Shopify Bulk Alt Text Generation — Complete Guide

This guide walks you through Shopify bulk alt text generation using Syncor Alt — including all configuration options, best practices, and when to use each setting.

If you haven’t scanned your store yet, start with the Quickstart guide first.

Overview: How Tasks Work

In Syncor Alt, alt text generation happens through Tasks.

A Task:

• Has its own configuration (scope, filters, autosave behavior)
• Runs in the background
• Uses credits (1 alt text = 1 credit)
• Can be reviewed before applying (if Autosave is disabled)

Creating the right task configuration ensures:

• You don’t overwrite important existing alt texts unintentionally
• You don’t waste credits
• You automate exactly what you need

Step 1 — Go to Create Task

You can create a new task by:

• Clicking Generate Alt Texts from the dashboard

  or

• Clicking Create Task from the sidebar menu

This opens the Create Task configuration page.

Step 2 — Task Details (Required)

Under Task Details, you must give your task a name.

You have two options:

• Enter a custom descriptive name
• Click Auto-Generate Name

Why naming matters

Good task names help you:

• Identify which scope was used
• Track experiments
• Understand credit usage later
• Compare different configurations

Example names:

• “Missing Alt Texts – Summer Collection”
• “Overwrite All – Active Products”
• “Draft Products SEO Optimization”

This field is required before saving.

Step 3 — Preferences & Scope

This is where you control what images will be processed.

Alt Text Generation Scope

You’ll see two options:

Only images with missing alt text

• Generates alt text only if an image has no alt text
• Skips images that already have one
• Does NOT overwrite existing alt texts

Best for:

• First-time optimization
• Preserving manually written alt texts
• Conservative credit usage

All images (overwrite if image already has alt text)

• Generates alt text for every image
• Overwrites existing alt texts

Best for:

• Re-optimizing outdated alt texts
• Standardizing your store’s alt text style
• Full SEO refresh

⚠️ Use carefully — this replaces existing alt texts.

Step 4 — Autosave (Automation Level)

Autosave determines whether alt texts are applied automatically.

Autosave Enabled

• Alt texts are saved to your Shopify store immediately after generation
• Fully automated workflow
• No manual review required

Best for:

• Trusted configurations
• Large-scale automation
• Ongoing maintenance

Autosave Disabled

• Generated alt texts are NOT applied automatically
• You must review them first
• You’ll click Apply all alt texts manually

Best for:

• Testing configurations
• First-time usage
• Brand-sensitive products
• Quality control

If you’re new to Syncor Alt, we recommend disabling Autosave for your first task.

Step 5 — Product Scope

This determines which products are included in the task.

You have three levels of scope:

All Products

• Scans your entire catalog
• Includes all product images

Best for:

• Store-wide optimization
• Full SEO upgrade

⚠️ Can consume many credits if you have many images.

Selected Collections

• Only processes products inside chosen collections
• Narrower than All Products

Best for:

• Seasonal collections
• Specific categories (e.g., “Shoes”, “Accessories”)
• Incremental optimization

Selected Products

• You manually choose specific products
• Only their images are processed

Best for:

• Testing
• High-priority products
• Small credit usage
• Fine-tuned optimization

Pro tip: Use Selected Products when testing new configurations to minimize credit usage.

Step 6 — Product Status Filter (Required)

This is the final filter before task creation.

You’ll see three checkbox options:

• ✅ Active
• ✅ Draft
• ✅ Archived

You must select at least one.

How it works

This filter narrows down products within your selected scope.

Examples:

• ✔ Active only → skips Draft and Archived
• ✔ Active + Draft → skips Archived
• ✔ Draft only → processes only Draft products
• ✔ All three → includes everything

Why this matters

This is useful when:

• You want to optimize only live products (Active)
• You’re preparing upcoming products (Draft)
• You’re cleaning up old archived listings

Step 7 — Save the Task

After configuring:

• Click Save
• You’ll be redirected to the Task page
• The task enters the queue

What Happens Next?

Background Processing

• Task status will show: Pending → Running → Finished
• You can leave the app while it runs
• You’ll receive an email notification when completed

Reviewing Generated Alt Texts

Once finished, the Task page will show:

• Total images processed
• Credits used
• Image-by-image comparison:
  • Original alt text
  • Generated alt text

You can:

• Regenerate individual alt texts
• Review by clicking on each image
• Apply all alt texts (if Autosave was disabled)

Credit Usage Explained

• 1 generated alt text = 1 credit
• Overwriting counts as generation
• Skipped images do NOT consume credits
• New installs receive 50 free credits
• Credits are purchased as one-time packs (no subscriptions)

Recommended Workflows

First-Time Users

• Scope: Only missing alt texts
• Product Scope: Selected Products (1–3 items)
• Autosave: Disabled
• Status: Active only

Full Store Optimization

• Scope: Only missing alt texts (safer)
• Product Scope: All Products
• Autosave: Enabled (after testing)

SEO Refresh

• Scope: All images (overwrite)
• Product Scope: Selected Collections
• Autosave: Disabled first, then Enabled after review

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Running All Products with overwrite on a large catalog without testing

❌ Forgetting to filter by Product Status

❌ Enabling Autosave on first-ever task without reviewing quality

❌ Not naming tasks clearly

Final Thoughts

Creating tasks in Syncor Alt gives you:

• Full control over automation
• Granular filtering
• Predictable credit usage
• Safe bulk updates

Once you understand scopes, filters, and autosave behavior, you can confidently automate alt text generation at scale.