best resolution for presentation

Unravelling PowerPoint picture size and resolution

• Written by: Jamie Garroch
• Categories: PowerPoint design , PowerPoint productivity
• Comments: 6

If you come from a print media background you’ll be familiar with the importance of image resolution and how it affects quality. If you come from a web design environment you might be more familiar with pixels. But when it comes to PowerPoint, there’s an odd mix of measurements from the physical and digital worlds even though the majority of what is produced is shown on either a monitor or a projector. So what do presentation professionals need to know about picture size and resolution?

Pictures are made of dots

OK, so this might not be the most exciting news headline but we need to start from the beginning. A raster or bitmap picture (contrary to a vector image) is made up of thousands of tiny dots or pixels. Each of these dots is a single colour and the number of dots affects the file size of the picture. The image below shows how pixels are used to form an image. The first shows the image at a normal scale:

But when we zoom in you can clearly see each individual pixel that makes up the picture:

When you resize pictures in PowerPoint beyond their original 100% size, extra pixels have to be ‘invented’ by PowerPoint through a process of interpolation. This can cause pictures to appear blurry and degrade the quality of your slide show when displayed on a monitor or projector. In addition to the size of the picture in pixels, some image editors set a DPI (Dots Per Inch) parameter. This is usually only applicable for printed media and defines how many pixels (dots) are crammed into each inch. But PowerPoint does take DPI into account as you’ll see later.

So there are two aspects of a picture you need to be aware of:

Size : the number of pixels horizontally by the number of pixels vertically. This affects file size.

Resolution : the density of pixels per inch. This does not affect file size.

Points vs. Pixels

To add to the complexity of picture size and resolution, PowerPoint measures picture sizes in points under the hood and then converts them into your preferred measurement system, inches or centimetres, before displaying them in the user interface:

Points may mean prizes in game shows but in PowerPoint, points are not equivalent to prizes nor pixels. A point is actually 0.75 of a pixel on a 96 DPI monitor which comes from 96 DPI / 72 PPI ( dots or pixels per inch versus points per inch). The 96 number comes from the resolution of your monitor (more on that later) and 72 comes from the world of typography where a point is a physical unit of distance. A point (pt) is equal to 1/12 Pica, and 1 Pica = 1/6 inch. Hence 1 pt = 1/72 inch, meaning 1 inch contains 72 points. Phew!

Let’s see this in practice when examining a standard 16:9 widescreen slide in PowerPoint. If you click the Design tab followed by Slide Size and choose Custom Slide Size , you’ll see the size of your slide in either inches or centimetres:

Inches are actually easier to deal with here because you’re going to see conversions using DPI or Dots Per Inch. In the above example the slide has a size of 13.333 x 7.5 inches. Now, because there are 72 points per inch (don’t get this confused with dots per inch!) this translates to 960 (13.333 x 72) by 540 (7.5 x 72) points . This is what’s used to scale your picture as it’s inserted into your slide. That then translates to 1280 (960 / 0.75) by 720 (540 / 0.75) dots or pixels and that is what is used to project your picture during a slide show.

A little known secret is that regardless of the measurement system set on your computer, you can actually enter dimensions for your slide setup and/or objects on your slide by typing in a number followed by px for pixels or pt for points. As soon as you hit return, the number is converted to your default units of measurement. So entering 1in, 2.54cm, 72pt or 96px all yield the same result. Go ahead and try it!

Now, let’s take a look at what happens when you insert pictures into your slides at various sizes and resolutions.

Below are the settings for the stopwatch picture which we’ve scaled to 960 x 540 pixels at 72 DPI. Most decent image editor apps will allow you to set both the size and resolution and in this example we used the free GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) app which is available for both Windows and Mac.

When it’s inserted into the slide it occupies the full slide size and PowerPoint has kept it scaled at 100%. This is because we have the same number of pixels in the picture as there are points for the slide and the image is set to 72DPI:

You’ll get the same result if you rescale the source picture in your preferred image editor to 1280 x 720 pixels, but at 96DPI. This is because PowerPoint scales it by the ratio of 72/96 or 0.75.

Making this picture larger than the slide or projecting it at anything bigger than HD720p can cause it to become blurry.

If you now insert the same picture scaled to HD1080P (1920 x 1080 pixels) at 72DPI you’ll see that it’s automatically scaled down in PowerPoint to 50% of its original size or ¼ the size of HD1080P so that it fits on the slide:

In this case, even though the picture has been scaled to the slide size all of the pixel data is still there for use when projecting. That means you can display or project this slide at a maximum size of HD1080P without any degradation of the picture.

If you were to project at a higher size such as 4k or 8k HD, there’s a chance that the projected image will not be pin-point sharp. This depends on the image interpolation algorithms in use by the combination of PowerPoint, your graphics card and the projector. If you insert the same picture at HD1080p size but with the DPI set to 144, it’ll get inserted at 100% scale and fit the slide exactly.

When looking at file size, it’s clear to see that it’s the number of pixels in the file that makes the difference and that the DPI setting does not impact file size at all. This is the relevant information in Windows Explorer for our test pictures:

So what have you learned?

• That the DPI setting within a picture file is used to scale the picture as it’s inserted onto the slide but it has no impact on the projected quality nor the size of the picture file.
• 960 x 540 pixels at 72 DPI
• 1280 x 720 pixels at 96 DPI
• The second picture will have a larger file size as it contains more pixel data.

Monitor Scaling

Now you know how DPI has an impact on pictures in PowerPoint, you might be asking yourself how does the Windows scaling affect all of this? When you change the scale factor in Windows Settings what is essentially happening is that the display DPI is being changed. You might have one HD1080p monitor set to 100% scale and another set to 200%. The corresponding monitor DPI values for these are:

• 100% = 96DPI
• 200% = 192DPI

This means that there are twice as many dots/pixels in use on the second monitor. The impact on PowerPoint is therefore that you need twice as many pixels in the image to display it optimally, irrespective of the DPI setting in the picture file. That means taking your HD1080p picture and sourcing a 4k version of it, which is 3840 x 2160 pixels.

Other PowerPoint Considerations

If you dig around in PowerPoint you’ll find a couple of other features that affect picture quality. The first is in the ribbon and the second is in the backstage.

Compress Pictures is found in the ribbon when you have a picture selected and you click the Format Picture tab:

This open a window that allows you to compress the currently selected picture or all pictures in your presentation:

You can click the ? icon in this window for lots more detail from Microsoft on what each of these settings does but basically, the Resolution section scales the image down to the set ppi (ppi here means dpi not points per pixel!). It doesn’t scale beyond the current DPI setting of the image because this implies creating new pixel data, which is why you’ll see some options greyed out.

You might think that PowerPoint is just changing the DPI setting in the image but it’s not. It also changes the size of the image in pixels. To test this we took the original stopwatch picture sized to 2048 x 1203 at 330DPI. Using the compress pictures tool, the picture was set to the Web (150 ppi) setting. We then used the free BrightSlide Export Media Files to observe the result in Windows Explorer:

As you can see, the resolution was indeed changed from 300 to 150 but the pixel count changed too, by an ratio of 1:2.2 (330/150). PowerPoint did this so that the picture on the slide remained the same physical in/cm size.

This is obviously a destructive process as pixels are deleted from the picture so use it with care. Also destructive is the option to delete cropped areas which deletes all the picture data outside of your cropping mask.

