How to Compress Images in MS-Word and Powerpoint

Due to file size limits, you will want to make sure all documents you upload are as compressed as possible. Files greater than 10MB in size cannot be uploaded. In the team file sharing area the total size limit is 50MB for the team.

Check the file size as follows:

• Right click the file and choose Properties from the right click menu.
• File size is on the General tab. The exact location varies depending on the version of Windows.

Microsoft Word and Powerpoint Documents:

If your file is greater than 10MB and contains images, there are two steps you can take to reduce the image size:

• Make the image smaller.
• Compress the image.

Making Images Smaller

1. Right click on the image and select Size from the right click menu.
2. Select the Size tab.
3. In the Size and rotate field, adjust the Height or Width options. Make sure to select "Lock aspect ratio" to adjust one setting and have the other auto adjust.
4. Select Close to finish sizing the image.
   

Compress the Image File Size

1. In Microsoft Word, select on the image you want to compress.
2. Select Picture Tools located on the Word menu.
   
3. Select Compress Pictures on the Picture Tools menu.
4. In the Compress Pictures dialog box, check the Apply to selected pictures only checkbox (if you are only resizing one picture). 
   
5. Select OK. You have finished compressing your image.

PowerPoint version 2007:

1. In PowerPoint, select the image you want to compress.
2. Select Picture Tools located above the menu bar.
3. Select Compress Pictures on the Picture Tools menu.
4. In the Compress Pictures dialog box, select the Options button.
   
5. In the Options dialog box, make sure the following are checked:
   1. · Automatically perform basic compression on save
   2. · Delete cropped areas of pictures
6. Under Target output select the appropriate option.
7. Select OK. You are finished compressing your presentation.

PowerPoint versions prior to 2007:

1. Open the PowerPoint presentation.
2. Select File and then Save As.
3. In the Save As dialog box, select the Tools dropdown menu.
4. Select Compress Pictures.
5. Select All Pictures in document.
6. Select Web/Screen.
7. Select Compress pictures and Delete cropped areas of pictures.
8. Select OK. You are finished compressing your presentation.

Image Extension Types:

For those of you who are a little more technology savvy we have included more information on file extension types for images.

• BMP (Microsoft Windows Bitmap): Bitmap (BMP) is the standard Microsoft Windows raster file format that has no compression rate. Normally, it is not a very efficient format because it is not compressed, which makes it unsuitable for online use and increases the size of source PowerPoint files considerably.
• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): If the image has fewer than 256 colors, GIF can render the image exactly. When the image contains many colors, the software that creates the GIF approximates the colors with the limited palette of 256 colors available. GIF is a very popular format due to its ability to animate using multiple layers and its support for transparency.
• JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): JPG or JPEG works best for images with lots of subtle color variations, such as a photograph. It is not so suitable for graphics with areas of continuous color. It does not work so well on non-realistic images, such as cartoons or line drawings. It can contain millions of colors, but it does not support transparency. If you have any kind of image that has smooth, shaded transitions, in most cases JPEG is a better choice than GIF.
• PNG (Portable Network Graphics): PNG uses a lossless compression method (i.e., no degradation of image quality) like GIF. It has two formats, PNG-8, which supports up to 256 colors, and PNG-24, which supports millions of colors. PNG is of principal value if you have an image with large areas of exactly uniform color, but that contains more than 256 colors.