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Figures (Images, Shapes, Charts, SmartArt, Groups etc.)

Janne Brönner
  • Updated

In this article, you will learn:

What Are “Figures” in PowerPoint?

The term figures includes the following objects:

  • Images
  • Shapes
  • Icons
  • 3D models
  • SmartArt graphics
  • Charts
  • Cameos
  • Groups of multiple elements
  • Video thumbnails

Making Figures Accessible

Here’s how to ensure that figures in your presentation are accessible:

1. Group Related Objects

If a graphic consists of multiple elements, combine them into a group. This has two advantages:

  • Assistive technologies recognize the graphic as a single figure.
  • You can assign one shared alt text to the entire group.

Instructions for creating groups are provided in the section Groups.

2. Add Alt Text

Add alt text to all figures or mark them as decorative if they have no meaningful content.
Details can be found in the article: Add Alt Text or Mark Object as Decorative.

Guidance on writing effective alt text is available in the axesWord article:
How do I create suitable alternative texts for figures?

Tip for SmartArt Graphics

SmartArt graphics can also be exported as a list instead of a figure using axesSlide. Learn how to do this and what advantages it offers in the article SmartArt Graphics: Export as Figure or List?.

Groups

The following sections explain how to create and ungroup groups.

Creating Groups

How to create a group:

  1. Select all elements of the graphic (hold down Shift and click each element, or click and drag to draw a selection box).
  2. Right-click one of the selected elements.
  3. In the context menu, go to Group, then click Group in the submenu.

Screenshot: Context menu of several selected objects. The 'Group' menu item is selected and the 'Group' menu item of the same name is highlighted in the expanded menu.

Ungrouping a Group

How to ungroup a group:

  1. Select the group you want to ungroup.
  2. Right-click the group.
  3. In the context menu, go to Group, then click Ungroup in the submenu.

Please note: If you added alt text to the group, it will be lost when the group is ungrouped.

Technical Implementation in PDF Export

When exporting with axesSlide, all the elements listed above are included in the logical document structure as figures (<Figure> tag), unless a different role has been assigned. 

Please note:

  • Text within a figure is not readable by assistive technologies unless alt text is provided.
  • People with visual impairments cannot access the information in charts or SmartArt graphics without alt text.

PDF Export for Shapes with Text

For shapes that contain text, axesSlide handles them differently depending on whether alt text is present:

  • Without alt text: Only the text is exported.
  • With alt text: The shape is exported as a figure (<Figure> tag).
    → The text inside the shape should be repeated in the alt text.