Compress Image Size?

[slidemaster]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have a full install of Windows on my Mac in VMWare Fusion, with a full install of MS Office, just to have ONE button - the "Compress Images" button on the picture toolbar.

It drives me crazy.

At work, I routinely get people's Mac PowerPoint files that are too big to email. Using that button (in Windows) works brilliantly to drop them down to manageable size. Since I've switched from Windows to Mac, I miss it terribly.

I was hopeful that when I upgraded to PPT 2008, the problem would be solved, and was massively disappointed.

I'm not optimistic of Microsoft addressing this in the near future....

I'd pay good cash money if somebody would write a simple app that would perform this key function!

(I'm glad, btw, that I finally saw a post here saying that using the "Compress graphic files..." in the "Save As..." options in Mac PowerPoint DOES NOT accomplish the same thing! I've gotten so tired of seeing that suggestion in my vain searches for a solution.)

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I'm pretty sure this'll work the same as in Windows:

Try saving as Web Page (htm)

If offered the Single File web page/MHT option, don't accept.

PPT should create an HTML file of the name you specify during the save
and in the same folder, a new subfolder full of support files.

Among them will be each of the original images in the presentation.

You can open those in an image editing program, resample them to
something more appropriate for the presentation, then open the HTM file
back up into PPT and save as a new presentation.

A new SMALLER presentation.

 

[slidemaster]

Negative.

It's a good thought - i used to do that with Word files on the PC to extract the images.

But when I try it here on the Mac, all I get in the associated "files" folder (along with random buttons and code files), are the entire slides saved as full graphics - no individual elements are saved out.

(Even when, in the "Web Options," I change "Full screen options" to "None" - it doesnt seem to make a difference)

I didnt see the "Single File web page/MHT" option anywhere.

Other clues?

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Negative.
Drat.

I didnt see the "Single File web page/MHT" option anywhere.

That's ok ... you wouldn't want to use it anyhow.

Other clues?

Try copying the image then pasting back as PNG.
You might want to enlarge it just slightly first.

On the PC, that puts the image, at current screen resolution, on the clipboard
and when you paste back as PNG, that's what you get instead of the original
full-rez image.

After pasting back, delete the original.

All this on a COPY of your original presentation, of course.

 

[CyberTaz]

Have you considered just running the files through Drop Stuff (StuffIt)? I
generally find that it cuts the size of a .pptx by 20-40% -- I just took a
4.4MB file & stuffed it to a .sitx at 3.3MB.

BTW: You can run a .pptx through StuffIt Expander to extract the images.

BTW2: Mac PPt 2008 doesn't offer the "Single File Web Page" option.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[slidemaster]

Thanks....I was excited about this DropStuff/Stuffit possibility, but when I tried, it exported images that were the same size as those in the ppt show. When I rebuilt the show from the individual images, it yielded the same size file.

However, I decided to try Crossover again, and load Windows Office without using a Windows OS. This worked very well, and that invaluable button continues to do it's job as apparently only it can do.

I'd still love a sweet little third-party Mac app to do this....till it comes along, this solution has freed up a 13GB virtual machine from my hard drive!

 

[CyberTaz]

Glad you were able to resolve it, but just to clarify, my suggestion was to
Stuff the ppt files not the individual image files.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac