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To add an image, go to the “Insert” tab, click Picture and select your file. The image will appear on your document with handles. Use one of the corner handles to re-size it. (The corner handles will keep the same aspect ratio; the side handles will not.) Click and drag in the middle of the graphic to move it. You can do many other things to an image (including brightness, cropping, and resetting it to how it was originally brought in) under Picture Tools>Format.
It is best to plan ahead regarding your image size. Your goal is no more than 200 dpi (dots per inch). A program like Photoshop, which is available in the University Technology computer labs, can help you to check this setting.
You can use the Using Copy and Paste option for something like an Excel graph you want to add to your document. Generally avoid this method if you can – Copy and Paste will often only give you a low-resolution copy of a graphicdoes not work well for the resolution of most images. However, for a chart created in Excel:
Copy the chart in Excel
- In the PowerPoint presentation, click the arrow under the Paste button on the Home tab
- Select Paste Special → Picture (JPEG) and click OK. This will copy the the Excel chart so that it will print correctly.
Background
You can select a background on the Design tab. You will see many Theme options initially. If you want a picture background, select “Background Styles” to the right of the Themes, then click “Format Background…”. Choose the radio button for “Picture or texture fill” and click the button that says File… Find the picture you want from your hard drive. You will probably want to fade or lighten the image prior to using it as background or you risk the picture competing with your text, but you can also adjust the Transparency using the slide in this Format Background dialog box.
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