Knowledge Base

PPT: How to Scale Bitmaps and Movies for Better Slide Shows

Article ID: 111822

Article Last Modified on 8/16/2005

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
Microsoft PowerPoint 3.0 for Macintosh
Microsoft PowerPoint 3.0b for Macintosh
Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0 for Macintosh

This article was previously published under Q111822

For a Microsoft PowerPoint 2001 for Mac version of this article, see 279026.
For a Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 version of this article, see 251202.
For a Microsoft PowerPoint 98 Macintosh version of this article, see 188946.
For a Microsoft PowerPoint 97 version of this article, see 189971.

SYMPTOMS

If you run a PowerPoint slide show that contains imported bitmaps or video clips, the bitmaps may appear distorted and/or the movies may play irregularly. In both cases, they look and show as expected when you edit the slide in 100-percent view.

When running an on-screen slide show in PowerPoint, the slides and their contents are scaled proportionally to use as much of the screen as possible. Because bitmaps do not scale well, it is important to pre-scale bitmaps (including QuickTime and AVI movies) so that they are rescaled to their original imported proportions during the slide show. Improper scaling can result in choppy/jerky playback of movies or distorted bitmaps during a slide show.

RESOLUTION

To avoid distortion of bitmapped graphics, follow these steps:

Select the imported graphic, and then click Scale on the Draw menu.
In the Scale dialog box, click "Best Scale for Slide Show" and select the resolution of the video driver on the computer system that will display the slide show.
Click OK.

MORE INFORMATION

You can use the following procedure to help you choose the appropriate scaling factor:

Determine the width/height ratio of the target display and the slide using the following table. (The dimensions for display drivers are listed in pixels.)

      Display/Driver    Width   Height   Ratio
      ----------------  -----   ------   -------
      Standard VGA      640     480      1.33333
      Macintosh Plus    512     384      1.33333
      Macintosh E-Mac   832     624      1.33333
      Macintosh PBook   640     400      1.6
      PP3 Letter Paper  10.5    7.5      1.33333
      PP3 On-Screen     10.5    7.5      1.33333
      PP3 35 mm         11.25   7.5      1.5

If you do not know the width/height ratio of your target display, you can do the following:

      Windows:   Use the Microsoft Paint utility to examine the default
                 Image Attributes on the target computer. Consult
                 your "Microsoft Windows User's Guide" or the Help
                 utility in Paint for additional information.

      Macintosh: Consult the display hardware documentation or the
                 manufacturer of your display card, or use a
                 third-party utility, such as TattleTale, to get this
                 information.

Determine the pixel resolution (pixels per display inch) of the display.

NOTE: For the following calculations, the horizontal pixel resolution and vertical pixel resolution are assumed to be identical (square pixels). Standard values are:
```
      Windows:   Pixel resolution = 96 dpi
      Macintosh: Pixel resolution = 72 dpi
                        
```

Determine the scaling factor by comparing the width/height ratios of the target display and slide size (you can find the slide size by clicking Slide Setup on the File menu) and using one of the following formulas.

If target display ratio is greater than or equal to the slide ratio, use the following formula:

                                        Pixel resolution(pixels/inch)
   Scale % = 100 * Slide Height(inch) * -----------------------------
                                            Display Height(pixels)

Example for VGA: 150% = 100 * 7.5 * (96 / 480)

If the target display ratio is less than or equal to the slide ratio, use the following formula:

                                       Pixel Resolution(pixels/inch)
   Scale % = 100 * Slide Width(inch) * -----------------------------
                                           Display Width(pixels)

Example for Mac Plus: 197% = 100 * 10.5 * (72 / 384)

Make sure that the object to be scaled is at its original proportions by doing the following:

   Windows:   Hold down SHIFT and double-click one of the object's
              resize handles.

   Macintosh: Hold down SHIFT+OPTION and double-click one of the
              object's resize handles.

Use the Scale command to scale the object using the scaling percentage calculated in step 3.

NOTE: You can use these instructions to create a presentation on one platform intended for display on another platform as long as you know the display size and resolution of the target display.

Additional query words: 3.00b 4.00a 4.00c power point powerpt scale movie bitmap macppt ppt95 winppt

Keywords: kbprb kbgraphic KB111822

Microsoft KB Archive/111822

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