how do I set up a powerpoint slide show with 16:9 aspect ratio?

[Guest]

I'm doing a slideshow that I've been told is going to run on a monitor using
16:9 aspect ratio, instead of the standard 4:3 ratio used in powerpoint.
How do I set up the template so it will not look distorted, etc.?

 

[Austin Myers]

Is your video card capable of a 16 x 9 ratio? Many people don't realize
that while you can change the slide diminsions, the video card is a 4 x 3
output device and can not be changed so PPT slide settings really don't
matter. The place to start is with your video card documentation and the
proper drivers.

WARNING: Do NOT set the video card to a 16 x 9 ratio if it is plugged into
a standard monitor. Doing so can let the magic smoke out of the monitor.
<g>

Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com




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[Guest]

Ah. I didn't know that. OK, let me ask the question differently. There must
be a way to set up the template at a size that is proportional to this 16:9
ratio so that it will look OK when it's shown at the show.

 

[Austin Myers]

Not really. If you have a 16 x 9 display and a video card that supports it
then PPT's output is already in the proper format. (PPT reads the screen
resolution and other settings on the PC.)

You can create a pressie in a 16 x 9 ratio on a 4 x 3 system, it just looks
like a standard TV showing a "letter box" movie. However, when sent to a 16
x 9 video card and display you *may* still get distortion. It really
depends on th evideo card and display.


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Guest]

So you recommend creating the slides in a 16 x 9 ratio? Can you tell me what
proper dimensions would be (width/length)? This is all new to me. Thanks.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I'm doing a slideshow that I've been told is going to run on a monitor using
16:9 aspect ratio, instead of the standard 4:3 ratio used in powerpoint.
How do I set up the template so it will not look distorted, etc.?

Austin's advice notwithstanding, this question has come up before and people
generally seem satisfied with the usual advice, which is to set the
presentation up (via File, Page Setup) to a size that's proportional to the
video setup you want to match (4:3, 16:9, etc). If you view a 16:9 show on
your standard 4:3 screen, it'll letterbox but shouldn't distort. When
displayed on a screen of matching proportions, it should be fine.

This all subject to the caveat Austin alluded to: that if the playback monitor
is 16:9 but the video system isn't, all bets are off, all distortion is on.

 

[Austin Myers]

File > Page Set-up select custom and enter a width of 10 inches and a
height of 5.625 inches.


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

PowerPoint Video and PowerPoint Sound Solutions www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

So you recommend creating the slides in a 16 x 9 ratio? Can you tell me what
proper dimensions would be (width/length)? This is all new to me. Thanks.

16 x 9 inches is one possibility but I'd set it up so that it prints even if the
user forgets to click Scale to Fit.

That usually means 10.5" wide, which'd be 5.9" or so high

16 / 9 = 1.77777777777

10.5 / 1.7777777777 = 5.9