Compression of PowerPoint

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Compression of PowerPoint

• Carol Collins
• IS Learning Team

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PowerPoint

• PowerPoint is designed for use in the lecture
  theatre
• It is very easy to add and display images
• Tempting to include all manner of complicated
  diagrams, photographs etc.

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The problem

• Images tend to be large files and can hugely
  increase the size of a presentation
• Whilst the size isnt important at local level,
  it does become a problem when delivering a
  presentation over the web because
• Storage space on the servers is not unlimited
• Download time for students off campus may be very
  lengthy.

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Possible solutions

• Compression tools we have looked at
• Impatica
• PowerPressed
• Inbuilt PowerPoint tool

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Impatica

• Impatica for PowerPoint has been around for a
  while and the Learning Team has had a single user
  licence for two or three years.

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Impatica website
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Impatica example
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Impatica Pros and Cons

• Very effective in reducing size
• Very little loss of definition
• but
• Text becomes a graphic and is therefore less
  accessible
• Occasional loss of text from boxes
• Three files (player, html, impatica)
• Player determines fixed screen size

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PowerPressed

• Has only recently been developed but should be
  available via a CHEST deal very shortly, and has
  been demonstrated to various Schools within the
  University. The Learning Team has had an
  evaluation licence (now expired).

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VisionCom website
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PowerPressed Example
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PowerPressed pros and cons

• Works within PowerPoint and result is still a
  PowerPoint presentation
• Text remains as editable text
• but
• Need to choose appropriate technique to avoid
  loss of definition
• Doesnt reduce size quite as far as Impatica

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Inbuilt tool

• In more recent versions of PowerPoint (from
  Office 2002 onwards) there is an inbuilt facility
  to compress all images.

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Using the inbuilt tool

• Open a PowerPoint presentation.
• Find an image.
• Click on the image to select it.
• Go to the Format dropdown menu which should now
  include Picture
• Click on Picture to bring up the Format
  Picture box.
• Within the box click on Compress to bring up
  the Compress Picture box.
• Check radio button to apply to All pictures in
  document
• Check radio button for web/screen compression
  to 96dpi
• Click on OK to close box.
• Click on Apply in Compress Pictures box
• Click on OK in Format Picture box.
• Your presentation should now be compressed and if
  you Save it you will have lost the original.
  Therefore use Save as to give it a different
  name if you want to retain the original.

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Tool pros and cons

• Extremely easy to use from within PowerPoint
• Definition is good.
• Available to everyone in the University at no
  cost
• but
• The degree of compression is very variable

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Conclusions

• Recommend and encourage use of inbuilt tool as
  routine best practice.
• So long as only occasional presentations require
  further compression we can do this with our
  existing Impatica licence.
• If the numbers of such presentations rise,
  compare costs of making either Impatica or
  PowerPressed more widely available.