Quick guide to compressing images in PowerPoint

Open your presentation and select any picture. This will automatically show the Picture Format tab on the top pane.

Go to the Adjust group and click on Compress Pictures which exists in every PPT version.

Let’s look at the Compress Options and what they mean.

• Apply only to this picture is ticked by default, so deselect it only if you want to compress all the images in your presentation. This will compress all the images on your presentation, not just the selected one.
• Delete cropped areas is another thing you may want to keep checked. If you’ve done any cropping, this option will permanently remove the cropped areas of your pictures, so tick it out if you don’t want to lose those.

Pro tip for picture compression

Make a copy of the presentation file and work with it, so in case anything breaks, you still have access to the original file. There’s no Undo option for compression.

• Start with the lowest compression option, again – on the copied file. Click Save and re-open the presentation to see if you’re pleased with the result (the image quality hasn’t dropped noticeably).
• If you still think the image can be further compressed, go on compressing and remember to make a copy of each version so you have a high-quality file to turn back to.
• If after the slightest compression the image looks grainy, then you need to go back to the previously saved file.
• Saving several copies of the deck leaves room for testing options. More importantly, if after a more aggressive compression only a couple of images turn out fuzzy, you can replace just those two with their clearer versions from previously saved copies.
• Consider an online compressing tool like wecompress.com, which is free for files of up to 50MB. We run the decks we make through the paid version, NXPowerLite, to ensure everything is small size, but top notch.

If you’re reading this, then you’ve already planned how to share PowerPoint presentation. Explore multiple resolution options to see which one works for you. Are you going to send it via e-mail? Most companies cannot receive attachments heavier than 10 or 20 MB, which means that you’ll have to apply more aggressive compression. No matter what your intention is, just remember to save a copy of each compression test.

Curious about more detailed PowerPoint tips and tricks? We have just the course that will satisfy your appetite for presentation hacks, check it out.