The other place you’ll see DPI is in the backstage when you click File / Options / Advanced , which corresponds to the Use default resolution option in the widow above. How convenient!

Maximum Size

While you’re learning all about slide and picture sizes, let’s complete the picture (sorry!) by covering the topic of maximum slide size. You might want to know this if you’re printing your creation onto a large format printer or displaying it on a monster projector. Currently, the maximum size for a PowerPoint slide is as follows:

56 x 56 in   |   142.24 x 142.24 cm   |   4032 x 4032 points   |   5376 x 5376 pixels

Conclusion & Recommendation

Pictures in PowerPoint can be tricky to get to grips with. Choosing the right size has an impact on both the file size of your presentation and the maximum monitor/projection size you can use without degrading quality. In general, if you’re projecting at a maximum size of HD1080p, make sure you’re using pictures that are created at 1920 x 1080 pixels in size. Set the DPI to 144 if you want them to be inserted into your slide at 100% scale but remember that the DPI setting doesn’t itself impact file size or the quality of your image or how it’s projected during your slide show. Only pixels do that.

Jamie Garroch

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• PowerPoint design / PowerPoint productivity
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Thanks Jamie. A helpful article

I have a related question to help complete my understanding. Suppose you have a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with PowerPoint slides sized set to match. What happens if you insert a picture with larger Pixel Dimensions eg 3840x 2160 pixels and then ‘Scale’ the picture to fit in the slide? Is the image ‘resampled’ down by removing pixels or is the image scaled down by shrinking existing pixels (which i imagine doesn’t make sense as presumably you can’t shrink pixels below the native pixel size for the screen) ? Similarly, if you inserted a smaller picture of eg 480 x 270 pixels and then ‘Scale’ up to fill the slide, are pixels added or are the existing pixels ‘stretched/made larger ?

Hope that makes sense and thanks for your help,

Hi Campbell. Great question! It depends on what is set for the file in File / Options / Advanced / Image Size and Quality. Take a look at the mouse hover tips for the options “Do not compress images in a file” and “Default resolution” for the answers to your questions.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question. The mouse hover ‘tips’ help explain what happens when the file is saved but I still have the same question when changing the size of the image on screen up/down before it is saved. I.e do you know if the images are ‘re-sampled’ by adding/deleting pixels or are existing pixels somehow stretched/shrunk. I hope that makes sense and thanks again for your help.

Useful. I did not realize ppt respects a units suffix in setting sizes in the Format pane.

I do not understand why Microsoft can’t make this app use pixels for the default dimensions. PPT is used for on-screen presentations at least 95% of the time, and yet they continue to use inches. Also, there is no easy way to see if an image (especially one used as a background image in a shape) is 100%.

For the type of picture you have, use JPG, not PNG. PNG is great for screenshots, but not “natural” images.

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A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece. 

Let's dive right in! 

Clean up your slides 

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention. 

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation. 

Add dimension with boxes 

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. 

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides. 

Insert circles 

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look. 

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating. 

Choose icons 

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library . 

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative. 

Final touches 

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly. 

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting! 

Related topics

Change the size of your slides

Basic steps.

To change the slide size:

Select the Design tab of the toolbar ribbon.

Select Standard (4:3 aspect ratio) or Widescreen (16:9) or Custom Slide Size .

For more about the predefined sizes (including formats like Overhead, A3, A4, Banner, B4, and B5) or your own custom sizing, click a heading below to expand it and see the details .

Detailed steps

Choose the standard or widescreen slide size.

On the Design tab of the Ribbon, locate Slide Size in the Customize group, near the far right end of the toolbar.

Select Slide Size , and then select either Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) .

When PowerPoint is unable to automatically scale your content, it prompts you with two options:

Maximize : Select this option to increase the size of your slide content when you are scaling to a larger slide size. Choosing this option could result in your content not fitting on the slide.

Ensure Fit : Select this option to decrease the size of your content when scaling to a smaller slide size. This could make your content appear smaller, but you’ll be able to see all content on your slide.

The 16:9 widescreen setting is the default value for new presentations you create. When you change the slide size for a presentation, the size you choose only applies to that presentation.  However, you can make it easy to create a new 4:3 presentation for yourself whenever you want—by defining a custom theme that uses the 4:3 aspect ratio. See the section below named "Make a default size to start from when creating new presentations."

Choose another size, such as A3, B4, or Overhead

Select Slide Size , and then select Custom Slide Size .

In the Slide Size box, click the down arrow next to Slides sized for and select an option. Their dimensions are listed below:

Overhead provides an aspect ratio very close to the standard 4:3 slide size.

There are two options for 16:9 aspect ratios:

On-screen Show (16:9) sets the slide dimensions to 10 in x 5.625 in.

Widescreen sets it to 13.333 in x 7.5 in.

Both of these options are the same aspect ratio so they will look the same in Normal View , since PowerPoint automatically adjusts the zoom level. Widescreen (13.333 in x 7.5 in.) provides more slide surface area for the content, so that is the best choice for presentations. Widescreen won’t fit on an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper without you having to scale it down.

Select OK to accept the dimensions and close the Slide Size dialog box.

Choose custom dimensions (in inches, centimeters, or pixels)

The Slide Size dialog box opens.

In the Slide Size dialog box, ensure the orientation is set the way you want it.

In the Height and Width boxes, PowerPoint accepts measurements in inches , centimeters , or pixels . Type a number followed by a space and then the appropriate abbreviation: in , cm , or px .

PowerPoint then converts measurements, if necessary, to the type of unit your operating system uses.

You can change the unit of measure that is shown in PowerPoint dialog boxes if you like.

Make a default size to start from when creating new presentations

This version of PowerPoint has a default size of 16:9 for new presentation, but you can create a different default for yourself.

Start PowerPoint.

On the File tab of the toolbar ribbon, select New . Then double-click the Blank Presentation to create a new, empty presentation.

Then on the Design tab, click Slide Size and choose the size you want for a default.

(If you want a different default slide size than what's listed there, select Custom Slide Size and then choose your size in the Slide Size dialog box, and then click OK .)

Select Save Current Theme .

Give your theme a name that you'll remember easily and click Save . Don't change the folder that the new theme is to be saved in.

On the Design tab, click the More arrow again in the bottom-right corner of the Themes group. You'll see your newly saved theme under a Custom heading.

Right-click that new custom theme under the Custom heading, and then select Set as Default Theme :

Close PowerPoint. Don't save any files if it prompts you.

Open PowerPoint again. On the File tab of the toolbar ribbon, select New .

The custom theme that you just saved is listed at the top left corner, named Default Theme . The thumbnail image looks like a widescreen slide, but in reality, when you create a new presentation based on that theme, the presentation has the aspect ratio that you've defined for this default theme.

The next time you open PowerPoint, you'll see your default theme in the upper-left of the theme gallery. When you select it, all the slides will be the custom size you chose by default.

Sizing applies to all slides in a presentation

PowerPoint isn't able to resize one slide within a presentation. All slides in a presentation are the same size.

If this is a feature you’d like to request, please send us your feedback to help us prioritize new features in future updates. See  How do I give feedback on Microsoft 365  for more information.

Orientation applies to all slides in a presentation

PowerPoint isn't able to change the page orientation of certain slides. All slides in a presentation have the same page orientation.

