[Athen] [EXT]Re: PDF remediation help
Philip Kiff
phil at d4k.ca
Fri May 19 08:05:14 PDT 2023
Another quick follow-up on this.
I just tested the Demo using a two-page PDF newsletter generated by
Canva - which generally produces absolutely horrendous PDF files. And I
tested the AutoTag output from my version of Adobe Acrobat Pro and
compared it to the output from the Demo API.
First thing to note is that I am not given the option of using Adobe
Cloud for AutoTag when I attempt to use the AutoTag feature in Adobe
Acrobat Pro. I selected not to use the cloud because I want to be able
to compare the outputs.
Next thing to note is that the output from the AutoTag built in to
Acrobat has gotten much better recently. Even just a few months ago, it
was not worth my time to start remediating a Canva file with Autotag.
But today, the file it output on its own was a good starting point.
Comparing the output from Acrobat Pro to the Cloud Demo, I notice a few
differences. One significant difference in this file is that the
built-in Acrobat Autotag does not correctly tag any annotations
(hyperlinks). Whereas the Adobe AutoTag API Demo does a pretty good job
of generating proper Link/Reference tags. Also, the AutoTag API Demo
actually creates a root <Document> tag like it is supposed to, instead
of putting everything inside a <Section> tag.
I would say that if you have a choice, right now, and you don't mind the
loss of privacy/security with uploading files to Adobe, then I would
recommend using the AutoTag API Demo instead of using the built-in Adobe
Acrobat Autotag feature.
Phil.
On 2023-05-19 08:10, Philip Kiff wrote:
>
> A couple corrections and a re-interpretation after re-reading things
> this morning.
>
> The media release was from May 17, the day before GAAD, not on May 18.
>
> Adobe isn't claiming they are going to release a stand-alone version
> of the PDF Accessibility Checker . I must have heard that somewhere
> else, but wherever I heard it, it doesn't sound like that's true based
> on the media release. I'm not quite sure what the release is saying
> about the checker - I think Adobe needs someone with clear language
> training to help write their media releases!:
> "The PDF Accessibility Checker, available in Acrobat via an API, will
> enable organizations to quickly and easily evaluate the accessibility
> of existing PDFs at scale."
>
> So the PDF Accessibility Checker will probably also be an API
> connecting to a cloud-based function? And when you use it in Acrobat,
> it will use the cloud-based API, instead of running locally on your
> computer using code run by Acrobat. It's too bad that they are calling
> it "PDF Accessibility Checker", since that will mean it gets confused
> with the per-existing free PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) tool.
>
> I guess we'll see.
>
> Phil.
>
> On 2023-05-19 01:31, Philip Kiff wrote:
>>
>> So I found Adobe's media release [1] from yesterday (GAAD, May 18)
>> that sparked the Forbes and other article (links at end of emal).
>>
>> Adobe has a page in their Developer documentation area [2] with more
>> info.
>>
>> They have a free demo [3] (requires login) where you can test it out.
>>
>> I think that what Adobe are announcing is the new API aimed at
>> developers, not just a new iteration of the Auto-Tag feature that has
>> been built into Adobe Acrobat Pro for many years.
>>
>> Adobe seems to be suggesting that this API is partially driven by
>> their so-called "AI" branded as "Sensei". It is not clear to me that
>> the AutoTag feature in Acrobat Pro runs the exact same code as that
>> in their (new?) API. Leaving aside the misleading marketing language
>> around the phrase "artificial intelligence", I have the impression
>> that Acrobat Pro's AutoTag feature depends entirely on code run
>> locally on your computer, whereas the AutoTag API will run somewhere
>> in Adobe's Cloud. Maybe the results will be similar. Who knows.
>>
>> Is that different than the AutoTag in the "new Acrobat" that you're
>> talking about Bevi?
>>
>> Like Bevi and Susan, I find the AutoTag feature currently included in
>> Adobe Acrobat Pro to be mediocre. Though I often still use it as a
>> starting point when I am remediating files.
>>
>> But I can see a value in having an API that developers can
>> incorporate into their own PDF generation processes or when trying to
>> automate large-scale remediation efforts on collections of files.
>> There are already some other document accessibility companies that
>> offer automated solutions for remediation of PDF files in bulk, I
>> think, so I expect this signals that Adobe has decided to enter into
>> this business market more aggressively.
