Minimizing Bitmap Distortion in PowerPoint Slide Show
PSS ID Number: Q102935
Article last modified on 09-15-1993
PSS database name: W_PowerPt

2.00 2.00e 3.00

WINDOWS


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The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0e, and 3.0
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you display bitmaps in a Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows slide
show, pictures may distort and/or text pasted into PowerPoint as a
graphic may degrade.

RESOLUTION
==========

To avoid distortion of bitmap graphics while running a slide show:

1. From the File menu, choose Slide Setup.

2. Enter the proper height and width for the video resolution you are
   using.

3. Reimport the graphic. (This size depends only on the screen
   resolution, not on the actual physical size of the monitor.) The
   dimensions for some common resolutions are shown below.

      Resolution                Width         Height
      ----------------------------------------------

      EGA (640 x 350)           6.67 inches   3.65 inches
      VGA (640 x 480)           6.67          5.00
      Super VGA (800 x 600)     8.33          6.25
      Super VGA (1024 x 768)    10.67         8.00
      Other resolutions            (See note below)

If the correct values are not known, use Microsoft Paintbrush to
determine the correct dimensions to enter in the Slide Setup dialog
box:

1. Using the computer and display on which the slide show will be
   presented, run Paintbrush.

2. From the Options menu in Paintbrush, choose Image Attributes.

3. Choose the Default button. This will give you the height and width
   measurements corresponding to the video driver that Windows is
   using. Record these values.

4. From the File menu in PowerPoint, choose Slide Setup. Enter the
   values for height and width that you recorded from Paintbrush in
   the previous step.

5. Reimport the bitmap or picture you captured, (it must be reimported)
   then click the Slide Show icon. Do not attempt to resize the
   picture after it has been imported.

The picture should no longer be distorted when displayed in a slide show
as long as you don't change display drivers or take presentation to
another computer that uses a different display resolution.

If Paintbrush is not available, but you know your display resolution,
you can divide your vertical and horizontal resolution by 96 to get
the correct slide dimensions in inches, or by 37 to get your
dimensions in centimeters. This means that if you are running a custom
display that uses a screen resolution of 1000 x 1000 pixels, you can
choose a slide size of 10.41 by 10.41 inches or 27.02 by 27.02
centimeters.

MORE INFORMATION
================

When you display a slide show, PowerPoint scales your presentation to
provide a full screen display of the slides. If the size of the slide
under Slide Setup is not the same as your true display size (you must
translate display pixels to inches or centimeters to determine this),
then PowerPoint will change the dimensions of the slide to conform to
your display subsystem. Using Paintbrush to determine the dimensions
of your display allows you to match the slide size to your display.

When the slide size matches the display, PowerPoint will not scale the
slide in Slide Show mode, so your bitmap or captured screen will not
be distorted by unnecessary resizing. Note though, that the existing
graphics pasted into PowerPoint as bitmaps (including captured
screens, .BMP, .PCX, .TIF, and other objects) must be reimported for
this to work.

If the imported picture is smaller than the slide and must be resized
to fill more of the slide, distortion can be minimized by using the
method outlined above, but not eliminated completely. Because the
dimension in pixels of the typical captures screen pasted as a graphic
is often less than VGA resolution, the resulting graphic will be
smaller than the slide size. Manually resizing the graphic to
completely cover the slide will cause distortion that will be
especially evident if text or curves are involved. The only way to
avoid this is to obtain a higher resolution version of the image and
use it instead. If a captured screen of an MS-DOS-based application is
involved, try running the application through an MS-DOS window, and
changing the font as follows:

Steps to increase the size a captured screen in Windows:

1. From Program Manager, double-click the MS-DOS Prompt icon. At the
   MS-DOS command prompt, start your MS-DOS-based application as usual.

2. Press ALT+ENTER to place the application in an MS-DOS window.

3. The MS-DOS window can then be maximized by clicking the Control
   menu (-) for that window (or by pressing ALT+SPACEBAR) and choosing
   Maximize.

4. Click the Control menu again and choose Fonts.

5. Choose a screen font that gives you the most practical image size for
   your purposes. Choose OK.

6. Capture the screen by pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN. This will copy a
   bitmap of the MS-DOS window to the Windows Clipboard, and make the
   bitmap ready to paste into PowerPoint.

If the application cannot be run in an MS-DOS window, then it will be
necessary (if possible) to run the application in a higher-resolution
mode (using video drivers supplied with that application) before
capturing the screen.

Additional reference words: All versions power point powerpt
printscreen prntscrn powerpnt dump bit map bitmap picture ugly distort
SlideShow scale resize tiff gif wrong screen capture bitmapped

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.