Change the page orientation in PowerPoint between landscape and portrait

Use portrait and landscape slide orientation in the same presentation

Reduce the file size of a picture

On the File menu, select Page Setup .

In the Page Setup dialog box, under Slides sized for , select the predefined size you want, or choose Custom and specify the dimensions you want.

Select Slide Size .

Select Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) .

PowerPoint may prompt you about scaling your content. Choose one of the following options:

Scale: Select this option to decrease or increase the size of your slide content. When scaling to a smaller slide size, this could make your content appear smaller, but you’ll be able to see all content on your slide.

Don't Scale: Select this option to maintain the size of your slide content. Choosing this option could result in your content not fitting on the slide.

Choose Page Setup from the menu that appears.

Page Setup gives you an assortment of predefined slide/page size options. The options and their dimensions are listed below:

In the Slide Size box, click the down arrow next to Slides sized for and select an option.

Widescreen sets the dimensions to 13.333 in x 7.5 in.

Choose custom dimensions (in inches, centimers, or pixels)

Select Slide Size , and then click Page Setup .

The Page Setup dialog box opens.

In the Width and Height boxes, PowerPoint accepts measurements in inches , centimeters , or pixels . Type a number followed by a space and then the appropriate abbreviation: in (inches) or cm (centimeters) or px (pixels).

PowerPoint then converts the measurements, if necessary, to the unit of measurement your operating system uses.

Make a new slide size the default for new presentations

Select Slide Size , and then select Page Setup .

Follow the steps in the prior section to choose the slide size you want.

On the Design tab, click the More arrow below the standard themes.

Click Save Current Theme at the bottom of the window.

Give your theme a name that you'll remember easily and click Save .

On the Design tab, click the More arrow below the standard themes again. You'll see your newly saved theme under Custom .

Right-click your new custom theme, and then click Set as Default Theme .

The next time you open PowerPoint, you'll see your default theme in the upper-left of the theme gallery. When you select it, all the slides will be the size you chose for your default theme.

Some folks have asked about resizing one slide within a presentation. PowerPoint isn't able to do that. All slides in a presentation are the same size.

Some folks have also asked about changing the page orientation of certain slides. PowerPoint isn't able to do that. All slides in a presentation have the same page orientation.

On the Design tab of the toolbar ribbon, click Slide Size in the Customize group.

Click Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) .

When PowerPoint for the web is unable to automatically scale your content, it prompts you with two options:

The 16:9 widescreen setting is the default value for new presentations you create. When you change the slide size for a presentation, the size you choose only applies to that presentation. 

You can also change the orientation of all the slides in your presentation. See Change the page orientation for instructions.

Choose custom dimensions

In the Width and Height boxes, type a measurement in inches . PowerPoint doesn't accept measurements outside the minimum and maximum shown below:

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• Presentation

What is the best image resolution for PPT? and how to set it?

• December 3, 2022

You may probably be in a situation where the perfect Image you found for your slide isn’t available on your PowerPoint presentation, and when you use it, it becomes blurred or pixelated on the screen. In this article, you will learn about Image Resolution in PowerPoint presentation’s and solving the problem, what is the best image resolution for PPT, and some tips to help you avoid this.

Table of Contents

What is the image resolution? 

Understanding some fundamental concepts is necessary to comprehend image resolution. Understanding what makes up an image, i.e., pixels.

What is a Pixel? 

Pixel stands for picture element. The smallest element that can display on a screen is called Pixel. When you zoom in on an image, the tiny, tiny square appears on your screen. This is how you get the Image on your screen.

What is an Image Size? 

A picture’s size is the sum of the number of pixels stacked in its width (w) and the number of pixels stacked in its height (h). This is also called the Image’s dimensions.

Image Size = Width (w), x Height(h) of an image 

A 1920 X 1080 file size would be an image with a width of 1920 pixels and a height of 1080 pixels. Because 1 pixel is an image unit, it is measured in pixels. The total number of pixels in a 2073600 pixel image is approximately 2 megapixels (2 MP). If your phone camera has 2 megapixels, it can capture images with a dimension of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

NOTE:  Image Size does not equal Image File Size. Image file size refers to the amount of storage space an image takes up on your computer’s hard drive. This measurement is in bytes, which are usually kilobytes or megabytes.

What is Image Resolution? 

Image Resolution is a term people use to describe the clarity of an image. People assume that a photo with more pixels means it has high resolution.

• The number of pixels comprises the Image’s height and width (dimensions of the Image.).
• The screen size on which the Image is displayed (normally measured in inches).

Image resolution can be measured in pixels. It’s not just the pixels in an image but also the dimensions of those pixels. You need to know the screen size on which an image will be displayed. This will determine the Image’s true resolution.

What is the image resolution unit for measuring? 

Images resolutions are measured by pixels per inch (PPI). This unit is used to measure digital image resolution. The number of pixels per inch, or PPI, is the number of pixels arranged in a 1-inch square box. It indicates how many pixels are arranged by width (column), height (row), and so on. This is also called Pixel density or Pixel Density. It is the same thing as Image resolution.

How do you check the resolution of an Image? 

You can quickly check the resolution of images on your computer.

In Windows:  To verify the resolution of an image on the Windows Operating System, right-click the Image to be checked, then go to Properties. Next, scroll down to the Image section.

In Mac:  It is much easier and more precise to check the image resolution on Macs than it is for Windows users.

It’s easy—double-click on the Image to open it using the default “Preview” option. Next, click “Tools” and select “adjust the scale.” A window will appear displaying the details of the pixels and the resolution so that you can see the Image in the above Image. The image resolution in the example above is 72 PPI, and the Image has a dimension of 360 x540 pixels.

This pop-up box allows you to reduce the image resolution. You can, for example, replace 72 with 50 in the example above, and the image resolution will be reduced to 50 PPI rather than 72 PPI.

PowerPoint: Setting pixels

I explained initially that a default PowerPoint presentation is 13.333 inches by 7.5 inches. PowerPoint 2013: Click  Design from the normal PowerPoint menu and then click Slide Size.

There are three options available when the button opens.

• Standard (4:3)
• Widescreen (16.9)
• Slide size can be customized

To enable the  Custom Slide Size , click on the 3rd option. You will be presented with this form:

If the user wishes to create a slide or slideshow of 1920×1080 pixels in size, just enter

Enter the width

At the height field.

This will automatically be converted into centimeters or inches.

To close, click OK. All slides in your current presentation will be this size. Now you can add slides and information to the system.

How do you convert low resolution image to a high resolution image? 

PowerPoint cannot scale up a low-resolution image. It is strongly recommended that you start with a high resolution image in PowerPoint. There are, however other options available for scaling up images.

Can I choose a default resolution for PowerPoint images? 

PowerPoint has a default image compression. You can set it to one of these options:

Check and adjust your default image resolution/compression option:

• Open PowerPoint file
• Select Options
• You will find Advanced within that menu.
• Quality and size of images
• Select the appropriate PPI setting in the dropdown menu. Choose from 220ppi, 150ppi, or 96ppi.

I explained initially that a default PowerPoint presentation is 13.333 inches by 7.5 inches. PowerPoint 2013: Click  Design  from the normal PowerPoint menu and then click  Slide Size .

To close, click  OK . All slides in your current presentation will be this size. Now you can add slides and information to the system.

Maximum Size

Let’s start with the topic of maximum slide sizes. This information is essential if you plan to print your creation on a large format printer or display it on a monster projector. The maximum size of a PowerPoint slide at the moment is:

142.24 x 142.24 cm

Conclusion. 