>>
>> There are two other items worth noting that appear towards the end of
>> Adobe's press release. This fall, they plan to release a stand-alone
>> PDF accessibility checker and they plan to include the AutoTag
>> feature in the free Adobe Reader instead of it requiring the purchase
>> of the expensive and overpriced Adobe Acrobat Pro. I'll be curious if
>> the accessibility checker will be a new product that checks against a
>> full set of WCAG or PDF/UA criteria to compete with offerings from
>> CommonLook and PAC, or if it will simply be a stand-alone version of
>> the rudimentary Accessibility Check feature currently built into
>> Adobe Acrobat Pro.
>>
>> [1] Media Release:
>> https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2023/Media-Alert-Adobe-Scales-PDF-Accessibility-With-Adobe-Sensei-AI/default.aspx
>>
>>
>> [2] Developer AutoTag API page:
>> https://developer.adobe.com/document-services/apis/pdf-accessibility-auto-tag/
>>
>> [3] Demo Sign Up:
>> https://acrobatservices.adobe.com/dc-accessibility-playground/main.html
>>
>> Phil.
>>
>> Philip Kiff
>> D4K Communications
>>
>> On 2023-05-18 18:45, chagnon at pubcom.com wrote:
>>>
>>> We’ve been testing the new Acrobat for a year or so, and keep
>>> testing the AutoTag feature.
>>>
>>> It gets better with every new edition, but it’s been around for a
>>> few years and we still can’t depend on it for much.
>>>
>>> It did do one PDF just ok, sort of: it was a one-page document with
>>> one heading and several paragraphs of body text. Tagged the title at
>>> the top of the page as <H5>, which from our testing seems to be the
>>> default heading tag AutoTag uses for the first heading.
>>>
>>> Duh.
>>>
>>> It seems to be sales hoopla from Adobe in honor of GAAD day. Time
>>> will tell if we actually get anything of substance from Acrobat.
>>>
>>> Sure wish Adobe would focus on making a more accurate PDF from MS
>>> Office and InDesign so that we don’t have to remediate the PDF after
>>> it’s made, but maybe that’s asking too much!
>>>
>>> *— — —*
>>>
>>> Bevi Chagnon *| *Designer, Accessibility Technician*|*
>>> Chagnon at PubCom.com <mailto:Chagnon at PubCom.com>
>>>
>>> *— — —*
>>>
>>> *PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing*
>>>
>>> consulting • training • development • design • sec. 508 services
>>>
>>> *Upcoming classes* at www.PubCom.com/*classes*
>>> <http://www.pubcom.com/classes>
>>>
>>> *— — —*
>>>
>>> Latest blog-newsletter
>>> <https://mailchi.mp/e694edcdfadd/class-discount-3266574> – *Simple
>>> Guide to Writing Alt-Text
>>> <https://www.pubcom.com/blog/2020_07-20/alt-text_part-1.shtml>*
>>>
>>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>
>>> *On Behalf Of *Susan Kelmer
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, May 18, 2023 4:53 PM
>>> *To:* enews at toptechtidbits.com; Access Technology Higher Education
>>> Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] [EXT]Re: PDF remediation help
>>>
>>> To quote from the article:
>>>
>>> “For example, before using the new Adobe API, a global financial
>>> firm spent more than 9 hours to make each individual presentation
>>> slide deck accessible. With Adobe’s new API, the firm has automated
>>> 70–80% of that process.”
>>>
>>> Should we tell them? Should we tell them that had they just created
>>> the file correctly in the first place, it would have taken only a
>>> few minutes, and no 9 hour remediation would have been required?
>>>
>>> NINE HOURS? What the heck were they doing? Oh yeah, they were
>>> using Adobe to fix an Adobe file. That works.
