Optimized images look better and load faster in both web pages and PowerPoint, and the faster a page or slide loads, the better. Large, un-optimized images can slow a presentation down, and adversely affect its performance. In addition, PowerPoint handles some file types better than others, and web browsers will only allow certain kinds of images to be displayed by web pages. Most professional scans of slides and other media will be saved in “.TIF” format, which can’t be used for display on web pages and shouldn’t be used in PowerPoint presentations. During optimization, files can be converted from one form to another. For further information on file formats, consult our PowerPoint guide (make a link here please).

The following tutorial was created using Adobe’s Photoshop CS. These recommendations and directions apply to Photoshop versions 6.0 and above.

Resizing your image
a. Before you save an image in a different file format, you should first resize the image.
1. First, click on “Image>Image Size” on the Photoshop menu bar. This will present you with a menu where you may resize your image.
- For Powerpoint presentations, a resolution no larger than 1024×768 is recommended, as most laptops and digital projectors used in the classroom support this resolution natively.
- For web use, remember that most viewers will be visiting your page with screen resolutions between 800×600 and 1024×768. You’ll want your images, at most, to be no larger than these resolutions.
2. Make sure that the “constrain proportions” box at the bottom of the “Image” window is checked; this will preserve the original aspect ratio of your image file, and will prevent you from inadvertently distorting your image horizontally or vertically.
3. Enter a new image size and click ok.

Download