Image resolution is not an easy topic to discuss. Now you understand image resolution and ensure that your next presentation does not include pixelated images.

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How to Choose a PowerPoint Aspect Ratio: 4:3 or 16:9?

When designing a PowerPoint presentation, one of the first choices one makes is the slide size. PowerPoint has switched to default 16:9 aspect ratio of the presentations a couple of years ago, which follows the trend of “wide-everything”, including smartphones, computer monitors, TVs, and projectors & beamers. But with the craze to wide-everything, is 16:9 slide presentation aspect ratio the best choice for all circumstances? Here are my thoughts.

I do presentations for a living and with close to 300 days of doing PowerPoint presentations in the last decade, here are my thoughts.

• Match the ratio of the projector/beamer. Ahead of your presentation, check the ratio of the projector at the venue and match that.
• Use 4:3 ratio as default. If you can’t get information on the ratio of hardware ahead of the presentation, or if you will be doing many presentations with the same slides, 4:3 ratio is a safe bet.

Let’s look at the arguments.

1. Match the ratio of the projector/beamer.

For best result, always match the slide aspect ratio to the hardware. Everything will be as intended, the wall/screen area covered will be the largest, which gives the best immersion effect for your audience. Most new projectors have a wide ratio, but check if possible. This is my first recommendation.

2. & 3. Use 4:3 ratio or 16:9 ratio with increased font sizes.

Your slides are 4:3 and the projector is 16:9

In this situation, your slides are going to fit the projection vertically (in height). Horizontally, there will be a black (invisible) edge on each side. Therefore, all of the sizes in slides will be as planned, nothing is going to be squeezed.

Your slides are 16:9 and the projector is 4:3

Your complete 16:9 slides are going to be visible, however, they will be squeezed to fit the 4:3 screen. There will be a dark (invisible) edges at the top and the bottom (see image above). This means that the text is going to be smaller than it would be on a 4:3 projector.

My experience is from the scientific and educational world of universities and research institutes. Among the projectors I encounter in 2019-2020, approximately 70% are already wide (supporting the 16:9 ratio). For a long time, I just used the 4:3 ratio slides for my presentations, however, as I believe the ‘immersion experience’ is best when the slide and hardware aspect ratios match, I have recently redesigned all my slides. I’ve found that the font sizes have to be approximately 20% larger on the 16:9 ratio slides to accommodate for the situations when my now 16:9 ratio slides encounter an older projector. If I were in an environment, where the hardware was still mostly 4:3, I would have kept with my good old 4:3 slides.

In any case, I don’t find the more vertical space to be an added value. Most presenters put too much content on their slides anyway, and the 4:3 ratio can be a valuable constraint for them 🙂

So how do you approach this dilemma? I’m interested in your thoughts, just put them in the comments below!

Jernej is a communication expert who runs workshops and webinars on Visual Communication worldwide for the best research institutions.

Visual communication for scientists

October 19, 2020 (4:36 am)

thank you this is exactly the thought process I needed!

Trividh Patel, CBAP

July 22, 2021 (7:01 am).

I too have lot of 4:3 presentation and want to convert it to 16:9 but I personally find 4:3 to much more readable (when it is mostly text) while 16:9 much more viewable (when it is mostly videos or pictures).

Jernej Zupanc

July 22, 2021 (7:04 am).

Dear Trividh, thanks for the comment. I’d say that readability is not that much in the format but in how you use it. If you use the negative space amply on a 16:9 and adjust your typeface and font size into a nice hierarchy, you can make it as readable as 4:3.

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PowerPoint presentation image resolution tips

by John Quinn | Tue Dec 2017 | PowerPoint Template , Presentations , Techtip | 0 comments

Image Resolution, pixels per inch, 1080 X 1920 HD and the list goes on and on…..but what does it all mean?

No images should have a resolution under 100 pixels per inch unless they are very small….

If you have a small image at a set size and stretch it the pixels become larger causing pixellation.

Once an image has been saved as a small 100ppi image there is no way to scale it up in size without causing pixelation….

What you can take away from this post?

When you put so much time and effort into your presentations you also need to make sure your images are nice and clear. Nice crisp images without pixelation just look better to everyone. Why hurt your audiences brains with bad looking low quality imagery and graphics?

Take pride in your PowerPoint presentation designs and it will shine through to your audience. You can believe us! We, Audience Alive ,  are professional presentation designers , presentation skills trainers and audience engagement technology specialists. Over 16 years of experience and counting.

Simon Hankins

Audience Alive Presentologist & SEO Specialist

How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentations really shine? Here's how to impress and engage your audience.

Quick Links

Table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

Best PowerPoint Aspect Ratio for Zoom: Standard or Widescreen?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Given that online meetings have been thrust upon us due to the pandemic, using applications like Zoom has become quite a norm. But, that makes many of us wonder how that has affected the way we give presentations, especially on a Zoom call? For instance, one common question that people often wonder is what aspect ratio should be used for a PowerPoint presentation for a Zoom call!

The best slide size for your PowerPoint while giving a presentation on Zoom is 16:9 or a widescreen layout. The Zoom application is designed to display content in the widescreen layout by default. Therefore, using a 4:3 standard layout will result in blank space on both sides of your slides!

For many of you, this answer may not come as a surprise! Nevertheless, in this article, I’ll answer some of the common questions that you may have regarding the aspect ratio of the slides in PowerPoint for a zoom call. Plus, I will also share with you how you can convert the aspect ratio of your existing presentation to 16 by 9 or a widescreen format!

So, without further delay, let’s get started!

What is the Best PowerPoint Size for Zoom?

The two most popular PowerPoint formats are Standard size and Widescreen size.

In general, the Zoom videoconferencing application displays in widescreen mode with an aspect ratio of 16:9. However, do keep in mind that when we share a presentation through Zoom the preferred PowerPoint size depends on the dimensions of the display or the output screen.

Remember! Do consider the resolution of the screen display that acts as an output for your presentation. If the output screen is 4:3, you would be better off creating a presentation in the standard mode.

Zoom can run on various devices such as computers, laptops, iPad, tablets, or mobiles, all of which have a widescreen display. To add, for modern projectors such as boardroom projectors, LCD screens or large format tend to display an aspect ratio of 16:9 or the widescreen layout.

Thus, the recommended PowerPoint size for Zoom is a 16:9 or Widescreen layout .

However, the selection of the PowerPoint size depends on various factors such as the content of the presentation, personal preference, or even the display screen dimensions.

Mentioned below are a few examples in which Standard Size is preferred.

• A PowerPoint that is to be presented across different platforms ranging from a meeting room to an auditorium.
• A presentation prepared for a specific platform that requires an aspect ratio of 4:3, such as Slideshare.

On the other side, below are a few examples in which Widescreen Size is preferred.

• A PowerPoint that has been made to be viewed on a widescreen display such as a laptop, LED TV, etc.
• A presentation prepared for a specific platform that requires an aspect ratio of 16:9, such as YouTube.

What is the Difference between Standard and Widescreen Size in PowerPoint?

In PowerPoint presentation, Standard Size refers to a slide size wherein the length and breadth of the slide are in the ratio of 4:3. Commonly, this ratio is called the aspect ratio of a presentation. In other words, length of the slide is 1.33 times the breadth, irrespective of the units of measurement.

