Colour and contrast

contrast-over-image

WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) Level AA

Who this affects

The text sits on a background image, so contrast changes with the image and cannot be measured automatically.

How to fix it

Check the worst case by eye, then add a solid overlay behind the text, or a text shadow, or move the text off the image.

How much work is it?

Usually a template or design change. That is a rough guide for planning, not an estimate for your codebase. A single content edit repeated across a template is a template change.

What a person still has to check

Passing this rule does not mean 1.4.3 passes. Automation checks part of the criterion, and the rest is a judgement:

Check the text we could not measure: text over images, video, and anything drawn on a canvas.

Read 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) in plain language

Where this check comes from

This is our own check, not an axe rule. We added it because the failure it catches is common and nothing else was catching it.

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