Automatic Alternative Text

Description

Automatic Alternative Text makes accessible images easy and fast by automatically generating alt text for images with Microsoft’s Cognitive Services Computer Vision API.

The Computer Vision API’s algorithms analyze the content found in an image and generates?complete sentences?of human readable language describing what is found in the image. The Automatic Alternative Text plugin gets this description and adds it as the alt text for each image uploaded while the plugin is active.

Privacy

The image, voice, video or text understanding capabilities of Automatic Alternative Text uses Microsoft Cognitive Services. Microsoft will receive the images, audio, video, and other data that you upload (via this app) for service improvement purposes. To report abuse of the Microsoft Cognitive Services to Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Cognitive Services website at https://www.microsoft.com/cognitive-services, and use the “Report Abuse” link at the bottom of the page to contact Microsoft. For more information about Microsoft privacy policies please see their privacy statement here: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=521839.

Screenshots

Installation

The two methods of installing the plugin are:

1. Search for “Automatic Alternative Text” in Plugins > Add New and click the Install button.
2. Unzip the archive and put the automatic-alt-text folder into your site’s /wp-content/plugins/ folder.

Then activate Automatic Alt Text from the Plugins menu.

Usage

Before the plugin will work you need to supply an API key and endpoint for Microsoft’s Cognitive Services Computer Vision API. You can learn how to sign up for a free key here. Go to the Settings > Media page to enter the key and endpoint from Microsoft.

Once your key and endpoint are entered any image you upload from that point forward will automatically have its alt text set to a caption supplied by Microsoft’s Cognitive Services where possible.

FAQ

Why aren’t my images receiving alt text?

There’s several reasons an image might not get alt text:
1. Your API key is missing or incorrect. Make sure that your key is saved and accurate in Settings > Media. Also make sure that the key is for the Computer Vision API.
2. The service is not confident enough in the caption. By default the plugin will only use the received caption as alt text if the service is at least 15% confident in the result. You can adjust this confidence threshold in Settings > Media.
3. The service cannot connect to your server or is prevented from accessing the image for any reason. Try entering your image URL on this page to see if the service can connect outside the context of this plugin.
4. You’ve exceeded your key’s request quota. You can view your usage and upgrade your quota here.

Can I automatically add alt text to images I’ve already uploaded?

Not yet. I might add this functionality in a future version.

Reviews

Horrible set up

bestofbonus August 28, 2020

Which normal person is supposed to navigate through the horrendous Microsoft Azure setup process. Plus you’re being charged after 12 months. No guidance or tutorial is provided.

Great plugin, But how to add ALT to previously uploaded images?

serezh4 July 7, 2019 3 replies

How to add ALT to previously uploaded images?

Great plugIn to use the Cloud

Fabian_Niesen January 3, 2019

Only 2 things are missing to be a 5 Star plugin: A way to handle already uploaded images and a way to change the language of the generated description text.

Works well but more involved on high security servers

IDWD October 26, 2018 1 reply

We have reached out to the developer of this plugin with our concerns but we were ignored in the forum. We even reached out to Azure and the Computer Visions community which all pointed us back to the plugin author. We even paid to have a Microsoft engineer look into this issue via support ticket in the Azure dashboard to no avail. We have spent dozens and dozens of hours attempting to make this plugin work and have received zero support or help from the plugin author. We do not recommend. 10/25/18 Update – After working with the developers with Microsoft Azure for a few weeks we were able to get the plugin to work as advertised. We did find permissions that needed to be addressed in order for the plugin to work. IF you have a security with high or above average security there is a level of customization you will have to do to get the plugin to work, but if you do it right it will work.

Great plugin beyond of doubt

Nazmul Haque Sajol September 20, 2016

It’s a great plugin to increase images accessibility. But if i have already a website with ton images, it’s not so helpful for previous images. I’m really impressed.

Have to try now

Siam ????????? September 3, 2016

I have to back my home and try it, Thanks

Contributors & Developers

Changelog

1.1.4

• Fix an error that would occur if the API returned a 200 response but no captions.

1.1.3

• Support newer endpoint URLs that are missing the API endpoint, since Azure does not include this in the resource overview anymore.

1.1.2

• Fix admin notice appearing even when dismissed.

1.1.1

• Fix broken link in admin notice.

1.1

• Added setting for Endpoint URL, to support API changes.
• Changed help links to up-to-date URLs.

1.0.1

• Fixed typo in settings.

1.0

• First release.