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Compress a Large PowerPoint file

Anonymous
2023-06-30T14:37:20+00:00

Hello I have both PPT for Windows and for MAC

Question 1 (General)

After you do file compression commands in PowerPoint such as “Compress Pictures” and “Compress Media” is the resultant quality of images and video on your laptop screen slide show the same as on a large 20 ft Wide Screen slide show or do they differ?  (I don’t have access to a big screen but my client uses it to show PPT, so I want to be able to answer this question and advise them)

Question 2 (PC)

Is Compress Pictures command the same as File, Options, Advanced, Image Size and Quality command or should I do both to compress the file?

Question 3 (MAC)

File, Options, Advanced, Image Size and Quality command is on the PC but is not on PPT for the MAC, is that correct?  If so, on the MAC is the only way to compress a file is by doing File, Compress Pictures? Also I assume you cannot compress video on PowerPoint for MAC?

thank you very much!

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For business | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-01T02:14:43+00:00

    Hi respected CraigCB,

    Thanks for your valuable feedback and I appreciate your kind words.

    Yes, in PowerPoint for Mac there is no feature compress media (videos) (no default setting for image compression on the Mac) as like in PowerPoint for Windows OS.

    Currently, PowerPoint for Mac we cannot compress the video as it doesn't conclude such an out of box feature like Office for Windows version. You can only set the compression for each presentation by using File>Compress Pictures.

    Your understanding and patience will be highly appreciated. I hope that you are keeping safe and well!

    Sincerely,

    Waqas Muhammad

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  1. John Korchok 231.4K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-06-30T17:42:36+00:00

    Here is what Microsoft has published about this: Reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentations

    Microsoft appears to avoid direct statements about the resulting image quality. This is evident even in the name they chose for the operation. "Image compression" does not compress the images, as happens in a lossless algorithm like LZW compression in TIFF files. It actually downsamples them. The result is always inferior to the original resolution.

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  1. Steve Rindsberg 99,156 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2023-07-04T02:52:05+00:00

    >> You said that If you're using a typical projector on the big screen, the resolution will be limited to whatever the projector is capable of. So are you saying that if they save a lot of space by picking lets say 720p for video compression and 150 ppi for picture resolution and it looks good on a laptop size screen, it will look good or the same on the big screen too if they get a really good screen projector?

    Let's not use terms like "really good". That may mean different things to different people.

    And you can't necessarily rely on the laptop accurately predicting what happens on screen.

    Ideally, you want to know exactly what resolution the projector is capable of (720p, 1080p or even higher .. MUCH higher for some high-end [VERY expensive] projectors).

    Then make certain that the computer feeding the projector is capable of matching that resolution. Most will be, but if it's a very high rez projector or a very old computer, there could be problems.

    Once you know the resolution of the projector and that the computer can match it, you want to compress videos to the same resolution (and compress them only once; compressing them multiple times could degrade the quality).

    Now images: Let's say your projector does 1080p. That means 1080 pixels from top to bottom of projected screen. Since the default slide size is 7.5" high, you divide 1080 by 7.5 to get 144 pixels for every inch of screen height. That's the (over-simplified) ppi you want to let PPT compress to.

    I've always found that things work out better when there are a few extra pixels to throw around, so I'd use a bit higher ppi setting, say 150 or even 200 if you can live with a bit larger files.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-06-30T17:50:17+00:00

    Hi respected CraigCB,

    Thanks for your valuable feedback and sharing updates with us and I really appreciate your effort and your precious time doing. 

    And I appreciate your kind words.

    In Microsoft official article there is no exact explanation about resultant quality of images and video on laptop screen and big screen. However, when you display a compressed PowerPoint presentation on a large wide screen, the reduced quality may become more noticeable compared to a laptop screen. Larger screens have more pixels, which means individual elements like images and videos may appear more stretched or pixelated if the original quality was significantly reduced during compression.

    Your understanding and patience will be highly appreciated. I hope that you are keeping safe and well!

    Sincerely,

    Waqas Muhammad

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  1. Anonymous
    2023-06-30T15:02:00+00:00

    Dear respected CraigCB,

    Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

    As per your description, here you see answer regarding to your questions.

    Question 1 (General):

    These features are primarily designed to reduce the file size of media elements in your presentation, which can be useful for sharing or distributing the file.

    When you use the "Compress Pictures" and "Compress Media" commands in PowerPoint to reduce the file size of images and videos, it typically involves reducing the resolution and quality of the media files. The extent of compression and its impact on the visual quality can vary.

    If you compress pictures and media in PowerPoint for a laptop screen slideshow, the reduced quality may not be very noticeable because laptop screens usually have lower resolutions compared to large projection screens. However, when the same presentation is displayed on a large 20 ft wide screen, the reduced quality may become more apparent due to the screen's higher resolution and size.

    Question 2 (PC):

    The "Compress Pictures" command is a built-in feature in PowerPoint that allows you to reduce the file size of images within your presentation. The File>Options> Advanced> "Image Size and Quality" settings provide you with more granular control over image compression when you save the PowerPoint file. These settings affect the default behavior when you insert images into your presentation, allowing you to specify the default resolution and image quality.

    To compress your PowerPoint file effectively, it is recommended to use both the "Compress Pictures" command and adjust the "Image Size and Quality" settings. For your reference: Reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentations.

    Question 3 (MAC):

    Yes, File, Options, Advanced, Image Size and Quality command is PowerPoint for Windows OS. In PowerPoint for Mac, you can choose File>Compress Pictures and set Picture Quality. This has exactly the same effect as setting the analogous option in PowerPoint for Windows.

    If there is any misunderstanding, I apologize and please feel free to post back to us with more detailed information for better understanding and guiding you further.

    Appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for your time and cooperation.

    Sincerely,

    Waqas Muhammad

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