This page includes some guidelines on the use of images in Xerte.
How do I get the same background image on all of my slides?
If you add a background image to the default Xerte page (the very first page that opens in your Xerte object before you have added any further content), this image will become slightly opaque and will appear as a background across all pages of your Xerte learning object.
Describe image and nature of interaction with it
You should always include some text to describe the image and what you want the learner to do when they come to interact with this page (e.g. ‘move your mouse over the image and read the text of the various hotspots’ or ‘click on the arrows in the bottom right-hand corner of the image and read the descriptive text that comes up at the foot of the page’). Also, remember to give the details of where you have taken the image from (= a citation). This can be in the form of a web address for images that you have sourced online.
Include a ‘tooltip’
You MUST include some text in the Image Tooltip box that describes the image. This means that people with visual impairments or other accessibility constraints will still be able to interact with your learning object.
Image sizes
Advice on optimum images sizes for the different page types can be found here: http://www.12change.eu/xot/play.php?template_id=279 (the page is in Dutch but it’s clear which page types are being discussed and relevant image sizes). You can also check out the following site, which also has details of image sizes and how to resize images if the ones you’ve got are too big: http://xerte.plymouth.ac.uk/play.php?template_id=798.
File types
Xerte supports a range of file types for images, including jpg, gif and png. Make sure that any images that you take or download are saved in (or converted to) these file types.
File sizes
Although Xerte automatically resizes your images, you should avoid using overly large files as that will slow down the learning object when it is displaying.
Useful support
the following Xerte object has been put together by the University of Plymouth; it provides guidance on image sizes and types and on how you can resize images that are too large: http://xerte.plymouth.ac.uk/play.php?template_id=798
Error notice
If the error message ‘Upload failed: IOError’ comes up persistently you should make sure that you do not have the image open in any other programmes. If that does not work, shut down your machine and log back on again.