Optimizing Powerpoint 2000

[Steve]

I'm sure we're not alone, but we create many sales presentations using
PowerPoint 2000. As time has gone on, we add slides, images, video clips,
etc. Years ago we had 1.5m presentations, now they are 100M or more.

What is the best way to go about getting these to a managable size for email
distribution, downloading, etc.

We've reviewed some help tips at:
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00062.htm

I think primarily the group/group tip at that site offer us the most hope,
but it actually increased our file size.

We currently insert our graphics without doing any resizing or resolution
changing first. Many of the people that want our presentations turn around
and print them.

I imagine we're not unlike everyone else and we're looking for what steps to
take to balance the file size for electronic distribution with the quality.
If we pre-edit the images first, will that significantly impact the end file
size or is there a lot more to it?

thanks

 

[TAJ Simmons]

Steve,

One of the biggest things to make the filesize of powerpoint presentations
bloat.... is people scanning an image/page at the scanners default setting
(anything from 300dpi to 1200dpi), then just inserting the image into
powerpoint.

One of the automatic presentation optimizers, such as the one discussed on
page 00062 of the faq would go a long way to reducing the file sizes.

If we pre-edit the images first, will that significantly impact the end
file size

Yes.


Cheers
TAJ Simmons
microsoft powerpoint mvp

awesome - powerpoint backgrounds,
http://www.awesomebackgrounds.com
free powerpoint templates, tutorials, hints, tips and more...

 

[Echo S]

You do have Allow Fast Saves turned off, right? IMO, that should be at the
very top of that FAQ, as it's the very first thing to check when it comes to
bloated files.

 

[Steve]

Thanks for the feedback. Are you familiar with any other such optimizers? We
ran some demos of the optimizer from that page with mixed results because
sometimes it increased the file size of the presentation. I just retested
now - a 70M presentation drop to 20M but a 10M presentation increased to
15M.

 

[Steve]

Most unknown, the presentations may have been created by multiple people
over time. I would say that today we have the allow fast save unchecked, but
it seems not to impact the file size for us. ie, I have a 20M presentation
created a year ago, I open and resave on a device with fast save know
disbaled and file size stands pat.

You do have Allow Fast Saves turned off, right? IMO, that should be at the
very top of that FAQ, as it's the very first thing to check when it comes to
bloated files.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

I'm sure we're not alone, but we create many sales presentations using
PowerPoint 2000. As time has gone on, we add slides, images, video clips,
etc. Years ago we had 1.5m presentations, now they are 100M or more.

What is the best way to go about getting these to a managable size for email
distribution, downloading, etc.

We've reviewed some help tips at:
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00062.htm

I think primarily the group/group tip at that site offer us the most hope,
but it actually increased our file size.

We currently insert our graphics without doing any resizing or resolution
changing first. Many of the people that want our presentations turn around
and print them.

I imagine we're not unlike everyone else and we're looking for what

steps

to
take to balance the file size for electronic distribution with the quality.
If we pre-edit the images first, will that significantly impact the end file
size or is there a lot more to it?

thanks

 

[Echo S]

I suspect Steve Rindsberg will be by to explain the intricacies of the RnR
Optimizer, but I believe the increase happens if you've got one image used
multiple times in a presentation. PPT recognizes that it's the same image
and just points to one somewhere in the internal code, whereas the Optimizer
has to create an image (albeit an optimized image) for each instance of the
image in the presentation.

Anyway, there are a couple of optimizers on the market.
RnR Optimizer http://www.rdpslides.com/pptools/FAQ00013.htm

NXPowerLite http://www.nxpowerlite.com/

PowerShrink http://www.powershrink.com/

There was one called PointLess from Impact Labs, which was bought by Galaxy
Technology, and I can't seem to find any more info than that.
http://www.galaxyvue.com/ Must not be on the market any longer.

