Preparing photos and other images
Image editors
Photos and other images benefit from cropping, resizing and possibly other manipulation BEFORE uploading to the Media Library.
Use an image file editor to prepare images. Windows has a built-in photo editor you can access by viewing a photo and pressing the 'Edit' button or the three dots and then 'Resize image' in the top-left corner of the window. Alternatively you can use one of the programmes listed below.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) is one of the more sophisticated programs available, recommended if available for your computer.
Pixlr
Pixlr Editor is a free online service, powered by Flash within a web browser.
Do not include ANY text in images
If you intend the text to be read for meaning. It's not accessible for many web users and if there is text in an image then you must write verbatim that text within the description/alt text.
Consider placing that text content on the page as actual text instead, this makes it accessible for all.
Why text in images is harmful: the problem with using an image to show text is it takes away the accessibility for blind and visually impaired users that comes with text. For instance, a blind user might have a screen reader set up on their computer to read out the text and menu items for them. This way they can interact even though they can't see the screen. If an image has no description/alt text then the screen read has no ability to understand what that image represents or any message it is trying to convey putting that user at a disadvantage to a sighted user.
This is why it's essential to include description/alt text with all of your images and to not include text within images, instead put that text in a content item on the page.