PowerPoint image compression

[Joseph Brown]

I would like to produce a PowerPoint slideshow and then output it to an Agfa
Proslide film recorder to produce 35mm slides.

When I import a high resolution uncompressed TIFF files, PowerPoint will
automatically compress the slide show and the resulting PowerPoint file is
considerably small.

Is there a way to set PowerPoint NOT to compress the images, or link to the
original images without embedding them into the ppt file?

If not, is there any other software alternative which will allow me to
create an uncompressed slide show to be send to a 35mm film recorder?

Sending compressed images to the film recorder is not an option, since its
being used to create slides for a critical photographic application. I don't
mind if the film recorder will take half a day to record a roll of film. All
I need is to feed it with an uncompressed slide show.

PS. Is there're any place where i can find specs for the Agfa ProSlide 35
film recorder? I searched the web, to no avail.

 

[Troy @ TLC]

Hello Joseph,

Although I have not had any clients ask for digital to 35mm for quite awhile
here is the process I always used to create high-resolution 35mm slides. All
layout and design of the slide images was completed in traditional pre-press
applications, image manipulation in PhotoShop and Illustrator, layout in
QuarkXpress. The Quark file and associated high-resolution support files was
then processed at an output shop. So the process did not involve PPT.

Hope that gives some insight/help.

--
Best Regards,
Troy Chollar
TLC Creative Services, Inc. >> 760-639-1853 office
www.tlccreative.com >> 760-806-1853 fax
(e-mail address removed) >> 760-521-7401 cell
===========================================
Featured Presenter, PowerPoint Live 2004
October 10-13, San Diego, CA www.PowerPointLive.com
===========================================

 

[Bill Dilworth]

I would not be concerned about the compression. PowerPoint stores the image
internally compressed to save disk space, but outputs it at the highest
resolution the screen (settings are usually adjustable) can handle.

For example:
You have a Picture that is 8x10" scanned at a wonderful 600 dpi (4800x6000
pixels) and stored as a TIFF on the hard drive at a modest 86 Megs. This is
a higher resolution than you will be able to output it.

You 'insert' it into PowerPoint and the file grows by only 83 Megs. This is
not due to picture degradation, but from PowerPoint compression.

PowerPoint shows the image at 72 dpi at 11.25 x 7.5" (810 x 540 pixels)
output (for standard preset 35mm slides). But you can change this...

If you manually set PowerPoint's page size to 45x30" (16 times the normal
slide resolution) it may still 'project' to your slide imager at 72 dpi but
due to the larger size will have a resolution of 3240x2160 pixels.

This depends on your slide imager's capture ability. I'd recommend writing
to the company for a replacement manuals, or checking if the store where it
was bought has any better leads on obtaining information about your slide
imager.

Bill Dilworth

 

[TAJ Simmons]

Joseph,

Agfa Proslide (why you cannot find any specs)
http://www.computergraphicsgroup.com/filmrecs.htm


Preparing bitmap images for 35mm slides
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00445.htm


Cheers
TAJ Simmons
microsoft powerpoint mvp

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

 

[Joseph Brown]

QuarkXpress. The Quark file and associated high-resolution support files
was

then processed at an output shop. So the process did not involve PPT.

Thanks for the tip. After reading your post, I did some research on
QuarkExpress and indeed, it allows you put multiple slides for output to
film, without any compression whatsoever. Apparently, PowerPoint 2002 also
allows to store lossless bitmap images. Thanks.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

When I import a high resolution uncompressed TIFF files, PowerPoint will

automatically compress the slide show and the resulting PowerPoint file is
considerably small.

Is there a way to set PowerPoint NOT to compress the images, or link to the
original images without embedding them into the ppt file?

You can link to external images, but there shouldn't be any need to. Any
compression that PPT's doing to your TIFFs is lossless. The image quality
won't suffer from it.

If not, is there any other software alternative which will allow me to
create an uncompressed slide show to be send to a 35mm film recorder?

Sending compressed images to the film recorder is not an option, since its
being used to create slides for a critical photographic application. I don't
mind if the film recorder will take half a day to record a roll of film. All
I need is to feed it with an uncompressed slide show.

Again, since the compression is lossless, it really doesn't affect the image
quality.

But you can't send either TIFFs or PPT files directly to the film recorder.
There has to be some intermediate software to handle that. What software are
you using to drive the recorder?

If you don't have the software already, you may be in for a bit of a shock;
sometimes the software can cost more than a used film recorder at today's eBay
prices.





--
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================
Featured Presenter, PowerPoint Live 2004
October 10-13, San Diego, CA www.PowerPointLive.com
================================================

 

[TAJ Simmons]

You saw the Agfa ProSlide on ebay too then?

TS

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

You saw the Agfa ProSlide on ebay too then?

<g> Yup. Sheesh. 300 bucks for a film recorder. If I could only buy them now
and sell them then ... sigh.




--
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================
Featured Presenter, PowerPoint Live 2004
October 10-13, San Diego, CA www.PowerPointLive.com
================================================

 

[Joseph Brown]

any compression that PPT's doing to your TIFFs is lossless.

The image quality won't suffer from it.

A single 30 meg TIFF slide imported in PowerPoint as-is without any resizing
translates to only a 4 meg PowerPoint file. Is that lossless compression, or
lossy? I think that this is more on the lossy side. Anyways, when I saved to
a PPT95, the 30 meg file became 31 megs, and when saved in PPT97, it became
even bigger.

What software are you using to drive the recorder?

This is quite a bit of an adventure, I admit: I use SuperPrint 4.0

Problem is that SuperPrint runs on Windows 3.11, Windows 95 or Windows NT
3.51.
Working with Win3.11 or Win95 junk is not an option. So off I went a trip to
eBay to buy a "new" copy of Win NT 3.51... Got it for next to nothing. I
received it, installed it on a Dual Xeon III machine.

