Optimize, Shrink, or Compress Powerpoint Presentations

Problem

After adding images to your Powerpoint presentation, your Powerpoint file (PPT) may become very large. These files are unwieldy. Saving these files to your network storage space can quickly fill your allocation. Therefore, it is important that you make sure you have optimized your Powerpoint presentations prior to saving them to any network drive. In addition when sending these files via email, they will actually expand since email attachments are typically encoded in a format that makes binary files expand. A six megabyte Powerpoint could easily become a ten megabyte file when sent as an attachment.

Solution

For typical print, screen viewing or projection, you can remove fine detail and cropped parts of the pictures to reduce the file size. Compressing your Powerpoint files can reduce overall file size by as much as 80% or more! The results are acceptable in all but the most discriminating settings.

Compress PowerPoint In Version 2007:

1. Open your PPT file
2. Click the SAVE floppy icon in the upper left hand corner
3. Click the Tools drop down menu besides the save buttom
4. Select Compress Pictures
5. Click Options
6. Check Automatically perform basic compression on save
7. Check Delete cropped areas of pictures
8. Check the appropriate target output (print, screen, or email)
9. Click OK
10. Click OK to the Apply compression settings now dialog
11. Save file to different file name (ex: my_report_compressed.ppt)

Compress PowerPoint In Versions Before 2007:

1. Open your powerpoint presentation
2. Click File Menu and then Save as
3. In the save dialog box, click the Tools drop down menu
4. Select Compress Pictures
5. Select All Pictures in document
6. Select Web/Screen unless you need to be able to print the presenation in high quality.
7. Select Compress pictures and Delete cropped areas of pictures
8. Click OK
9. Confirm that you want to Compress Pictures (if the dialog appears)
10. Save your presentation to a new file name (example: oct_reports_compressed.ppt)
11. Click Save