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Re: Graphical heading & Alt-text

for

From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Jul 15, 2013 6:49PM

Jonathan wrote:
"In the Object Export Dialog box of CS5.5 to current, under the tab ³Tagged
PDF² Actual Text Source can choose from XMP:Title, XMP:Description, and
XMP:Headline, as well as any other XMP Property. ... So make them."

That's correct, Jonathan, a designer can access custom metadata fields in
InDesign and that feature continued into InDesign versions CS6 and CC.

The problem is that there aren't any defined fields for either Alt-text or
Actual Text so what will the designer choose? And, yes, it's possible to
define your own XMP metadata field, but that makes the problem worse. Will
the designer or IT technician name that field (list of 6 with various
spellings):
Alt-text
Alt-Text
Alt text
ALT Text
Alternative Text
Blue Jujubees

InDesign doesn't have any ability to apply Actual Text to a graphic at all,
so how will its export utility know to put Actual Text on the <FIGURE> tag
and produce a compliant PDF?

What about the other software programs that tap into XMP metadata on graphic
files? How will they understand these custom fields and how to process them?

The best solution is for Adobe to add these 2 fields to the basic XMP
metadata choices (in other words, make them standards) and then:
1. Build their usage into InDesign, too.
2. Build them into the PDF export utility from InDesign so that a correctly
tagged graphic ends up in the PDF.

Because these metadata fields are used by Adobe's software to create and tag
PDFs, the user can't make up their own field names and end up with an
accessible PDF. Nor are they likely to be used by other software.

— Bevi Chagnon
— PubCom.com — Trainers, Consultants, Designers, and Developers.
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