In case of a Widescreen size, the aspect ratio of length and breadth of the slide is 16:9. To reframe, the length of the slide is 177.78% of the breadth.  

• When one looks at a standard size slide it appears almost a square. On the other hand, view of a Widescreen size slide is almost a rectangle.
• Standard is the default slide size for power point prepared in Windows 2003 or higher versions. Whereas in Windows 2013 or higher versions, Widescreen is the default slide size for power point.
• Standard Size is preferred when presentation is to be made in smaller spaces such as a meeting room. Compared with this, Widescreen is more compatible with larger spaces such as a convention hall.
• The aspect ratio of Standard size fits well with the screen size of tablets, old monitors or projectors. As against it, Widescreen size fits well with laptops, modern projectors or monitors that usually have a wide screen display.

How to Save PowerPoint as 16 by 9 Size?

A PowerPoint presentation is generally either prepared with Windows or Mac. As both the software run on a distinct operating system, steps to save a PowerPoint presentation in either software are slightly different.

Furthermore, as PowerPoint has evolved as a software, the steps in the older version are also different from the modern day PowerPoint application.

Saving a PowerPoint in Widescreen format (2003 – 2010)

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to save a PowerPoint presentation in a widescreen format in Office 2003 to Office 2010 versions.

• Click on the “ Design ” tab in the Quick Access toolbar. A ribbon appears.
• Click and select “ Page set up ” on the extreme left of the ribbon. A dialog box will pop up.
• In the dialog box under the option for “Slides sized for”, click on dropdown. The dropdown list contains a number of pre-defined sizes.
• Click and select the option “ On-Screen show (16:9) “. Do not change other dimensions reflecting in the dialog box.
• Click on “ OK ” in the right corner of the dialog box.
• Click on the Office button and select Save
• Click on save icon (next to office button).
• Press Ctrl + S simultaneously on keyboard.

Saving PowerPoint in Widescreen Format (2013 and Higher Versions)

If you are using Office 2013, Office 2016, Office 2019 or even Office 365, you need to follow the below mentioned steps –

• Go to “ Slide Size ” on the right side of the ribbon and click on dropdown.
• In the dropdown list click and select “ Widescreen (16:9) “.
• If a dialog box appears, choose “ Ensure fit “. 
• Save the PPT using any of the below three methods:

Converting a PowerPoint to Widescreen Size on Mac

If you are using a Mac, the process of converting a PowerPoint to widescreen layout is not that different. Nevertheless, here’s a step-by-step process –

• Click on the “ Design ” tab.
• Then, click on “ Slide Size ” on the top right corner of your screen.
• A dropdown menu appears. You will be presented with two different options.
• Click on the “ Widescreen 16:9 ” option to convert your presentation in the widescreen layout.

How to Convert an Existing PowerPoint Presentation from Standard to Widescreen Size?

If you have already created the presentation in a standard format, and you now need to convert it into a widescreen layout, the steps to do that are the same as described above.

However, one thing you do need to keep in mind is that while changing the layout of the slides from standard to widescreen (or vice-versa), the elements present on the slide may change its position or even the aspect ratio.

There is no shortcut to circumvent this issue. You will have to adjust all the objects manually once the slide layout has been changed.

The best thing that you can do though is to choose the correct layout before you begin creating the presentation.

Here are some additional points that you should keep in mind with regards to the slide layouts in PowerPoint –

• A presentation is either made in Standard size or Widescreen size. One single presentation cannot accommodate both formats. To elaborate, all the slides in a single presentation are of the same size, either standard or widescreen. 
• On converting Standard size to Widescreen Size presentation the spacing of content, dimensions of images, or graphics may change. These need to be resized and reshaped as per the requirements. 
• Though except for older versions of MS Office, in Windows 2013 or higher versions and Mac Widescreen is the default slide size. However, a PPT file can be prepared in standard size.

More Related Topics

• How to Lock Aspect Ratio for Images in PowerPoint
• How to Give a Presentation on Zoom [A Complete Guide!]
• How to Fix Your PowerPoint When it is Frozen!
• How to Update your Microsoft PowerPoint Application?

Credit to Cookie_Studio for the Featured Image of this article

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How to Pick the Right Image Format for Your Presentations

Presentations without visuals are like sleeping pills. Who would want to read lines and lines of boring text? I would say no one.

I recently gave a presentation about communication to a few team members from our production team. My presentation was filled with text in bullet points.

When I started my presentation, the team was all pumped up before the meeting, and 15 minutes into it, you could see yawning and fidgeting.

After the meeting, the feedback I got was as expected – "The presentation was so dull and boring", "I wish it was explained in a more elaborate way that I could relate to".

I am sure, we all have been through a non-visual presentation and we were ready to drop dead!

Now, what are the elements that can make our presentations eye-catching and visually attractive? Animations, illustrations, transitions, icons, images, graphics.

Images can make our presentations beautiful. They add emphasis to our presentations and make them livelier.

The only problem is figuring out which image format we should choose.

10 Easy Tips to Choose the Right Images for Presentations .

Picking the right image is one thing, but selecting the right image format is another.

In this article, I will be talking more about image formats and how to pick the right one for your presentation.

Here are the Top 5 Image Formats

Each of these formats is not the same. They have their unique features with advantages and disadvantages.

Let’s look at them.

JPEG or Joint Photographic Experts Group is the most popular among all image formats used on the web. JPEG files are lossy, which means that when the original image is saved as a JPEG file, the image size is reduced, and a lot of information is discarded. The quality is also lost.

The JPEG format is a popular choice for PowerPoint.

• Wide 16 million colors range
• Most commonly used and widely accepted image format
• Compatible with many Operating Systems
• Tend to discard data
• Cannot be animated
• Do not support transparency

Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that is popularly known for its size. It is relatively small in comparison to other image types. They are the most widely used form of communication. But they are not a form we would recommend for PowerPoint.

GIF has an 8-bit palette with only 256 colors.

• Minimal animation effects
• Supports transparency
• It is Lossless which means that every single bit of data that was originally in the file remains after being uncompressed and no data is lost
• Images with limited colors look great in GIF format
• Larger file size than PNG
• Limited colors, 256 varieties only

BMP files or bitmap image is a raster graphics image file format used to store bitmap digital images. They are image files within the Microsoft Windows operating system.

The images are rich in color, high in quality and compatible with all Windows OS and programs.

BMP files are made of millions of dots called ‘pixels’ and they can be 8-bit, 16-bit or 24-bit images.

• Compatible with Windows programs and Operating System
• Because of its large file size, it is not web-friendly
• Lags in comparison to other image formats
• Does not scale or compress well

TIFF or Tag Image File Format is the perfect image format for page layout, publishing, and photo manipulation software.

TIFF images are crisp in quality and rich in colors. They are flexible and can be lossy or lossless.

They are supported by many imaging programs. However, they are not the best format for PowerPoint. But they can be converted into JPEG, PNG, and other formats that best fit PowerPoint.

• High-quality image format
• Flexible format that supports several types of compression like JPEG, LZW, ZIP and can be sent without compression
• Rich in color and can be saved in layers
• The file size is very large hence longer transfer/loading time and huge disk space consumption.

PNG or Portable Network Graphics is an image format specifically designed for the web. PNG is similar to GIF format. It is saved with 256 colors maximum, but it saves the color information more efficiently than GIF. It also supports 8-bit transparency. It is also best suited for PowerPoint.

