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VRC TECH TIPS
(UNDER CONSTRUCTION -- MORE CONTENT COMING)

Basic Tips for Creating Image Presentations in PowerPoint

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BASIC TIPS FOR CREATING IMAGE PRESENTATIONS IN POWERPOINT

Tip # 1: High-Quality Images

• The most important thing for making a PPT presentation of images look good is to start with high quality images. A good quality image is one that looks crisp and clear at screen-size. The data projectors in our department have a resolution of 1024 x 768. So a good screen-size image is crisp and clear at 1024 pixels long (if it is a horizontal image), and 768 pixels high (if it is a vertical image).

• Do not enlarge small images you find on the Web. They will likely be pixelated when projected.

• If you are having trouble finding the images you need at a high resolution, please come by the VRC and we may be able to help you find or create a higher quality image.

Tip #2: Pre-size Your Images

• Have your images already sized to screen-size (see above for screen size) before inserting them into PPT. If you insert very large images and then resize (shrink) them in PPT, your PPT presentation can quickly become very large in file size.

• The VRC can recommend free software for image editing.


Tip #3: Keep Your Slide Design Clean and Consistent

• A black background behind a centered image is perhaps the simplest and most effective format for image presentations; text should be white and large enough to read -- use text sparingly.

• Use an easily readable font like Times or Arial.

• Keep your presentation as uniform as possible. Once you have created a slide, duplicate it for your next slide.

• Try to keep images centered and text in the same location from slide to slide. When text jumps around between slides it can be distracting to the viewer. Remember, the presentation is supposed to focus on the images, not the text.

Tip # 4: MAC Users: Don’t Drag and Drop

• When making a presentation on a MAC, always insert an image from the Insert > Picture menu, do not drag and drop images from your desktop. This can lead to compatibility issues if the presentation is ever run on a Windows machine.

DON’TS

• Avoid distracting PPT transitions

• Don’t use PPT themes for backgrounds

• Don’t create noisy slides with too many images per slide, unless there is a specific reason to do so

• Don’t use an image unless it is completely relevant to the presentation

• Don’t decorate your slides unnecessarily with fancy fonts or clip art

If you have questions or are having trouble with any of these tips, come to the VRC and we can help you get started with your presentation.