What is Alt Text and Why Does It Matter?
Alt text is a short description of an image that:
Improves accessibility – Screen readers read alt text aloud to help visually impaired users understand your photos
Boosts SEO – Search engines use alt text to understand and index your images
Provides fallback content – If an image fails to load, the alt text appears in its place
Well-written alt text helps all visitors connect with your visual storytelling.
Manually Adding Alt Text
You can add a custom alt text description to any photo in your story:
Open your story in the editor
Click on a photo to open its detail view
Click Add Click-Through Link or Alt Text (appears when you hover over the photo)
In the form that appears, enter your description in the Alt Text field
Click Save to apply your changes
This works for both new and existing stories. If you don't provide alt text, your photo's caption will automatically be used as the default description.
Tips for Writing Good Alt Text
Be concise – Aim for 125 characters or less
Be specific – Describe what's actually in the image
Skip "image of" or "photo of" – Screen readers already announce it as an image
Focus on the subject – What's the main point of the photo?
Include relevant details – Colors, actions, emotions, or setting if they matter to the story
Good examples:
"Golden retriever catching a frisbee mid-air on a sunny beach"
"Close-up of weathered hands holding a ceramic coffee cup"
"Aerial view of winding river through autumn-colored mountains"
AI-Powered Alt Text Generation
If you'd rather not write descriptions for every photo, Exposure can automatically generate alt text using AI. This feature uses Google's Gemini AI to analyze your images and create accessible descriptions that follow WCAG accessibility guidelines.
Availability
AI Alt Text Generation is available for Business plan subscribers. If you're on a different plan, you'll see an upgrade prompt in your AI Powers settings.
How to Enable AI Alt Text
Go to Settings → AI Powers
Toggle Enable AI Alt Text Generation to on
That's it! New photos you upload will automatically receive AI-generated alt text
How It Works
When you upload a photo to your story:
The photo is sent securely to Google's Gemini AI for analysis
Within a few minutes, alt text is generated based on what the AI sees in your image
The description appears in your photo's alt text field automatically
While AI is processing, you'll see a pulsing indicator and placeholder text. You can continue working on your story – the alt text will appear when it's ready.
AI-Generated Alt Text Quality
Our AI generates descriptions that are:
Concise – Around 125 characters, optimized for screen readers
Objective – Describes what's visible, not interpretations
Accessible – Follows WCAG guidelines for web accessibility
Context-aware – Takes your story title and photo captions into account
Editing or Replacing AI Alt Text
AI-generated alt text is a starting point. You can:
Edit it – Click on the alt text field and modify the description
Replace it – Type your own description to override the AI version
Clear it – Remove the text if you'd prefer no alt text
Any changes you make will be saved and the AI won't overwrite your custom text.
Privacy & Your Images
When using AI Alt Text Generation:
Your images are never used to train AI models
Data is transmitted securely and processed only for generating descriptions
AI providers retain data only temporarily for abuse monitoring
You can disable AI features anytime in Settings → AI Powers
For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Which Method Should I Use?
Method | Best For |
Manual | Key images where you want precise control over the description |
AI-Powered | Large stories, quick publishing, or when you need a starting point |
Both | Let AI generate descriptions, then refine the most important ones |
Many photographers use a combination: AI handles the bulk of images, while they manually craft descriptions for hero shots and emotionally significant photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does alt text appear anywhere on my published story? No. Alt text is invisible to sighted visitors but is read aloud by screen readers and used by search engines.
What if I don't add any alt text? If you leave the alt text field empty, your photo's caption will be used as the alt text. If there's no caption either, screen readers may read the filename or skip the image entirely.
How long does AI generation take? Usually under a minute, though it can take up to 5 minutes during busy periods. You'll see a pulsing indicator while it's processing.
Can I use AI alt text on existing stories? AI alt text is generated automatically when you upload new photos. For existing photos without alt text, you can manually add descriptions.
Is there a limit to how many photos can have AI alt text? No limit. AI alt text is generated for all photos you upload while the feature is enabled.