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Outtacontext
Inspiring
September 26, 2016
Answered

Adding Alt Text to Figures: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

  • September 26, 2016
  • 4 replies
  • 40664 views

I'm having a problem adding alt text to a "figure" in Acrobat. I've learned how to tag an image as a figure using the Touch Up Reading Order Tool. When I double click on an image it allows me to tag it as a figure. Then I see a tag on the image that says "Figure - No Alternate Text Exists". Okay, so far so good. But now I don't know how to add the alt text to that tagged figure. Double clicking on the tag doesn't do anything. Can someone please give me a step by step to this? I'm on a Mac. Thx.

    Correct answer hobartbrennan

    You can add or edit Tags by clicking on View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags. Make sure you're in Accessibility edit mode. Select the image so it's highlighted and from the Tags pane on the left) click the Tags Options icon and click New Tag. From there you can select your Type (tag type) as Figure then enter  the Title that's going to be read back to the user. 

    4 replies

    K
    Katrina35700892mwx0
    New Participant
    February 26, 2024

    this guidance is great but what if it is not recognizing a table or figure, how would you then add alt text?

      Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
      Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
      Brainiac
      February 26, 2024

      Some questions:

      1. Why aren't the table and figure being recognized? Do you mean that a screen reader (JAWS or NVDA) isn't announcing that they are there?
      2. Or are they artifacted? Can't put Alt Text on something that is artifacted.
      3. And why do you want to pub Alt Text on a table? It should be a live table with a correctly tagged matris of columns and rows, like a spreadsheet.

       

      —Bevi

      |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
      nataliec10010572
      nataliec10010572
      New Participant
      November 8, 2018

      I have followed these steps and still cannot see the alt text when I hover over the image. Any ideas why or how I can confirm the alt text is there for an image?

      hammer0909
      hammer0909
      Community Expert
      November 9, 2018

      What reader are you viewing the file in? The alt text will be read by assistive software but whether a tool tip appears for the figure upon hover is controlled by the software you are using to read the file.

      damianb_
      damianb_
      Known Participant
      November 3, 2023

      I echo this... for me it's Acrobat in 2023, re the reader. I like to see that hover-over text too but it's hit and miss. Sometimes it's not there.

      H
      hobartbrennanCorrect answer
      Inspiring
      March 2, 2017

      You can add or edit Tags by clicking on View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags. Make sure you're in Accessibility edit mode. Select the image so it's highlighted and from the Tags pane on the left) click the Tags Options icon and click New Tag. From there you can select your Type (tag type) as Figure then enter  the Title that's going to be read back to the user. 

      C
      cc44963893
      New Participant
      August 3, 2019

      OMG. This is sheer hell.

        Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
        Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
        Brainiac
        August 4, 2019

        Unfortunately, the previous post that is listed as "Correct Answer" isn't the most efficient way to add Alt-text to <Figure>s in a PDF. See below for 2 better methods.

        nataliec10010572  wrote

        I have followed these steps and still cannot see the alt text when I hover over the image.

        Hovering over an image and waiting for a pop-up with the Alt-text is NOT the way to check your <Figure> tags for Alt-Text. First, the pop-up is an industry error: this tool-tip pop-up was never intended to show Alt-text but the industry's browser manufacturers sometimes still keep the error going. Sometimes they don't show the pop-up.

        So NEVER depend upon the pop-up to tell you anything. Alt-text was never intended to be shown in a pop-up.

        cc44963893  wrote

        OMG. This is sheer hell.

        No, not when you know how to use Acrobat's tools.

        To check your <Figures> for Alt-text (or to set them as Artifacts (aka, background)), use Acrobat Pro's accessibility tool panel.

        1. Launch the Accessibility Tools panel from the RIGHT side of Acrobat. Its icon is the purple Davinci guy in a circle. (If it's not in the right panel, then go to the Tools tab in the upper left of Acrobat's window and open it.)
        2. Click Set Alt Text utility.
        3. The utility will locate all <Figure>s in the PDF, one by one. It highlights them in blue and shows their Alt-text (or lack of Alt-text) in the dialogue box where you can add Alt-text, edit the existing Alt-text, or set the graphic as Artifact / Background.

        You can also run Acrobat's accessibility checker from this same panel and check which <Figure>s are missing Alt-text. It's called Full Check in the Accessibility tools panel.

        The easiest and fastest way to deal with Alt-text is to add it to the graphics in the source document -- Word, PowerPoint, InDesign, Excel all have tools for adding the Alt-text which, of course, seamlessly exports into the PDF.

        Adding Alt-text once the PDF is made should be viewed as a method of last resort!

        Hope this helps clear up the misunderstandings.

        --Bevi Chagnon

        Accessibility consultant and trainer | www.pubcom.com

        |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bevi Chagnon &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;Designer, Trainer, &amp; Technologist for Accessible Documents ||&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PubCom |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Classes &amp; Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs &amp; MS Office |
        S
        scottb16103838
        New Participant
        February 28, 2017

        I had the same issue / question and while searching for the answer just happened to right-click on the text "Figure - No Alternative Text Exists" when I right clicked on that I have the option Edit Alternative Text and from there a small box opened up where I could enter the alt text. Once I entered it "Figure - No Alternative Text Exists" changed to "Figure - whatever alt text you write".  For me this text shows in white text with a black background. Just right-click that text and you should be good to go.  Good luck!

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