Did you try the Generative AI alt-text feature and find it problematic? Wish there was a faster way to workflow Alt-text and Actual-Text for your PDF document?
With these new scripts you can quickly add Alt-Text Descriptions in the graphics of your InDesign document in preparation for exporting to PDF. These scripts work with your native AHI™ (Actual Human Intelligence) to write meaningful accessibility descriptions. It does not use any of Adobe's Generative AI features. Here is what the interface looks like:
The Accessibility-Alt-Text-Assistant.jsx is an EntendScript JavaScript that counts all the graphics in your InDesign document that have no Alt-Text descriptions. It moves you to the next selected graphic and allows you to fill out Alt-Text and/or Actual Text descriptions. When you click OK, or tap the numeric keypad Enter key, it automatically saves and advances to the next untagged graphic. This allows you to move quickly through the whole document while adding descriptions for assistive speech readers. Optionally, you can choose to skip some graphics and skip graphics on Parent pages.
Similarly, the Accessibility-Alt-Text-Reviewer.jsx script allows you to go through all the graphics again, for the purpose of reviewing and editing. Instead of advancing through graphics with missing Alt-Text, this version of the script walks through all the graphics. It is your option whether to skip some graphics or skip graphics on Parent pages.
Properly-made Alt-Text and Actual Text descriptions require human editorial input and simply cannot be guessed at by AI. Although InDesign already gives you access to Alt Text and Actual Text by means of the Object Export Options dialog box, this method is quite slow. It cannot be helped by a custom keyboard shortcut. It is click-intensive and requires the InDesign user to manually go to the next selected graphic. This creates a perfect use for JavaScripting the whole procedure. The script brings the graphic to the user, ready to type or copy'n'paste the well-written descriptions for speech reader software.
Find the product description in the InDesign Resources page.