>>>
>>> /sarcasm
>>>
>>> *Susan Kelmer *
>>>
>>> Alternate Format Production Program Manager
>>>
>>> Disability Services
>>>
>>> Health and Wellness Services
>>>
>>> *T*303 735 4836
>>>
>>> *_www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices
>>> <http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices> _*
>>>
>>> *__*
>>>
>>> *__*
>>>
>>> /Due to the nature of electronic communication, the security of this
>>> message cannot be guaranteed. If you’ve received this email in error
>>> please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. ///
>>>
>>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>
>>> *On Behalf Of *Top Tech Tidbits
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, May 18, 2023 2:49 PM
>>> *To:* chagnon at pubcom.com; 'Access Technology Higher Education
>>> Network' <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] [EXT]Re: PDF remediation help
>>>
>>> Here’s some additional information released by Forbes:
>>>
>>> Adobe Wants To Help Make PDF Documents More Accessible With AI-Based
>>> Auto-Tag API | May 17, 2023 | Steven Aquino | Forbes
>>>
>>> https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenaquino/2023/05/17/adobe-wants-to-help-make-pdf-documents-more-accessible-with-ai-based-auto-tag-api/?sh=5d0d4855b24c
>>>
>>> *Aaron Di Blasi, PMP*
>>>
>>> **
>>>
>>> Publisher (2020-Present)
>>>
>>> *Top Tech Tidbits*
>>>
>>> The Week's News in Adaptive Technology
>>>
>>> https://toptechtidbits.com <https://toptechtidbits.com/>🌐
>>>
>>> *From:* chagnon at pubcom.com <chagnon at pubcom.com>
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, May 18, 2023 2:09 AM
>>> *To:* 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'
>>> <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
>>> *Cc:* enews at toptechtidbits.com
>>> *Subject:* RE: [Athen] [EXT]Re: PDF remediation help
>>>
>>> Hi Aaron,
>>>
>>> I don’t know why the article is being posted as news. It’s grossly
>>> out of date and is from the Microsoft news network portal.
>>>
>>> Adobe's New AI Automates PDF Accessibility Tags
>>>
>>> https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/adobe-s-new-ai-automates-pdf-accessibility-tags/ar-AA1biX4V
>>>
>>> * The photo captions reference software releases in 2013, “Adobe
>>> announced Monday, May 6, 20*_13_*…” and the rest is pure nonsense.
>>> * The AutoTag feature has been in Acrobat Pro for quite a few
>>> years. It’s had marginal improvement every year, but overall
>>> still sucks at correctly tagging a document, separating text
>>> from graphics, and creating a logical reading order. We teach
>>> our clients and students how to use it only when there’s no
>>> better way to remediate a bad PDF.
>>>
>>> We’re beta testers for Adobe and I don’t see anything substantial on
>>> the horizon for Acrobat anytime soon, other than an overhaul of the
>>> user interface (which is getting bad reviews). We still have hope
>>> for the future, however.
>>>
>>> I’m chalking up this news release as stale and inaccurate.
>>>
>>> *— — —*
>>>
>>> Bevi Chagnon *| *Designer, Accessibility Technician*|*
>>> Chagnon at PubCom.com
>>>
>>> *— — —*
>>>
>>> *PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing*
>>>
>>> consulting • training • development • design • sec. 508 services
>>>
>>> *Upcoming classes* at www.PubCom.com/*classes*
>>> <http://www.pubcom.com/classes>
>>>
>>> *— — —*
>>>
>>> Latest blog-newsletter
>>> <https://mailchi.mp/e694edcdfadd/class-discount-3266574> – *Simple
>>> Guide to Writing Alt-Text
>>> <https://www.pubcom.com/blog/2020_07-20/alt-text_part-1.shtml>*
>>>
>>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>
>>> *On Behalf Of *Top Tech Tidbits
>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, May 17, 2023 5:52 PM
>>> *To:* 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'
>>> <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] [EXT]Re: PDF remediation help
>>>
>>> Per recent discussions, this article was just released 8 hours ago.
>>> I think we should expect a number of updates from Adobe regarding
>>> PDF accessibility, remediation and AI in the coming months.
>>>
>>> Adobe's New AI Automates PDF Accessibility Tags
>>>
>>> https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/adobe-s-new-ai-automates-pdf-accessibility-tags/ar-AA1biX4V
>>>
>>> *Aaron Di Blasi, PMP*
>>>
>>> **
>>>
>>> Publisher (2020-Present)
>>>
>>> *Top Tech Tidbits*
>>>
>>> The Week's News in Adaptive Technology
>>>
>>> https://toptechtidbits.com <https://toptechtidbits.com/>🌐
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> athen-list mailing list
>> athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu
>> http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
>
> _______________________________________________
> athen-list mailing list
> athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu
> http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/pipermail/athen-list/attachments/20230519/df2f1809/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 8916 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/pipermail/athen-list/attachments/20230519/df2f1809/attachment.png>
More information about the athen-list
mailing list