PPT98: How to Control the Dimensions of Bitmaps (188465)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft PowerPoint 98 Macintosh Edition
This article was previously published under Q188465

SUMMARY

When you save a PowerPoint slide in CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), JPEG File Interchange Format (JPEG), Portable Network Graphics format (PNG), or Macintosh PICT format, PowerPoint calculates the size of the graphic in pixels by multiplying the slide dimensions (in inches) by 72. If you need to control the pixel dimensions of bitmap graphics created by PowerPoint, you can change the size of your slides.

Occasionally, you may want to create a graphic that is a certain number of pixels by a certain number of pixels in size, such as in the following examples:
  • You are using PowerPoint to create a picture you want to use as the wallpaper for your desktop and you want the picture to fill your screen exactly.
  • You want to output your PowerPoint slides as 35 millimeter (mm) photographic slides and you do not have a printer driver for your film recorder. Many film recorders include software that allows you to convert Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), Targa, or Macintosh PICT formatted bitmap graphics into 35 mm slides.
  • You are using PowerPoint to create images that will be combined with digital video footage in a video editing program such as Adobe Premiere. Video editing programs can often combine JPEG, Device- Independent Bitmaps, Targa, or PICT formatted images with video footage.

MORE INFORMATION

Bitmap graphics are computer graphics which are basically a rectangular array of dots of different colors. Each dot is called a "picture cell" or "pixel."

Although you can import bitmap graphics into PowerPoint, PowerPoint slides themselves are not bitmaps; they are vector-based graphics. A vector-based graphic is not made up of pixels; it is made up of mathematical expressions to describe all the shapes it contains. You can enlarge or reduce a vector-based graphic without losing any details. When you export a slide as a GIF, PNG, JPEG, or PICT file, PowerPoint converts the vector-based graphics into bitmaps.

To change the size of your slides, follow these steps:
  1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
  2. In the Width and Height boxes, type the measurements you want.
  3. Click OK.
The following table lists the dimensions of some commonly-used bitmap formats.

Dimensions
(in pixels)		 Used For Slide
Height
(inches)		 Slide
Width
(inches)
640 x 480 VGA  8.89  6.67
800 x 600 SVGA 11.12  8.33
1024 x 768 SVGA 14.22 10.67
736 x 486 NSTC Video (Television) 10.22  6.75
2048 x 1366 Film Recorder (2K lines) 28.44 18.97
4096 x 2732 Film Recorder (4K lines) 56.88 37.94
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/28/2002
Keywords:kbgraphic kbhowto KB188465
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