P: Support for new IPTC accessibility metadata

[Chad24479200zhcd]

When is Adobe going to support the new IPTC metadata standard published in November of 2021? I was looking that the latest Photoshop and Bridge and still no ALT TEXT field in IPTC. What is taking so long for Adobe to add this new standard. 

Article in March for lightroom feature request. 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-support-for-new-iptc-accessibility-metadata...

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

If this was marked as an "idea" rather than a "discussion" I'd vote for it...

[jane-e]

@Stephen_A_Marsh  I've moved from Photoshop Discussions to Photoshop Ideas.

This is cross-posted to Lightroom Classic in this thread:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-support-for-new-iptc-accessibility-metadata...

Jane

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

Thank you Jane, I voted!

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

For those really wishing to use this tag, now, I'd suggest using ExifTool:

exiftool -AltTextAccessibility='Your alt text here' '/mac path to/folder /or/file.jpg'

Windows users would swap the single straight quote mark ' for double straight quote marks " and the appropriate system path to the file or folder.

Edit: At least the metadata added by ExifTool is visible in Photoshop's File > File Info > Raw Data, even if there is no official support for writing.

<Iptc4xmpCore:AltTextAccessibility>
    <rdf:Alt>
        <rdf:li xml:lang="x-default">Your alt text here</rdf:li>
    </rdf:Alt>
</Iptc4xmpCore:AltTextAccessibility>

https://www.iptc.org/std/photometadata/specification/IPTC-PhotoMetadata#alt-text-accessibility

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

@Chad24479200zhcd 

The following Photoshop script will offer a prompt to add this metadata to the current document:

/*
Add Photoshop Metadata IPTC Alt Text.jsx
v1.0 - 17th May 2022, Stephen Marsh
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-ideas/adobe-still-no-adoption-of-latest-iptc-standard/idc-p/12947538
https://www.iptc.org/std/photometadata/specification/IPTC-PhotoMetadata#alt-text-accessibility
*/

#target photoshop

var altText = prompt("Enter the IPTC Alt Text (Accessibility) metadata:", "");
if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript === undefined) ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript");
var xmp = new XMPMeta(activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData);
xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_IPTC_CORE, "AltTextAccessibility");
xmp.setProperty(XMPConst.NS_IPTC_CORE, "AltTextAccessibility", altText);
app.activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData = xmp.serialize();

Instructions:

1. Copy the code text to the clipboard
2. Open a new blank file in a plain-text editor (not in a word processor)
3. Paste the code in
4. Save the text file as .txt
5. Rename the file extension from .txt to .jsx
6. Install or browse to the .jsx file to run (see below)

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html#Photoshop

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

Here is a version for Adobe Bridge. Once installed, select one or more files and then look under the Tools menu for "Add IPTC Alt Text Metadata":

/*
Add Bridge Metadata IPTC Alt Text.jsx
v1.0 - 17th May 2022, Stephen Marsh
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-ideas/adobe-still-no-adoption-of-latest-iptc-standard/idc-p/12947538
https://www.iptc.org/std/photometadata/specification/IPTC-PhotoMetadata#alt-text-accessibility
*/

#target bridge

addIPTCaltText = {};

addIPTCaltText.execute = function () {

    // Interactive Prompt
    altText = Window.prompt("Enter the IPTC Alt Text (Accessibility) metadata:", "");

    var sels = app.document.selections;
    for (var i = 0; i < sels.length; i++) {
        var md = sels[i].synchronousMetadata;
        md.namespace = "http://iptc.org/std/Iptc4xmpCore/1.0/xmlns/";
        md.AltTextAccessibility = altText;
    }
}

if (BridgeTalk.appName == "bridge") {
    var menu = MenuElement.create("command", "Add IPTC Alt Text Metadata", "at the end of Tools");
    menu.onSelect = addIPTCaltText.execute;
} 

Instructions for use here:

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

P.S. If anybody has other software that does support the Alt Text (Accessibility) metadata entry, please verify and let the forum know if the ExifTool, Photoshop and Bridge alternatives that I posted work in other software.