Module 3, Lesson 4: Images (Mac) Mac icon

If you use a PC, click this link to go to the PowerPoint 2016 for Windows module.

What are images in a PowerPoint presentation?

Besides text, many PowerPoint presentations also contain images. The overall purpose of including images in your presentation should be to help the audience comprehend the purpose and/or meaning of the content. Some of the most common images used within presentations are:

  • Descriptive or informative images
  • Decorative images such as icons or logos
  • Charts/graphs to represent information from a data table

Why are accessible images necessary?

Screen-reading software can only read text, not images or non-text graphics. Therefore, a reader who cannot see your presentation will only learn that there is an image there, not what the image is or what function it serves in the presentation.

Adding an alternative text description, also known as alt text, to the image alerts the screen-reading software that there is text to read aloud. When the screen reader passes over the visual element, it will read the alt text.

thumbs up

  Alt text also makes web pages more accessible to anyone who is browsing on a weak internet connection or a
  small portable device like a smart phone. The alt text labels become visible while images are loading.

Alt text should not repeat what is already stated in captions or other presentation text. Think of it as a secret code that only screen reader users will be aware of. It will not appear to the naked eye, but rather is part of the presentation's code. Consider the following example:

Washington crossing the Delaware

Caption: In this painting the artist Emanuel Leutze used light and color to convey motion.

Notice that the caption does not really describe WHAT the image is. Add in alt text to give a description of what we see here. Maybe something like:

"George Washington looks forward with a determined gaze as his wary troops row their small craft across the Delaware River and into battle. The light of dawn, swirling waves, and jagged icebergs add a dramatic effect."

How do I add alt text to images?

NOTE: Searching for and inserting Clip Art or pictures from other online sources from within PowerPoint isn't currently supported in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac. However, you can still add Clip Art and online pictures to your PowerPoint presentation by searching for the photo you want online, saving a copy of it, and then inserting the copy you saved into PowerPoint.

  1. Insert an image into your PowerPoint slide.
  2. Click the image to select it.
  3. Right-click the image to make the menu appear (to right-click on a Mac, hold down the Control key and then click the mouse).
  4. In the menu that appears, click "Format Picture".
    Format picture button

  5. Click the "Layout and Properties" button, then click "Alt Text".
    Layout and Properties button and alt text button

  6. Add a title and description for the image. The screen reader will read the title first, and then the description.

  7. When finished, close out the "Format Picture" window. Your alt text is now embedded in the image and will be detected by a screen reader.

Here is a video to show how to add alt text to a document in Word for Mac. The procedure for adding alt text to an image in PowerPoint is virtually the same.

Next: Module 3, Lesson 5: Hyperlinks (Mac)

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