Should alt text start with “Image of”? The short answer, and the one exception

No. Starting an image description with “Image of” or “Photo of” spends your first words on something the listener already knows. A screen reader announces that an image is there before it reads your text, so the prefix says it twice.

The one exception is when the type of image is part of the message: a painting rather than a photograph, a screenshot, a hand-drawn sketch next to a finished logo. There you name the medium, because it is information. Everywhere else, delete the prefix and start with what the picture shows.

Why the prefix is dead weight

WebAIM’s guidance on alternative text says to leave out phrases like “image of” or “graphic of,” because screen readers already announce “graphic” along with the alt text. The W3C’s image tips make the same point: people who can see know it is an image, and screen readers announce the presence of one. The exact wording a listener hears varies by screen reader and settings, which our post on how screen readers announce images walks through.

It is also a matter of attention. Listening is slower than skimming, so every word of a description costs the listener a little time. Two wasted words at the start of every image add up quickly, and they sit in the most valuable spot in the sentence.

The strong version is not longer. It simply starts with the subject and adds the detail that makes the picture worth describing. If you are weighing length too, see the 125-character rule for where that guideline comes from.

The exception: when the medium is the message

Both sources leave room for it. WebAIM says that if the fact an image is a photograph or illustration is important content, it may be useful to include it. The W3C notes that in some situations it may be important to distinguish between paintings, photographs, or illustrations, while advising you to avoid the generic use of such terms.

A museum sharing a collection piece should say it is a painting. A studio showing a pencil sketch beside the final logo should say “sketch.” A software company posting a settings page should say it is a screenshot; our post on alt text for screenshots covers how to describe what is on screen. A photo of your team at a picnic does not need the word “photo.”

A 10-second edit habit

Read the first two words of any description, whether you wrote it, a colleague did, or a tool generated it. If they are “image of,” “picture of,” or “photo of,” cut them, then check that what remains still starts with the subject. If the medium truly matters, keep it and make it specific: “pencil sketch,” not “image.” Our before-and-after rewrites show this edit on real examples.

Because this is guidance rather than a law, it is worth writing the rule down once so every freelancer and teammate follows it. Our post on alt text in your brand style guide shows how. With SnipAlt, snip the image with Ctrl+Shift+A (⌘⇧A on a Mac), then give the first few words a quick look before you paste.