Cannot save images of slides at anything other than 72 dpi

[Patrick Fowles]

I wish to save images (either jpeg or tiff) of slides at at least 300 dpi,
but Powerpoint (Office 2004) always saves at 72 dpi, regardless of the dpi
setting in the Save Preferences. If I stipulate the image size instead of
dpi it often (but not always) saves with the correct number of pixels, but
always scales the image to 72 dpi. Still no resolution after 2+ hours with a
very nice Microsoft support fellow and trying 101 different things, and I
have been ³escalated² to the next level of support. I¹m waiting for their
call. In the mean time has anyone else experienced this bug and is there a
reasonable work-around other than taking all the saved images into photoshop
and adjusting their size? This happens with Powerpoint 11.3.0 and 11.3.2
running in either OS 10.4.3 or 10.4.8.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I wish to save images (either jpeg or tiff) of slides at at least 300 dpi,
but Powerpoint (Office 2004) always saves at 72 dpi, regardless of the dpi
setting in the Save Preferences.

DPI in this context means "Slide size in inches X your dpi selection --> number
of pixels in final image"

Some image formats you may save to don't even support embedded DPI info, and
PPT may not set it in others. In most cases, it makes no difference as long as
the image size is the same.

See, you can have identical TIFF files, for example, both 1000 pixels wide.
One might be set to 100 dpi, in which case it's 10" wide.
The other might be set to 50 dpi, in which case it's 20" wide.
Same image data in both images.

So the real question is whether you really need it set to a certain dpi value,
once you know that the image resolution (ie, number of pixels) is sufficient.


If I stipulate the image size instead of

dpi it often (but not always) saves with the correct number of pixels, but
always scales the image to 72 dpi. Still no resolution after 2+ hours with a
very nice Microsoft support fellow and trying 101 different things, and I
have been escalated to the next level of support. Im waiting for their
call. In the mean time has anyone else experienced this bug and is there a
reasonable work-around other than taking all the saved images into photoshop
and adjusting their size? This happens with Powerpoint 11.3..0 and 11.3.2
running in either OS 10.4.3 or 10.4.8.

================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Patrick,

If you use File > Save As there is is an Options button. If you click that
you can adjust the settings, but as you discovered the settings are sort-of
broken but sort-of work. Here is a list of the maximum sizes that you can
use. It depends upon which format you select

TIFF 72dpi
JPEG 72dpi
PICT 1200dpi
PNG 300dpi
BMP 72dpi
GIF 72dpi

If you need 300 dpi and it has to be TIFF or JPEG then Save As PNG or PICT.
Then use a program such as GraphicConverter (inexpensive and can be used for
free if you don¹t mind the timeout on the splash screen) or Photoshop to
convert batches of pictures to the desired the file format.

PowerPoint¹s developers know that the settings don¹t work exactly the way
you would expect. Yes, it is a bug, but it¹s probably not documented
anywhere except here in the newsgroups. Please don¹t get too mad at the way
this works. I give them credit for trying. There¹s more to the story. I¹m
just grateful that the feature works at all ­ even just partially. On
Windows you just get 72 dpi, I think.

Please feel encouraged to post more questions and/or offer answers to
others¹ questions if you happen to know the answers.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

I wish to save images (either jpeg or tiff) of slides at at least 300 dpi, but
Powerpoint (Office 2004) always saves at 72 dpi, regardless of the dpi setting
in the Save Preferences. If I stipulate the image size instead of dpi it
often (but not always) saves with the correct number of pixels, but always
scales the image to 72 dpi. Still no resolution after 2+ hours with a very
nice Microsoft support fellow and trying 101 different things, and I have been
³escalated² to the next level of support. I¹m waiting for their call. In the
mean time has anyone else experienced this bug and is there a reasonable
work-around other than taking all the saved images into photoshop and
adjusting their size? This happens with Powerpoint 11.3.0 and 11.3.2 running
in either OS 10.4.3 or 10.4.8.

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

If you use File > Save As there is is an Options button. If you click that

you can adjust the settings, but as you discovered the settings are sort-of
broken but sort-of work. Here is a list of the maximum sizes that you can
use. It depends upon which format you select

TIFF 72dpi
JPEG 72dpi
PICT 1200dpi
PNG 300dpi
BMP 72dpi
GIF 72dpi

72dpi etc measured how? If you open ANY file that doesn't specify DPI/Size in
Photoshop and several other programs, they fill in their default values. In
PhotoShop's case, that's 72 (Windows or PC, I believe).

If you export the same PPT image to BMP at PPT's 100 and 600 dpi settings, so
you get the same file size? No. Do the files contain the same number of
pixels? No. But I betcha five bucks that PShop tells you they'r both 72dpi.

So which app do you think is blowing smoke? PPT, which is letting you set dots
per inch and exporting that many dots for every inch of slide, or Photoshop et
al, which'll tell you ALL images are 72dpi unless the image itself carries
contrary info?

I know who I'd trust. <g>

PPT does louse up one thing; it's certainly possible to store size/dpi info in
at least TIFF files and clearly PPT's failing to do that. It doesn't affect
the image in any way, but will affect the size at which the image imports into
apps that respect size/dpi info in images. [v-slap on ppt-paw]

But it's exporting the right number of dots.

(And doing a lot prettier job of it than any version of Windows PPT since 2000)

If you need 300 dpi and it has to be TIFF or JPEG then Save As PNG or PICT.
Then use a program such as GraphicConverter (inexpensive and can be used for
free if you dont mind the timeout on the splash screen) or Photoshop to
convert batches of pictures to the desired the file format.

PowerPoints developers know that the settings dont work exactly the way
you would expect. Yes, it is a bug, but its probably not documented
anywhere except here in the newsgroups. Please dont get too mad at the way
this works. I give them credit for trying. Theres more to the story. Im
just grateful that the feature works at all  even just partially. On
Windows you just get 72 dpi, I think.

Please feel encouraged to post more questions and/or offer answers to
others questions if you happen to know the answers.

-Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

Quoting from "Patrick Fowles" <[email protected]>, in article
C1F2055A.23DB%[email protected], on [DATE:

I wish to save images (either jpeg or tiff) of slides at at least 300 dpi,
but Powerpoint (Office 2004) always saves at 72 dpi, regardless of the dpi
setting in the Save Preferences. If I stipulate the image size instead of
dpi it often (but not always) saves with the correct number of pixels, but
always scales the image to 72 dpi. Still no resolution after 2+ hours with a
very nice Microsoft support fellow and trying 101 different things, and I
have been escalated to the next level of support. Im waiting for their
call. In the mean time has anyone else experienced this bug and is there a
reasonable work-around other than taking all the saved images into photoshop
and adjusting their size? This happens with Powerpoint 11.3.0 and 11.3.2
running in either OS 10.4.3 or 10.4.8.

================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================