & ask them to provide alt text for covers. Be sure to use #AltTextCoverDay!

Mea Culpa

All the pictures shared in all the articles in this blog are mine. They are hosted on my page, where they all have alt text. Somehow I only realized the alt text wasn’t accessible here as I was working on this article. It should work for screen readers now. Please let me know if it does not, & include the program/app/etc you are using to read this, so that I can fix it.

Karin Wanderer Learns