Build CVI-friendly story books as a letter-sized landscape PowerPoint (and optional
PDF via print). Odd pages use high-contrast accessible text and your images; even pages carry the
story, salient features, and optional teaching activities. Everything runs in your browser—your
book content stays on this device until you export, print, or share it yourself.
What this app includes
Book Setup & presets — Title, ECC area, activity prompt, text position, visual complexity, and one-click high-contrast palettes.
AI-assisted workflow — Copy the formatting prompt, paste the model’s tagged reply, then parse into spreads; edit any field by hand.
Image Isolator — Wikimedia search, background removal, outlines; up to four odd-page images per spread; HEIC from iPhones converts here.
Live preview — Matches export layout; refresh if the preview ever looks stale.
TVI Session Notes — Student tips plus Copy FVA/LMA Summary for reports.
Drafts — Save and reload work in this browser (export .pptx as a backup for important books).
Quick start
Set Book Setup at the top (title, ECC, activity prompt, layout options).
Click Copy AI Formatting Prompt, run it in your AI tool, then paste the reply into AI formatted text and click Parse Into Spreads (or add spreads manually).
Add or refine images per spread; use Refresh Preview before export if needed.
Use Download PowerPoint (.pptx) and/or Print / Save as PDF when you are ready.
Open User guide in the header for the full step-by-step reference. Use Get help for
contact, licensing detail, and third-party library credits.
HEIC (iPhone) photo conversion uses open-source components including parts under LGPL-3.0. Your book
content and this app’s own code are not LGPL; see the repository README for full license
texts and attribution.
Get help
About this site
CVI Book Builder helps teachers and families create CVI-friendly story books for children with
cortical visual impairment. You can build a letter-sized landscape PowerPoint with high-contrast odd pages,
story text on even pages, salient feature notes, optional activity ideas, and a live preview. The tool runs
entirely in your browser; your book text and images stay on your device unless you choose to export.
CVI Book Builder (this app’s own code) is provided under the
MIT License. Third-party libraries loaded in the browser (for example HEIC photo conversion
and PowerPoint export) may use other licenses such as MIT or LGPL-3.0. If you use the project from its GitHub
repository, see the README and LICENSE files there for full attribution and
license texts.
User guide
Step-by-step workflow for building a CVI-friendly book, from setup through export. Everything runs in your browser; drafts and exports stay on your device unless you share them elsewhere.
What this tool does
CVI Book Builder creates a letter-sized landscape PowerPoint with a consistent CVI-friendly layout:
odd pages show high-contrast accessible text (and your images), and even pages carry the story text
(rotated for binding), salient features, and optional teaching activities. A live preview mirrors the same rules as
download.
Core workflow
Most users follow this path:
Book Setup — Title, ECC area, activity prompt, odd-page text position, visual complexity, and whether to include teaching activities.
Optional: Pick a Quick Preset or tune Accessibility Text Style (odd-page colors, sizes, borders; story text color on even pages). The sidebar duplicates these controls while you scroll spreads.
Story content — Either use Copy AI Formatting Prompt, paste the assistant’s reply into AI formatted text, then Parse Into Spreads, or add and edit spreads by hand (or combine both).
Images — Use the Image Isolator to prepare pictures (upload, Wikimedia search, background removal, outline), or attach files directly on each spread (up to four odd-page images per spread). HEIC from iPhones is converted in the browser.
Spreads — Refine story text, salient features, accessible odd-page text, image prompts, and per-spread photos. Use Add Spread or Remove as needed.
Review — Watch the Live Preview update as you edit; use Refresh Preview if something looks stale.
Documentation — Fill in TVI Session Notes and Copy FVA/LMA Summary when you need text for reports.
Finish — Download PowerPoint (.pptx). Use Drafts to save and restore work in this browser.
Book Setup
Book title and ECC Area appear in the deck where the template expects them. Activity Prompt feeds optional sensory or classroom activity ideas.
Odd page text position moves the large accessible label (top, bottom, left, or right). Visual complexity adjusts how busy slides feel in the layout.
Toggle Include Teaching Activities to show or hide the teaching-activities block on even pages.
Quick Presets and accessibility styling
Quick Presets apply common high-contrast palettes (for example yellow/black or red/black) in one click. Fine-tune with
Accessibility Text Style (Odd Pages): text and border colors and sizes, odd-page background, and story text color for even pages.
The floating sidebar shows the same controls so you can adjust contrast while working on spreads without scrolling back to the top.
Story Input and AI formatting
Click Copy AI Formatting Prompt and paste it into your AI tool. The model returns text using the TITLE, ECC_AREA, ACTIVITY_PROMPT, and SPREAD blocks shown in the placeholder.
Paste that output into AI formatted text, then click Parse Into Spreads to fill or update your spreads. You can still edit every field manually afterward.
Each spread can include a separate image prompt for external image generators; use Copy image prompt on a spread when needed.
Image Isolator
Upload a photo or search Wikimedia Commons, then run Remove Background. Optionally enable Add object outline and set color and thickness for extra separation on busy backgrounds.
Download Result saves the processed image so you can attach it on a spread. This is optional if you already have cut-out or simple images.
Spreads
Each spread becomes two slides: an odd accessible slide and an even story slide. Edit Story text and Salient features for the even page;
Accessible text is the short label on the odd page. Add one to four images per spread on the odd page.
Parse Into Spreads replaces all current spreads with the spreads from your pasted text. If the text includes TITLE, ECC_AREA, or ACTIVITY_PROMPT, those lines also update Book Setup when present.
Live Preview and PowerPoint
The Live Preview uses the same layout logic as export. Refresh Preview forces a full redraw. Download PowerPoint (.pptx) builds the file with PptxGenJS; large decks may take a moment (a progress overlay can appear).
TVI Session Notes
Use Student-specific CVI tips for ongoing recommendations. Copy FVA/LMA Summary copies formatted text you can paste into evaluation or report documents.
Drafts
Open Drafts to save snapshots of your book in this browser. Storage is local only; clearing site data or using another device removes access.
Save important work as PowerPoint as a backup, especially for large books with many images.
Drafts
Drafts are stored only in this browser on this device. Very large books with many high-resolution images may fail
to save if storage is full—export a PowerPoint as a backup.
CVI Book Builder
Create a downloadable PowerPoint in Letter landscape format.