Low Threshold Applications

LTA #41 -- Creating Web & Print Friendly Graphics in Microsoft® PowerPoint®

Overview

This LTA shows you how to create simple graphics that look good on the Web and in print, using Microsoft® PowerPoint®.  While the drawing tools work in all the Office applications, PowerPoint® has the ability to save a slide or slides as a graphic file, whereas Word and Excel can not.

LTA Audience

This LTA is for individuals who do not have the time to learn a complex graphic editing package, do not have the funds to purchase one, or do not have access to one.

LTA Focus

This LTA focuses on using a single slide to create a graphic, though one can create graphics on multiple slides.  Let's say you want to create a graphic available for:

• display in a presentation given during class
• a document to be printed
• a Web page

The Basic Steps

You can create the graphic and use it in all three forms above. Experiment with the steps below and see what you can create.

1. Start PowerPoint® and create a blank presentation.
   • change the slide layout to blank (don't use the  title slide that usually shows up by default).
2. Set the height and width of your slide, by using the Page Setup command in the File menu.
   • This will become the height and width of the graphic in the printed document.
   • When viewing the slide show, the graphic will be enlarged to fit the screen.
3. Create your graphic using autoshapes in PowerPoint®
   • autoshapes include your basic shapes as well as a freeform and a scribble tool
   • you can layer and align your shapes as needed
4. Use Web safe colors for your shapes.
5. Save your presentation as a standard PowerPoint® file.
6. Choose Save As... from the File menu, and save the file as a GIF file by opening up the list next to Files of type, in the Save As dialog box (choose current slide if you're asked whether to save all slides or the current slide).
   • Choose Save As two more times, choosing JPEG and PNG.

The Results

1. The presentation file can be viewed in the classroom.
   • though it may look small while designing it, the slide show view should enlarge it to full screen without distorting it
2. The JPEG, GIF, and PNG file can be used in Web pages.
3. The graphic can be selected in PowerPoint®, copied, and pasted into Word for printing.

This LTA is meant to show what can be done with a presentation tool many people have, and it's not intended to replace a software package built for creating vector and raster graphics, when more functions/features are needed.

Below are links to several graphics that have been created using the procedure described above.

• "I have an idea for an LTA." (JPEG file)
• "Thinking outside of the box." (PNG file)