• Supports transparency better than GIF
• PNG often creates smaller file sizes than GIF format
• If the images are large, they tend to generate a very large file, sometimes creating larger files than JPEG
• Does not support animation
• Not compatible with all web browsers

10 Common PowerPoint Formatting Mistakes to Avoid

Choosing the right format for the right project will have impactful results on clarity and visibility. Especially when you are presenting to a crowd of more than 100 people, you have to be smart about images.

If it is a reading Presentation and you have to share it with a number of people via email or file sharing, then it’s best to use light images like PNG.

Knowing the different image formats will help you weigh in the file size, the color range and compatibility to help you decide which is the best fit for your presentation.

Do not forget why you are adding images to your presentation in the first place.

Do’s & Don’ts When Using Images In Your PowerPoint Slides

Including graphics elements to your presentations is not to make them just visually appealing but also to convey the presentation’s message effectively.

Be smart when deciding what your image should convey. Keeping a random image in a slide without giving any thought on what the content conveys is pointless. It may even lead to confusion for your audience.

On the other hand, getting the right image that relates to the content can do wonders. It simply paints the message conveyed clearer.

Was this article helpful to you? Leave us a comment.

Related posts:

• 5 Fail-Proof Visual Communication Tips to Enhance Presentations
• What’s the Fuss About Presentations? (With Design Tips on What Not To Do)
• How to Pick the Right Logo Design for Your Company
• 4 Impactful Ideas to Use 3D Pyramid Shapes in Presentations

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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How to Choose Photo Resolution & Size for Printing Or Online Use

Photo resolution and megapixels are confusing topics, especially how to choose image resolution for print or online use. This guide will help you understand.

Learn | Photography Guides | Printing Guides | By Ana Mireles

If you’ve ever wondered what’s a good photo resolution for printing or online use, this is the guide for you.

Despite the popularity of high-megapixel cameras and apps to increase image resolution , many photographers still don’t understand how image size affects image quality.

Having a high-resolution image for printing may be obvious, but how do you make an image high resolution in the first place?

Do you need to worry about pixel resolution in digital images used online? Is a higher resolution always necessary for bigger prints ?

If you’re staring at your computer screen scratching your head, keep reading as all will be answered in this in-depth guide to image resolution.

• Related: How to print better photos at home

Table of Contents

What is Photo Resolution?

Credit: Annie Spratt

The term resolution is one of the most confusing in digital photography. Is it about image quality? Is it about file size ? Does it matter if you’re only going to use your image on a computer screen?

These are some of the questions that most people have when they first approach digital photography – I know I had them. So, let’s start by clarifying that a photo’s resolution is the number of pixels it has.

You can determine how many pixels are in a photo by multiplying the pixels on the width by the number on the height. For example, if you have an image file that’s 3648 px by 2736 px, the actual number of pixels in the image is 9,980,928 – which means it has a 10MP resolution.

See also: What is Adobe Super Resolution? (and why you should use it)

How to Choose the Best Image Resolution

What is the best image resolution for print.

The printer resolution is expressed in DPI, which stands for dots per inch. The dots that it’s referring to are the dots of ink released by the printer. Digital photos use the measure PPI, which stands for pixels per inch.

The best resolution for printing photos is 300 PPI, although 250 or 150 PPI may be good enough if you don’t need such high quality. Keep in mind that a lower resolution means fewer details. Likewise, high resolution image sizes mean more detail.

Some printing services don’t ask you for a specific PPI – instead, they ask for the document size. For example, they ask for an image with at least 1024 px x 768 px to produce a 5″ x 7″ print. You can quickly determine the PPI by dividing 1024/7 and 768/5, because when you know the number of pixels and the number of inches, then you can determine how many pixels there are per inch.

(Read more about pixel art software .)

This is probably not the first time you’ve heard that 300 is the magic number for printing photos . Then, you go buy an inkjet printer, and you find that they are 600 DPI and even 1200 DPI. Well, that refers to the printer resolution. In other words, the amount of ink dots that it’s able to print – see our guide on PPI vs DPI .

Inkjet printers, as well as laser printers, can release dots of different sizes and intensities, and they can optimize the movement to overlap the dots to deliver more detail to your printed images.

So, you can print a 300 PPI photo on a 1200 DPI printer, and it won’t change the total number of pixels because the DPI only refers to the dots per inch and not the image’s resolution.

• Read more: How to change DPI in Photoshop

What is the Best Image Resolution for Web?

Images for the web should be low resolution. This is because more pixels result in a bigger file size, and bigger files load more slowly.

Since we’re accustomed to accessing information in a fraction of a second, if a page doesn’t load quickly, the person will just move on to the next one.

Also, if somebody steals your images to use without consent, they can’t do much with a low-resolution image – so it’s a type of protection.

Some websites and social media sites require a certain resolution to better display your images. Here’s a guide to the most popular web picture resolution:

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• Facebook profile picture: 180 x 180 px.
• Facebook cover image: 400 x 150 px (min).
• Twitter header image: 1500 x 1500 px.
• Twitter profile picture: 400 x 400 px.
• Instagram profile picture: 110 x 110 px.
• Instagram Stories: 1080 x 1920 px.
• Instagram feed: 1080 x 1080 px / 1080 x 1350 px.
• LinkedIn profile picture: Something between 400 x 400 and 20,000 x 20,000 px (min. 200 x 200).
• LinkedIn background image: 1584 x 396 px.
• YouTube profile picture: 800 x 800 px.
• Channel cover image: 2560 x 1440 px.
• Shopify product images: 2048 x 2048 px.
• Amazon product images: 1000 x 1000 px.
• Etsy product images: 1000 x 1000 px.

( See other image sizes for social media .)

If you’re building your website from scratch and want to know which is the best resolution, you can use a page ruler and determine the size you want to display your image according to your design.

However, you can use the biggest possible web resolution to keep the image available in any format. This is because it’s always better to shrink a photo than to enlarge it.

So, you can use a width of 2560 because it’s the standard resolution of 30″ monitors. The height will depend on the photo’s aspect ratio – if it’s squared, 16:9, 4:3, etc.

The standard PPI for images on the web is 72. As long as images stay digital, more pixels won’t help you gain more detail – they only make images heavier.

There is one exception to the rule. If you’re a photographer or a digital artist , you’ll find that some portfolio websites will require the best resolution available. This is because they offer a print-on-demand feature. So, they display a low-resolution image on the website, but they need the high-resolution one to print your products once someone buys them.

• How to resize an image for print

What is the Best Image Resolution for Facebook?

Finding official information about image resolution on Facebook is quite tricky for personal accounts. However, Meta has published a guide for businesses with the minimum and recommended image resolutions to use on their website. (Note that they start by saying that you should use the highest quality available.)

For the Facebook feed, they recommend 1080 x 1350. For the right column, Instant Articles, and Marketplace, the recommended image resolution is 1200 x 1200. For Facebook stories, 1080 x 1920.

Facebook does sometimes change its image dimensions and compression algorithms, so these recommendations can change over time.

For your personal account, consider that your Facebook profile is displayed at 170 x 170 and the cover photo at 820 x 312 on a desktop.

• See how to print photos onto canvas

What is the Best Image Resolution for Instagram?

Still from Meta’s Business Help Center, the recommendation for Instagram Stories is 1080 x 1920 and 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 for the Instagram Feed, depending on the format.

