Image Editing in PowerPoint | Part 1/5

Bildbearbeitung in PowerPoint - Wissensstufe 1

Image editing in PowerPoint - Knowledge level 1

March 11, 2015|Tom Schweitzer

In the first part of our series on image editing, we will cover the basics of embedding and editing images in PowerPoint – from inserting your own images into a presentation to the fundamentals of image editing and advanced techniques, I will address many interesting topics. Starting with version 2010, Microsoft significantly improved the image editing capabilities integrated into PowerPoint, which now, in some cases, approach the capabilities of professional image editing programs. This article will cover the following topics:

Insert and edit images
Interesting facts about image resolution
Cropping images
Various image effects: colorizing, distorting, or transparency
The possibilities when combining color and black and white photos

1.1. Basic knowledge

Basically, there are two differences in digital graphics: vector and bitmap graphics. Vector graphics store properties separately and reassemble them for display. While they can be modified in every detail, if the vector graphic has not yet been converted to the OFFICE vector format, it is treated like a bitmap graphic. In bitmap graphics, each individual pixel is stored with its respective color value and always displayed individually. They can only be modified as a whole.

1.2. Inserting images

Here you have several options:

Via slide layout (click the "content icon" on the slide)
Via > Insert > Picture from hard drive or
If you have already copied an image to the clipboard in another program using Start > Paste

If you have little experience with inserting images, you should definitely try out these options, as the results can look proportionally different – as is well known, “practice makes perfect”. How to create a photo album in PowerPoint will be described in a later blog post.

1.3. Initial image editing

After you have inserted an image, you will see in the menu bar that the tab for image tools has automatically opened.

This menu offers a wide selection of different picture frames and various other views. Simply hover your mouse cursor over each graphic to see how your image will look in that version.

To the left and right of this menu you will see further image editing options. On the right side, you can customize the frame. The > Image Effects section is visually more interesting. You're already familiar with this from editing standard shapes – however, the visual impact is much greater, for example, with photos. The > Shadow and > Reflection options alone will give your photos a very sophisticated look. With all the features here, especially the 3D options, it's crucial that you familiarize yourself completely with the settings. Even slight changes to the respective settings can improve or negatively affect the image. If you need to quickly design visually appealing photos with text, for example as transition or chapter slides, then the > Image Layout button is extremely helpful. Here you can use various pre-made layouts that deliver good results immediately.

These graphics are based on SmartArt and behave in the same way. After clicking on a SmartArt graphic on the slide, you can easily expand it by simply generating additional text in the menu that opens on the left and then inserting your photos accordingly. PowerPoint image editing: Honeycomb

The "Change Image" button is frequently used, but often disappoints after use. This is because, while it allows you to easily replace a photo, if you had previously cropped the image, the new photo will be inserted into the cropped area in its entirety, potentially resulting in significant distortion! You should be even more careful with the > Reset image and size command, as this will undo ALL CHANGES. The image will then look as if you had just pasted it from your hard drive.

2. Cutting

Cropping graphics of all kinds is certainly one of the most frequently used functions. The procedure is quite simple, but to avoid unnecessary work and save time, you should generally proceed very carefully and meticulously. Using > Image Tools > Crop (to remove unwanted parts), black lines appear at the corners and sides of the image, which you can then resize by clicking on them (left image). Simply click outside the image, and the changes will be applied. However, it is often faster to click directly inside the image and move the photo as desired (right side). If you want to change the overall dimensions to a standard shape, go to > Crop to Shape . Unfortunately, you cannot then modify the image again using the frame layouts (as shown), because these always refer to the original overall size.

2.1. The role of the "resolution" of a photograph

With the ever-increasing megapixel (MP) count of modern digital cameras, presentations with (many) photos become very large in terms of file size. Therefore, always remember that a photo isn't actually cropped; rather, the surrounding parts of the image are simply hidden. Cropped photos still retain the original MPix count! Only when you compress a photo manually or automatically will you save space. Using the "Compress Images" function at the top of the menu bar, you can manually reduce the size of individual images (see image).

You can configure automatic compression via File > Options > Advanced > Image Size and Quality . There, set the > Default Target Output to, for example, 96 dpi. Generally, 96 dpi is sufficient for presentations. For printing, 150/200 dpi should be adequate. You should always try to compress inserted images, because memory-intensive presentations take time and produce errors that are usually bigger than expected! Unfortunately, compression can sometimes have no effect. In such cases, it is advisable to edit the affected images in an external graphics program, as these use more sophisticated algorithms and can therefore deliver better quality.

3. Colorize, distort, or make your photo transparent

Normally, editing images in PowerPoint plays a rather minor role. For normal use, the options to alter a photo's color or artistically are usually irrelevant. However, these applications are often used to employ photos as backgrounds or graphic layout elements on slides or when creating special templates.

3.1. Color changes of all kinds

The "Color " button, located in the top left of the menu bar, allows you to change the color of the entire image. The term "color" might be a bit misleading, as the photo is simply altered by changing its brightness levels and color tones. However, these tones are particularly useful for background images (e.g., those inserted on the slide master).

Interesting visual results can already be achieved by varying the predefined options (1 = original image) as shown in images 2 and 3. If these options are not sufficient for a customized solution, you can access the entire color palette using > More options (e.g., image 4 = red selected). 9-powerpoint-image-color-change-2

The "Set Transparent Color" function is frequently misinterpreted by users. While you can click on a point in the image (e.g., the sky) with the pen-like arrow, it doesn't automatically isolate the entire sky, but only those pixels that are identical to the clicked pixel. Depending on where you click, a different image of the cutout is created. A red rectangle has been placed behind the photos for clarity. If you want to completely isolate a specific element, you should use PowerPoint's cropping feature.

The button > Image color options takes you to the menu > Format graphic to make further settings.

3.2. Making a photo transparent

Theoretically, the "More Variants > More Colors" button allows you to specify transparency using the slider at the bottom. HOWEVER, this setting has NO EFFECT on the image!! Unfortunately, there is no other way to make an entire image transparent. However, there is a workaround. To make an entire photo transparent, you need to use a little trick: First, create a regular rectangle with the dimensions of the photo you want to insert. Then, go to > Format Shape > Fill > Picture or Texture Fill and insert your photo from your hard drive. Now you can set the transparency for the "fill" / the photo. In the image below, you can see a red rectangle behind the photo for clarity.

The topic of blurring is also relevant here. Under the menu item > Adjustments, you can make the necessary settings and also vary the contrast and brightness.

Tip: The four default settings (top left, first row) cover the range of -50%, -25%, +25%, and +100% (images 5-8) compared to the original. Often, these differences are insufficient. In the menu > Format Picture, you can set the value to -100% (image 9). Images A, B, and C show three extreme examples of brightness/contrast.

The entire area of artistic effects is really intended for extreme depictions that are rarely needed in the business sector.

4. Combinations of color and black and white photos

Depending on the subject, you can also create effective graphics by converting a color photo to black and white and placing text on it, for example. It's a matter of personal taste which option you prefer. PowerPoint image editing: Color photo

PowerPoint image editing: Image in black and white

You can also achieve very impressive results by presenting identical photos in color and black and white on top of each other and cropping one of the photos. PowerPoint example: London

You can further enhance the visual impact with animations. For example, have the black and white photo appear slowly directly above the color photo using the > Entrance Effect > Swipe , and perhaps the text in a similar way afterward or with a slight delay. You'll be impressed. Have fun and good luck trying it out!