Microsoft KB Archive/157216

= PPT: PowerPoint Slide Shows Look Bad in 16 Colors =

Article ID: 157216

Article Last Modified on 8/17/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft PowerPoint 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 3.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0a
 * Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0c

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This article was previously published under Q157216



SUMMARY
If you run a PowerPoint slide show on a computer that is using a 16- color Windows display driver, practically everything except text appears very grainy. Most colors and all gradients appear as though they are crosshatched. Text does not appear dithered, but it is available in only a limited range of colors.

To adequately display a PowerPoint slide show, your Windows display settings should be 256 colors (or more.)



MORE INFORMATION
When you run Windows in 16 colors, every pixel (dot) on your screen is one of only 16 possible different colors. Any color that is not one of those 16 different colors is simulated by dithering, or mixed by placing dots of different colors next to each other.

This dithering is more noticeable in PowerPoint than it is in Windows Explorer or Program Manager because those programs are specially designed to look good in 16 colors.

If you can change your display settings to 256 colors, PowerPoint slide shows look much better. A 256-color display setting essentially means that Windows can choose up to 256 different colors at a time. These 256 colors are chosen from 16,777,216 possibilities. This means that when you view Slide One, PowerPoint can choose the 256 colors that display that particular slide the best. When you go to Slide Two, PowerPoint can choose the 256 colors that display that slide the best, and so on.

If you can change your display settings to 15-bit or 16-bit High Color (32,768 or 65,536 colors respectively) it means that Windows can use up to 32,768 (15-bit) or 65,536 (16-bit) colors simultaneously out of 32,768 or 65,536 possibilities. This means that PowerPoint slides sometimes look better under 256 color display settings than in High Color.

If you can change your display settings to 24-bit True Color, it means that Windows can use up to 16,777,216 colors simultaneously out of 16,777,216 possible colors.

For more information about changing your Windows video settings, please see your Windows documentation and Help.

Additional query words: 4.00a 4.00c 97 powerpt dotted ppt95 patterned Genigraphics palette video driver VGA 8514 640x480 1024x768 800x600

Keywords: kbenv kbui kbfaq kbgraphic KB157216

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