ExportBitmapResolution setting does not work

Question

Powerpoint 2010:  I need to change the DPI of PNG files that I create from Powerpoint figures (using draw objects such as rectangles and arrows). Unlike most people needing to change the DPI, I need a lower resolution than the current 220 DPI. An IT person and I used Microsoft's instructionsfor resetting this in the Registry. It was saved, and when I reopen the registry it shows the new setting, 96 DPI. But my PNGs are still 220 DPI. Can anyone think of why this setting wouldn't take effect? I've rebooted and the usual steps.

Answer 1

>> No, this is Powerpoint 2010

So it's not Office 365 as you indicated above.  OK. 

Which setting did you use then?

Let's make sure it's the correct one.  Substituting settings for a different version might or might not affect things, but I'm not putting any money on it.

Also, when you set the DPI value, did you ensure that you set registry editor to expect a decimal and not hex value?

Finally, what is the size of the slide you're exporting, and how many pixels wide by high is the resulting image?

Answer 2

As John K says if you save shapes as pictures they will normally be 150 dpi.

If you need 96 then cut and paste special as a png THEN use the picture Tools > Compress pictures to compress it to 96 dpi THEN save as Picture

Answer 3

No, this is Powerpoint 2010. I used Microsoft's instructions about which setting to use for 2010. But since it's not working, maybe I should try settings for used in other releases.

Answer 4

Assuming you have Office 2016, did you change the 15.0 in this:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\PowerPoint\Options

to 16.0 instead?   In other words, the registry setting should be under:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office*16.0*\PowerPoint\Options

I just tested this here and with the value correctly set, the results are as expected.

In this case, I set it to 72 dpi, and I get a 720 pixel wide image when I export a standard 4x3 (ie, 10" wide) slide to PNG.

Answer 5

An interesting scenario, since I'm usually looking to export at maximum resolution. However, when I try right-clicking on a slide that contains AutoShapes and choosing Save as Picture..., I get an image at 150 d.p.i., regardless of my zoom settings. What is your exact process sequence for exporting these images?