Now, I needed Photoshop. I own Photoshop CS. Which is useless on Win NT
3.51. My research indicated that Photoshop 3.0.5 is the one for NT 3.51. (PS
4.0 also runs, but it's buggy - it's happier under NT4). Off again to eBay
for Photoshop 3.... Got it, installed it. When I tried to run it: "ERROR:
This program requires at least 256 colors". My graphics card in my Dual Xeon
III is an ATI Radeon 7500... No drivers available for Win NT 3.51. So off
again to eBay to purchase a Matrox Mystique 220. Got it, installed it and
now I'm quite pleased with this NT 3.51 Service Pack 5 configuration. I
also installed PowerPoint 97 viewer. I know that there's a firewall called
Conseal 1.2 and Norton Anti-virus that runs on NT351. I can't find them
anywhere, but I'll ask these questions to an appropriate group. Basically
I'm happy with the system now.

I must find a way to network my Photoshop CS machine running on WinXP with
this SuperPrint/WinNT 3.51 machine. What I'll do now is that I'll do all the
work to my XP machine, burn the CD and then transfer the Photoshop file to
the NT 3.51 machine to be rasterized and put on film with SuperPrint /
Proslide 35.

If you don't have the software already, you may be in for a bit of a

shock;

Say this again.... If I want to use my ProSlide 35 under my XP machine, I
must purchase a RIP called RasterPlus 5.0. It sells less than $2k. This is
ridiculous. I'll stick with NT 3.51 for now. It's rock stable. But it's a
hassle at the same time transferring files from one machine to another via
CD-ROM. I don't see myself shelling out $2000 for a software, especially
for a film recorder which I got for $100.

 

[Joseph Brown]

Agfa Proslide (why you cannot find any specs)

http://www.computergraphicsgroup.com/filmrecs.htm

I've been in this page before. I couldn't find specs for the Agfa ProSlide
35. Where do you see the specs? It only talks about their software wich
supports this particular film recorder.

I called Agfa. They were transferring me from one department to another for
nearly half an hour, until I found myself speaking again with he same
people. I gave up on Agfa, they are pretty much useless in technical
support. They have no clue what their company makes or made just 5 years
ago.

 

[TAJ Simmons]

This is quite a bit of an adventure, I admit: I use SuperPrint 4.0
I remember that one. Cheap software....but the drivers for high end film recorders cost the earth.
http://www.graphx.com/products/agfapc.asp?


Transferring files....
Have you tried (assuming your older PC has a USB socket) copying the files for imaging via a USB keyring?

Or failing that use a CD-RW (so you can use it again and again)

TAJ

 

[TAJ Simmons]

I posted the reference to that page...as it describes how agfa have stopped selling/supporting their old film recorders.

TS

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I called Agfa. They were transferring me from one department to another for

nearly half an hour, until I found myself speaking again with he same
people. I gave up on Agfa, they are pretty much useless in technical
support. They have no clue what their company makes or made just 5 years
ago.

True. They stopped making film recorders some years back, shut down the whole
division, laid everybody off and that was that. There may not be anybody there
who knows what a film recorder IS, much less how to run one.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

A single 30 meg TIFF slide imported in PowerPoint as-is without any resizing
translates to only a 4 meg PowerPoint file. Is that lossless compression, or
lossy?

Lossless. A 30mb TIFF, if it's saved as uncompressed, and depending on the
contents, could compress quite handsomely.

I think that this is more on the lossy side.

On what evidence?

Anyways, when I saved to
a PPT95, the 30 meg file became 31 megs, and when saved in PPT97, it became
even bigger.

Which is why we advise people not to do that. There's no point in it unless
you need to share the file with people who have only PowerPoint 95.

This is quite a bit of an adventure, I admit

Give this user the Understatement of the Year award. <g>

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Transferring files....

Have you tried (assuming your older PC has a USB socket) copying the files for imaging via a USB keyring?

ISTR that that version of NT doesn't offer USB support.

OTOH, networking should be fairly simple, possibly even with a single crossover cable
and no hub.

 

[John Langhans [MSFT]]

[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the critical
update as soon as possible. From PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for
Updates".]
[TOP ISSUE - Are you having difficulty opening presentations in PowerPoint
that you just created (you can save, but not open)? -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=329820]

Hello,

It looks like Raster Plus has a Windows XP compatible printer driver for
the Agfa ProSlide 35 film recorder and there's a free demo version
available:

http://www.graphx.com/products/Rasterplus_win_500.asp?

If you (or anyone else reading this message) think that it is important to
have more control over the quality/resolution at which slides are exported
as bitmaps (without having to resort to workarounds, add-ins, special
drivers or VBA), don't forget to send your feedback (in YOUR OWN WORDS,
please) to Microsoft at:

http://register.microsoft.com/mswish/suggestion.asp

It's VERY important that, for EACH wish, you describe in detail, WHY it is
important TO YOU that your product suggestion be implemented. A good wish
submssion includes WHAT scenario, work-flow, or end-result is blocked by
not having a specific feature, HOW MUCH time and effort ($$$) is spent
working around a specific limitation of the current product, etc. Remember
that Microsoft receives THOUSANDS of product suggestions every day and we
read each one but, in any given product development cycle, there are ONLY
sufficient resources to address the ones that are MOST IMPORTANT to our
customers so take the extra time to state your case as CLEARLY and
COMPLETELY as possible so that we can FEEL YOUR PAIN.

IMPORTANT: Each submission should be a single suggestion (not a list of
suggestions).

John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows

For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto

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