You should also check the best Lightroom export settings for Instagram .

What is the Best Image Resolution for PowerPoint?

PowerPoint presentations are meant to be displayed on monitors or projected. Considering an image that fits the entire slide in a widescreen format, you can use a digital image of 960 x 540 px. This is a good high resolution picture size to start with.

However, if you’re going to project your PowerPoint in HD 1080D, it’s best if you use an image of 1280 x 720 px.

• 4k vs 1080p: Which Video Resolution Do You Need?

Relationship Between Number of Pixels & Photo Size

A photograph is usually a rectangle or square formed by smaller squares called pixels. You’ll get the image height if you count the number of pixels on the vertical side. In the same way, if you count the pixels horizontally, you’ll get the image width. If you multiply both values, you’ll have the total amount of existing pixels.

Let’s use the Canon EOS 90D as an example, which is advertised to have 32.5 megapixels . When you open a raw file taken with the 90D, you’ll see that it has 6,960 px x 4,640 px. When you multiply these two numbers, you get a total of 32,294,400 pixels – which Canon rounds up as a 32.5 MP image sensor. You can do the same exercise with any digital camera.

Now, this doesn’t tell us anything about the photo’s physical size. That depends on how you distribute the total number of pixels. If you put them very close together, the photo size will be smaller, and if you spread them out, it will be bigger. This is called pixel density, and it doesn’t change the total number of pixels.

This is expressed in a value called PPI (pixels per inch).  The most common measures you’ll find are 72 PPI for digital use and 300 PPI for print. So, raw files from a Canon 90D camera can be 96.6 x 64.4 inches if you have 72 pixels per inch. 2However, they can also be 23.2 x 15.4 inches if you have 300 pixels per inch.

When you want to print that image, you have to think about the dots per inch (DPI). This is the number of dots the printer will put on each inch of paper. You need to have a high PPI and a printer with a good DPI resolution to have acceptable results.

• How Can I Print Pictures from Instagram on a Computer?

Image Quality & Image Size FAQs

What is a high-resolution image?

High-resolution images have a higher pixel count per inch. In digital photography, the standard for a high-quality photo is 300 PPI because it will give you good print quality .

How do I know if my JPEG is high resolution?

To check the resolution of your images, you can use a photo editor program. For example, using Adobe Photoshop, you can go to Image > Image size. Here you’ll find your JPEG’s size and resolution information, and you can modify it too. You can do the same with other software such as GIMP.

How can I get a higher resolution of an image?

Keep in mind that digitally enhancing the image resolution will never give you the same quality as having the picture taken at high quality from the start. However, as AI technology improves, you get to retain more image detail. Using Lightroom, you can quadruple the image size using the feature SuperResolution . In Photoshop, you can open the image size and input the new values – then check Interpolation as the resampling method. You can also use dedicated software such as Gigapixel AI to increase the resolution up to 600%.

How do I increase the resolution of a photo on my iPhone?

Start by choosing the ‘Most Compatible’ option in the Format section of your Camera Settings . Then, turn on Apple RAW if your iPhone supports it. These options ensure the highest resolution files on iPhone. You can use third-party apps to increase the resolution of a photo you’ve already taken.

What file size should professional photos be?

The resolution for professional photos depends on the outlet of the work. If the pictures are meant for web use only, 2400 x 1600 px is a good resolution, and they will display properly on any device. If the aim is to have a printed image, then you need to multiply the printing size by 300 DPI – which is the industry standard. For example, to print an 8 x 10-inch photo, you need a digital file to have 2400 by 3000 px for best photo quality. However, large format prints require less PPI – for example, a billboard is not 300 DPI but usually around 30 DPI. You can discuss with your client from the beginning what size they’ll need. You should also read our guide on where to print large photos and posters online .

Is Higher Resolution Really Better? Final Words

As you can see, high resolutions are not always better. Actually, for web usage, a higher resolution is actually a problem. (That’s why you sometimes need to lower the image quality .)

It’s also useless to use the highest resolution available on your phone or camera if you’re only going to look at your photos on your phone or post them on social media. This will only create large files that will fill your memory card quickly, and you don’t really need the extra resolution.

However, if you know you will be printing your images, then yes – a high-resolution file is better. Do keep in mind that resolution is not the only requirement for a higher quality print, but it definitely is a must-have.

I hope this article cleared up some of the confusion about image resolution. Please share your doubts and thoughts in the comments section.

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Ana Mireles is a Mexican researcher that specializes in photography and communications for the arts and culture sector.

Thank you for reading my article – let me know if you have any questions.

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How to Fix PowerPoint Low Resolution Pictures?

Aug 28, 2017 | DataPoint Automation , DataPoint Real-time Screens , How-To

54 Comments

I tried both methods neither of them worked

That is weird Ethan. Sure that your base images are high-res before you insert them in PowerPoint? Don’t want to start a full troubleshooting discussion here. If you want that we look into this for you, please create a trouble ticket via our support link https://presentationpoint.com/support/

Like Ethan above, I tried both methods, and neither worked. also tried restarting my computer with no change to dpi. I made sure that the image I was using was 300 dpi. I need to note that the max resolution my powerpoint program allows is 220.

Scott, same for you. We can look into this if you want, but please create a trouble ticket at https://presentationpoint.com/support

First method worked! Thank you. This issue has been frustrating.

It works! Thanks so much!

First method worked for me, I couldn’t figure out what was going on! thank you.

how do i get this to work for apple Mac i cannot find any of those methods with my version

Hi Naomi. Method 1 will probably work as well on Mac. Method 2 not in this form. Not sure if there is such a thing for Mac.

I found images came in blurry when using cut and paste from Photoshop. If I saved the images as .png then imported them into PPT, they came in sharp. Something about the default file format of cut and paste in windows, PPT doesn’t like.

Interesting. But what is the format of your document when you have it open in Photoshop? Is the PSD? I would expect that you can only copy/paste to PowerPoint when you start from a JPG format file in Photoshop. Makes sense, not? This is of course only an assumption. Try another program. Try to paste your clipboard into a fresh new MS Paint document. Does that work the same as in PowerPoint?

Does not work. Been trying this for months with new and old ppt files. MS 365 Powerpoint. High fidelity with do not compress leads to a drop from 4k+ file size to 157 KB file size of the SAME picture without having done a thing.

Can you please export your registry settings to a file and create a trouble ticket at https://presentationpoint.com/support/ Not our software but willing to look if we can assist you with this.

It worked. Thank you

I can do permanent change with office 2010, but on my new laptop I have Office 365. There, following the instructions of ‘Method 2’, in registry there is no further than HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\: here there is only this: 11.0, Common, Outlook. But there is no PowerPoint subfolder in any of them. ‘Method 1’ doesn’t give me the resolution I would like to have. Can you advise please?

Weird because I have Office 365 too and I find everything at Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\PowerPoint Scan your full registry for the word ‘PresenterView’. Do you find such a thing related to PowerPoint?

I find this only works for new ppt files. I edited the registry and new ppts have the default to not compress files, but if I open any existing files, they are still set to compress down. Any way to have this setting apply to everything?

Jennifer, yes that is right. PowerPoint compresses the images at the moment that you save the presentation and only for one reason; to save space on your hard drive. So when you open old (so already compressed) presentations, then you cannot bring back the images to high resolutions. That is definitely gone by the earlier save command. So your remark is completely true. Thanks for pointing that out.

