There are two starter steps to using photos and illustrations in PowerPoint for the perfect presentation. First, use the right image. And second, fit them correctly on the slide without distortion. Any large photo in PowerPoint is automatically scaled to fit the slide, but it always doesn’t cover the entire slide. Also, you have to play with the position to create more dramatic effects.
Crop and Resize the Photo
The easiest way to fit an image on a PowerPoint slide is to use the crop and resize options. We have covered three ways to crop an image in PowerPoint before. Here’s a brief overview again before you visit the article:
Crop an image by dragging. Resize an image to a specific aspect ratio. Fit an image inside any shape, and create interesting effects.
There are other advanced ways to crop pictures in PowerPoint, which are beyond the scope of this article.
Use Animation Effects
You can take advantage of animation effects to present a larger photo in interesting ways. First, use the Grow/Shrink option in the Animation tab and then finetune it with the Effect options. For instance, you can shrink an image on the slide, which expands to its full resolution on the screen when clicked on.
Go to the Ribbon > Insert > Pictures > This Device. . . and choose your image. With the image selected on the slide, choose Animations > Add Animation > Grow / Shrink. Optimize the animation by entering the Start, Duration, and Delay values in Timing. Select Animation Effects > Amount. For example, experiment with the Tiny, Smaller, Larger, and Huge options to see which works with your image and presentation theme.
PowerPoint has capable animation features like Motion Paths. But remember not to overuse animation while maintaining the core theme of your message.
Take the Help of Designer in PowerPoint
Drag, drop, or insert a photo on a slide and you will notice that a large image is scaled down, but it doesn’t cover the width of the slide automatically. Use the Designer as a quick fix to change the appearance and position of the image. Unfortunately, Designer is available only on PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.
Insert an image on the slide and approve the Alt text suggestion at the bottom if it appears. Go to Ribbon > Design > Designer to open the Designer pane. Select the Design idea you like or choose the See more Design Ideas button at the foot of the pane.
Most ideas cover the entire slide with your image and some added elements. It’s a fast method to get your photo on a slide without cropping or changing its aspect ratio.
Match the Image to a Background Color
You may not need this technique for larger images. But it can also be handy when PowerPoint automatically inserts a large image and leaves whitespace on the sides. Use a matching background slide color to fill those spaces.
Click or tap on the image if it’s not selected (Ignore the Picture Format tab for this method).
Select the Design tab. Select Format Background > Solid Fill. Expand the Color dropdown and choose the Eyedropper tool. Select the color from the photo you want to match with the background. PowerPoint automatically fills the edges with the color to create a seamless slide. Don’t select Apply to all, as this will apply the background to all your slides. Instead, select the X on the panel to exit.
This method only works with images and photos that use a flat color in their background.
Remove the Background
Sometimes you may not need the entire photo. PowerPoint can work like an image editor and remove the background, which allows you to keep the essential part you need.
Open the image in PowerPoint. The Picture Format tab appears on the Ribbon Select Remove Background. Use the Background Removal options to finetune the image. For instance, choose Mark Areas to Remove to erase any remnants of the background. Select Keep Changes when finished.
Now, you can move the focus area of the photo around the slide and create space for other content. Do note that background removal is not possible for some file types like Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), Adobe Illustrator Graphics (AI), Windows Metafile Format (WMF), and Vector Drawing File (DRW).
Convert the Large Image to a Background
Using a large picture as the slide background is one of the easier ways to present a photo. This works if you only need to use large pictures on a few slides and not your entire presentation. Then, you can overlay other content like text, on top of the background. Here are the steps.
Right-click on the slide and select Format Background. Select Picture or texture fill on the Format Background panel, Select Insert > From a File and browse to the picture. You can also select stock images and choose from an online source too. Select the image. Choose Open to insert it as a background. PowerPoint automatically fits the image on the entire slide irrespective of its size or aspect ratio. Use the Offset options to adjust the placement of the photo if required. This can distort the image, so experiment with the percentages for the right look. Don’t select Apply to all, as this will apply the background to all your slides. Instead, select the X on the panel to exit.
Other Quick Tips to Work With Images in PowerPoint
You can do several other artistic things to make large images more visually appealing. For instance,
Rotate and tilt the image, so it’s placed diagonally on the slide. Use a Shapes layer to block parts of the image while revealing others. Divide a large picture into parts and use animation transition effects like Push or Morph.
Avoid Distorting Images
PowerPoint is a visual tool, so it is crucial to choose the right image and place it artfully. Always keep an eye on the photo’s aspect ratio when you adjust the picture size. Distorting an image is easy; even a tiny shift in the dimensions can appear magnified when presented on a large screen. As you won’t always get the correctly proportioned photo or illustration for your presentation, resizing images to fit the slide is an essential skill every beginner must master.