PPT's own compression option:
http://groups.ucanr.org/csatwork/CS@Work_June_2003/Cut_PowerPoint_Files_Down_to_Size.htm

TAJ explains the manual way here:
http://www.awesomebackgrounds.com/powerpointgraphics.htm

 

[Echo S]

Cool. Thanks for checking and clarifying.

 

[Steve]

Makes sense, I'm sure we have that scenario. Thanks for the links too, I
will give them some tests.

 

[Guest]

In addition to all of the wisdom already offered..........

If this is the same file that's been passed around for years I would rebuild
it
in a new file. Not just copying the slides to a new file but start from
scratch.
You can pull stuff from the old file and keep an eye on the file size as you
transfer
content. You will probably come across some culprit items during the process.

...................TD

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I'm sure we're not alone, but we create many sales presentations using
PowerPoint 2000. As time has gone on, we add slides, images, video clips,
etc. Years ago we had 1.5m presentations, now they are 100M or more.

What is the best way to go about getting these to a managable size for email
distribution, downloading, etc.

We've reviewed some help tips at:
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00062.htm

You pretty much need to review them all, ideally with saves in between, so you
can learn which works (iow, find out what's contributing most to your file
size).

And if you haven't already, do follow the suggestions here:

Do this before using PowerPoint seriously
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00034.htm

I think primarily the group/group tip at that site offer us the most hope,
but it actually increased our file size.

We currently insert our graphics without doing any resizing or resolution
changing first. Many of the people that want our presentations turn around
and print them.

Depending on the original size of the graphics, that may well be the problem.
If they're much over 1024x768 pixels, they're probably too big.
For most purposes, that size image will give you decent quality and reasonable
file sizes, particularly if you save photo-type images as JPG and insert those
(Insert, Picture, From File).

Avoid Copy/Pasting images. It spreads disease, makes your hair fall out, teeth
too. Oh, and your PPT files will get big.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks for the feedback. Are you familiar with any other such optimizers? We
ran some demos of the optimizer from that page with mixed results because
sometimes it increased the file size of the presentation. I just retested
now - a 70M presentation drop to 20M but a 10M presentation increased to
15M.

That can happen in some cases where PPT won't tell us some of its little
secrets. ;-)

I'd be happy to have a look at the file though; shoot me an email at steve
at-sign pptools dot com

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

You do have Allow Fast Saves turned off, right? IMO, that should be at the
very top of that FAQ, as it's the very first thing to check when it comes to
bloated files.

Yup. Just realized that myself and am off to fix it.
Thanks!

 

[Echo S]

Yup. Just realized that myself and am off to fix it.
Thanks!

Cool. Thanks!

 

[Steve]

Thanks too for the info. We were trying that out in some cases as well. Our
staff creates new ones all the time too that are bloated so its not our
complete issue at least. I know we don't to anything today that would help
keep sizes down.

I was trying out the demos of some of the optimizers - and at least this
amused me - but that PowerShrink is by far the best compressor I have ever
seen. It reports 100% reduction in file size! Although the resulting file is
completely blank! We ran it against 5 PPT file and I asked two other
people to try it to make sure it wasn't just me, and nope, all of us across
5 PPTs had optimized files that were blank .

 

[TAJ Simmons]

I have a 20M presentation

created a year ago, I open and resave on a device with fast save know
disbaled and file size stands pat.

That's how I would expect it to behave. Now if it was a presentation that
was currently being worked upon..... and then you turned off 'fast saves'
then I'd expect to see a reduction.

TAJ

 

[TAJ Simmons]

It reports 100% reduction in file size!
That sounds too good to be true....

Although the resulting file is completely blank!

TAJ

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I was trying out the demos of some of the optimizers - and at least this

amused me - but that PowerShrink is by far the best compressor I have ever
seen. It reports 100% reduction in file size! Although the resulting file is
completely blank! We ran it against 5 PPT file and I asked two other
people to try it to make sure it wasn't just me, and nope, all of us across
5 PPTs had optimized files that were blank .

kaZANGGG!!!!

We can't compete with that. And darn glad of it too.

I sure hope it zero'd out copies of your files and not the originals.