Tried both methods, neither worked….

The first method didn’t work, but the second one did. Thank you!!! “The folder 16.0 corresponds to PowerPoint 2016. Use 14.0 for PowerPoint 2010 or 15.0 for PowerPoint 2013” is really important. I first changed the PowerPoint setting under the folder 15.0 without thinking much and it didn’t work. But the 16.0 folder worked.

Thanks for your comments. If 16.0 is working for you then you have PowerPoint 2016 installed. And if you have PowerPoint 2013 then you should use 15.0, you see? So that number is depending on the software version of PowerPoint that you have installed on your computer. So that sounds completely correct.

You can share some screenshots and more details in a trouble ticket so that we can try to help you. You can export your registry settings for example and send it in for a review.

To make the second method works delete the ‘s’ in Pictures from AutomaticPicturesCompressionDefault.

The new Dword should be named AutomaticPictureCompressionDefault.

For Mac users, check instructions on how to change registry http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00862_PowerPoint_2007_and_2010_make_pictures_blurry-_loses_GIF_animation.htm

Good finding Sedrine. Image and text was corrected.

I am really struggling with this issue.I use Powerpoint to create covers that will be printed and interiors for books so the resolution must be 330 DPI at least. I had the option until a recent update of PowerPoint. Now the option 330 ppp doesn’t appear anymore. I have followed a tutorial similar to the one above to change this but it didn’t work. I still only have the 220 ppp maximum as an option to save the images. What can i do? Should i follow the tutorial above again? The one i followed was similar and found on the internet.

Thanks for your help

Can you export your registry settings please and send it in as a trouble ticket our website? Willing to look into this for you.

I am sorry to say it doesn’t work for me either.

I am on PowerPoint 2010, used version number 14.0, spelt the REG_D word correctly and restarted my machine. Now “Do not compress images in file” remains ticked (although the 220ppp option still shows) every time I start up PowerPoint. However, unfortunately when I bring in an image it compresses it. A 3Mb image when inserted as a picture and saved as a jpg will compress to 50K.

Hi Roger, it should be working, but I just learned something new too. After the registry change, you have to try it out with a new presentation. This registry hack has an impact on new presentations only. The setting of compressing images or not, is embedded in the presentation and is thus a presentation setting. That what we do here in the registry, is just a default behavior setting for new presentations when they are created. Can you please test that and confirm?

Hello, i need help with this, cuz i want to make a presentation similar to this, applying this tutorial:

youtu.be/8idIuqvcuW0

But instead of just one continent it is the whole world and I want to zoom to a single country per slide.

The thing is that when I zoom in on the thumbnail, the rest of the map on the previous slide looks pixelated, blurry, how do I solve that?

Hi Gark, no specific experience with this problem. Try to post your question at https://answers.microsoft.com/ . There are some real experts watching and replying.

Thank you for your Email. Well I tried it with a brand new presentation. The “Do not compress image in file” was ticked ok, I set the slides size to A4, imported a 3,861Kb jpg image and then saved it as a jpg. It was saved at 51K. All very annoying because PowerPoint is so versatile, but for my use let down by this one problem.

I’m using a Mac and I don’t have the “options” or “advanced” under file or preferences. How do I fix this on a Mac with PowerPoint 365?

Indeed this is for Windows only. Sorry no way to test on a Mac here.

Hi, ppt 2019 on windows 10 is introducing motion blur though I have compressed it in ppt, set quality to high fidelity and followed https://www.pcreview.co.uk/threads/best-way-of-showing-high-quality-video-in-powerpoint-presentations.3528365/ . What shall I do?

Hi Valentin, sorry but no specific experience with this. Maybe someone else here? We do have a plugin to show videos on top of your slideshow independently. Maybe that is an option? https://presentationpoint.com/software/dynamicelements/videos/

Hi. I use Office365 on a Windows PC, is there a similar permanent solution to the “regedit” that can be made please? Thanks.

An alternative to regedit? No that does not exist. But once that you have it, you can export the changes to a single reg file and execute it on another computer. Not sure what your problem is…

Both methods did not work for me. But problems solved via converting ppt to pdf and establishing necessary resolution in GIMP. In my experience quality is fine.

They should be working Kristine, but it is so easy to make mistakes in the registry. If you export your registry to a file, then I can have a look at it. Submit a trouble for this please.

Thanks. I tried the first one and will let you know if it’d keep working fine

It did not work for me either :/

was hoping this would work as i have searched and cant find an answer sadly it hasnt I start off with a 6mb image when i open it in powerpoint 365 or 2007 and i dont do anything to it just save it as a jpeg or png the resulting save is around 2mb so when the image is opened and enlarged its blurry the original image can be enlarged with no problems…so i cant edit the original image due to the poor quality afterwards …i changed the settings under compress pictures so it says high fidelity it makes no difference the resulting save is terrible also added the line to the registry but i cant stop pp from compressing any file i open

Joe, I would use the 365 PowerPoint version only, definitely not 2007 because it is too old (and its behavior might be different). First: you are commenting on an article about the automatic compression of pictures in PowerPoint files when you save the PowerPoint pptx file itself. Your problem is about exporting slides to images. Those are 2 different problems or settings. So first of all, with that high fidelity active, is your pptx around 6mb when you save it? That means that your settings based on this article are working. Right? That is the first step and important to know. Exporting your slides to images by PowerPoint and the quality of the outcome, is something else. That is explained at our article here: https://presentationpoint.com/blog/convert-powerpoint-to-jpeg/

Both tricks did not help me either. But….I discover that while exporting an image, you can just select “Save Original Picture”. That did the trick! 🙂

Can you please indicate the steps for the first method? I don’t know which (file) option you mean? I use mac and when I click on (file), there is no (options) under it!

Sorry we only have PCs to try this on…

I tried method 2 without success. I think this is because we use a custom template for our presentations. I tried to find the template which I managed eventually ( it was here: C:\Users\<>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates) I used Method 1 on the template and it works fine.

Both methods work, needed to be able to zoom in on my pictures to see detail in the presentation. Good shit, cheers mate.

Thanks for the confirmation Tanner! Have a great day.

Hi, thanks for the forum. I have a PC, Powerpoint 2016. I work with 1024 x 1024 pixels, 0.7 x 0.7 cm, and 3716 pixels/inches resolution. Before changing the registry, whatever importation methods these pictures became 165×165 pixels, 5.82×5.82cm with 72 pixels/inch resolution. After changing the registry as you indicated, the pictures are now 630 x 630 pixels, 22.23 x 22.23 cm with 72 pixels/inch resolution that is far more acceptable for a presentation. The only thing is that at the importation, the picture size is still “a stamp” size. The wonderful thing is that I do not have to modify my pictures before importing them. One last thing, this work only on “newly” created files, but not on files that were created before the registry change. The Devil is always hidden in details Thank you so much

Thanks Jean-Michel for your feedback! You are right; it only works on new files/slides. You will have to export the slides to jpg again.

Hey good day, the layout of my registry editor is different. The contents in mine are: (default) AppMaximized Bottom Left Top

I’ve tried both methods with another laptop, the other laptop had the same layout, it didn’t work. I’m using Power point 365.

No sure, but we recently published a tool for that where you don’t have to dig into the registry. Check out https://presentationpoint.com/blog/export-powerpoint-slides-to-high-quality-pictures/ Check if that works!

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