Making your presentation accessible enhances inclusivity, allowing a broader audience to fully engage with your content. We've designed Prezi Present to include some key features you can use to help. While this guide offers tips for improving accessibility, it is not intended to serve as a comprehensive checklist for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance.
How do I incorporate voiceovers in Prezi Present for accessibility?
Adding voiceovers can significantly improve the accessibility of your presentation, especially for viewers who may have difficulty reading or following along visually. Voiceovers allow presentations to be consumed at the viewer's own pace, without the need for real-time narration.
Best practices for voiceovers:
- Provide clear descriptions of visuals and graphics.
- Use concise descriptions for simple images and more detailed explanations for complex visuals.
How to add a voiceover:
You can use Prezi Present’s path audio feature to add voiceovers to each step of your presentation.
- Open your presentation in Edit mode.
- Hover over the step you want to add voiceover to from the timeline in the left sidebar.
- Click the three dots that appear and select Edit sound.
- In the right sidebar, click Upload and select the audio file you want to use for that step.
- Play the track for review, then click Done to continue editing.
- Repeat for any steps you want to add voiceover to.
How to remove a voiceover:
- Select the path step thumbnail.
- Click the sound file name and select the trashcan icon.
Learn more about how to add sounds and voiceovers to your presentation here.
How do I add closed captions to video presentations?
If you would like to share your presentation as a video online, you can record your presentation with Prezi Video and it will generate a transcript and subtitles for your video, which you can later share as a link. This will help make your presentation content accessible to a wider audience.
Subtitles and transcripts are particularly useful for accessibility because they:
- Allow viewers to follow along with both visual and audio content.
- Provide an alternative for viewers who may struggle with interactive presentations.
If your recording is over 30 seconds long, Prezi Video will automatically add subtitles to your recording and it can be enabled with a view link. You can always edit or adjust the automatically generated transcript.
Please note that downloading your video in .mp4 format won't save the subtitles.
If you would like to upload your .mp4 format video to YouTube, it will also generate subtitles, or you can download from Prezi Video and then upload the transcript file to YouTube.
Learn more about how to enable subtitles for your video.
How do I export my presentation as a PDF?
Providing a PDF version of your presentation ensures that your content can be viewed easily regardless of digital interfaces. It also allows you to print your presentation as a handout or supplement to your main performance.
How to export your presentation as a PDF:
From the Prezi Present editor:
- Click the arrow next to the Share button in the top right menu.
- Select Download PDF.
- In the pop-up, click Download.
- After the PDF loads, your file will download automatically when ready.
From your Prezi dashboard:
- Click the three dots (...) in the thumbnail of a presentation.
- Select Download PDF from the dropdown menu.
- In the pop-up, click Download.
- After the PDF loads, your file will download automatically when ready.
The PDF will typically save to your Downloads folder, and you will need to have a PDF viewer installed in your browser.
Learn more about how to download your presentation as a PDF.
What are some design tips for accessibility?
Good design is essential for creating presentations that are accessible to everyone. Thoughtful design choices can reduce visual strain, improve clarity, and ensure that your content is easy to understand for all audiences, including those with visual or cognitive impairments. Accessible design also makes your presentation more professional and engaging.
Color choices
Choosing the right colors can make your presentation easier to view and reduce eye strain for your audience.
- Use muted tones like pastel or dark colors for backgrounds.
- Avoid harsh colors such as neon blue, bright red, or hot pink.
- Use high contrast colors, particularly for text, to help with visibility.
- Steer clear of pure black or white backgrounds; opt for softer tones like eggshell or dark gray.
- Do not rely solely on color to convey meaning—you can use universal icons, shapes, and more to help.
Labeling
Clear labeling ensures that your audience can easily understand charts, frames, and key content.
- Clearly label charts, columns, and rows.
- Provide context or purpose for main presentation frames.
Images, zooming, and rotation
Excessive movement or poorly described visuals can create confusion or even physical discomfort.
- Minimize excessive zooming, rotation, and flashy transitions. Learn more about how to adjust the zooming intensity in Prezi.
- Describe important visuals verbally during live presentations.
- Use captions or tags for low-contrast images.
Spacing
Proper spacing makes your content easier to read and helps prevent visual clutter.
- Ensure sufficient spacing between objects to enhance clarity.
- Avoid cluttered layouts to maintain readability.
How autoplay settings affect accessibility
Allowing viewers to control their navigation ensures they can consume content at their own pace.
- Avoid using autoplay features outside of looping presentations, such as at tradeshows.
- Allow viewers to navigate your presentation at their own pace if you’re not presenting live..
By applying these design principles, you can create a visually appealing and functional presentation that accommodates a wide range of needs.
How ongoing accessibility improvements help all viewers
Improving accessibility in your Prezi presentations benefits all viewers, not just those with disabilities. By applying these practices, you can create engaging, clear, and inclusive presentations that make a lasting impact.
For further guidance, consult official ADA compliance resources or accessibility experts.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a Prezi presentation accessible?
An accessible Prezi presentation is designed so people with different abilities can view, understand, and navigate the content. This includes clear visuals, readable text, controlled motion, voiceovers, captions, and alternative formats like PDFs.
Does Prezi Present meet ADA accessibility requirements?
Prezi Present includes features that support accessible design, such as voiceovers, captions through Prezi Video, and PDF exports. This guide shares best practices, but it is not a complete ADA compliance checklist. For full compliance, consult official ADA or accessibility guidelines.
How do voiceovers improve accessibility in Prezi presentations?
Voiceovers help viewers who may have difficulty reading on-screen text or following visual motion. They also allow presentations to be consumed at the viewer’s own pace and provide helpful context for images and graphics.
Can I add voiceovers to individual steps in Prezi?
Yes. You can add voiceovers to specific path steps using Prezi Present’s path audio feature. This lets you explain visuals step by step and tailor audio descriptions where they are most helpful.
How do I make my Prezi presentation accessible for hearing-impaired viewers?
You can record your presentation with Prezi Video to generate subtitles and a transcript. Subtitles help viewers follow along without sound and make your content easier to share across platforms.
Are subtitles automatically added to Prezi videos?
If your Prezi Video recording is longer than 30 seconds, subtitles are added automatically and can be enabled through a view link. You can edit the transcript to improve accuracy and clarity.
Can I download subtitles with my Prezi video?
Subtitles are not saved when downloading a video as an MP4 file. If you upload your video to YouTube, subtitles can be generated automatically, or you can upload the transcript file from Prezi Video.
Why should I export my Prezi presentation as a PDF for accessibility?
A PDF version gives viewers a static, easy-to-read format that works well with screen readers, printing, and offline viewing. PDFs are also useful as handouts or reference materials.
What color choices make presentations easier to read?
Accessible color choices use high contrast between text and background, avoid harsh or neon colors, and rely on more than color alone to communicate meaning. Softer background tones like dark gray or eggshell help reduce eye strain.
How much motion is recommended in an accessible Prezi presentation?
Keeping zooming, rotation, and transitions subtle helps prevent disorientation and discomfort. Reducing excessive motion makes your presentation easier to follow, especially for viewers with cognitive or vestibular sensitivities.
Is autoplay recommended for accessible Prezi presentations?
Autoplay works best in looping presentations, such as displays at tradeshows. For most shared presentations, allowing viewers to control navigation supports accessibility by letting them move at their own pace.
Why is accessibility an ongoing process in presentation design?
Accessibility improvements help all viewers, not just those with disabilities. Reviewing and updating your presentation over time ensures it stays clear, inclusive, and effective as audience needs and standards evolve.