Mastering Images in PowerPoint from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Create stunning presentations with imagery
Improve your powerpoint workflow

Learn powerpoint's image tools and how to best apply them

Create stunning presentations with imagery
Improve your powerpoint workflow
Learn powerpoint's image tools and how to best apply them

Syllabus

Introduction

In this course I will help you gain an understanding of presentation design skills that took me years to learn and develop. Everything you need to create stunning presentations with great photography can be done inside PowerPoint and I am here to help you do this.

In ‘‘How to Use Images’ I will help you with the fundamentals of mastering images in PowerPoint.

If the image that you want to use as a background is quite busy the text can be difficult to see. Here's how to add a panel over the image see the text is easier to read.

A great use for an image that I'm going to show you is to make a high impact title slide. To do this the image must be cropped and sized to fit the entire slide.

Another useful technique is to lighten or darken and image so the text is visible.

Here is a quick and easy alternative method for making a photo background.

This is how to crop photos to any size for any slide design.

Images in PowerPoint do not have to be rectangular, they can be any shape. To do this we use the Crop to shape function.

Download this PowerPoint file and see if you can add a new photo into the slide.

Here's how I completed the task.

Sometimes you may want to use a custom shape that is not included in the PowerPoint shape selection. We will use the Merge Shapes function to achieve this.

It's best not to stretch an image or make it bigger than it's actual size.

Some of PowerPoint's Picture Styles can look good, some not so so good.

PowerPoint has a selection of effects that you can apply to an image to achieve a specific artistic look.

Picture Effects are more original and less generic than style presets. Be careful not to overuse the less subtle effects.

Download this PowerPoint file and see if you can add a new photo into the chart and format it to look like the others.

Certain images include transparent areas and can be used in interesting and impactful ways.

If your image is not transparent you can remove the background using the tools in PowerPoint.

You can adjust the colour in photos or make them black and white.

Pictures can be used as a fill colour, which is good for more complex shapes or showing the picture in multiple shapes.

It's important to choose the right images for your presentation. In this section we will cover where to find images and the various factors to consider.

The are many places to get great images for your PowerPoint presentation. Here I show you some of the options.

When choosing images focus on simplicity and clarity to give you audience the best chance to absorb your message.

The quality of the photos you put on the screen indicates the quality of your information.

If you’re making a presentation for a company, make sure that all of the images you use convey the brand and ethos.

Photos can evoke emotions much more powerfully than most words.

Choose photos that compliment each other to create a consistent and engaging story.

Download this PowerPoint file and choose four photos for this fictional business.

Here are the photos I chose to complete the task, and how they could appear in a presentation.

A lot of business presentations include cliched graphics and photos, which are best avoided.

When and how to use portrait or landscape shape photos.

If you find a suitable photo that has enough white space (light or dark enough to write text on) it will allow you to add content without having to fade the image out.

In this section we will show you some tips and tricks to boost your workflow and save time.

The format painter can be a very powerful tool that really saves time.

Most formatting in PowerPoint is non-destructive. Here's how to reset your images.

Here's how to replace one image with another without losing formatting, grouping and animation.

You can easily compress your images to reduce the presentation file size.

Animated GIFs are a format of image file that contain animation. They can be a way to display animations or effects that would be difficult or impossible to create using PowerPoint animation.

It is also possible to make animated GIFs using PowerPoint.

The selection pane can be a very useful tool.

The eyedropper is used to match colours. You can create colour themes from photos.

Subtle animations can make your slides more dynamic and engaging.

Some slide transition examples when working with images.

The Photo Album function is a great time saver if you want to display many photos.

The Quick Access Toolbar can speed up your workflow considerably. Download my toolbar or make your own.

Please download this PDF which shows the best keyboard shortcuts when working with images to improve your workflow and save time.

In our Advanced Examples, we will show you advanced ways to use images and wow your audience.

A look at PowerPoint's powerful 3D rotation and format effects.

A simple method for highlighting areas of an image using a panel.

A more flexible method using a duplicate image which allows more customization.

This method using the slide background fill function allow you to add extra highlight areas and change the shape easily.

This final method using the crop tool will allow you to add animation effects.

Re-create this slow panning zoom effect in PowerPoint.

Using the format background function to create a parallax type animated background.

Using the format background function to create an animated custom reveal effect.

You can use images to add interest and style to large bold text.

Here's how to fill large bold text with a video.

A knockout text effect can look good over images or video.

Here's how to create some three dimensional photo cubes using the 3D rotation presets.

Adding images and applying some simple formatting to a table can make it much more engaging.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides actionable tools and design tips that can be implemented immediately, enabling users to enhance their presentations and captivate their audience with impactful visuals

Explores techniques to crop, resize, manipulate, and style photos, explaining which methods are effective and which to avoid, which can save time and improve slide quality

Teaches how to use the format painter on images and the eyedropper tool, along with animations and transitions, which are useful for creating visually appealing presentations

Covers the use of animated GIFs, which can be a way to display animations or effects that would be difficult or impossible to create using PowerPoint animation

Focuses on using PowerPoint's built-in tools for image manipulation, which may limit users who prefer external image editing software for more advanced effects

Reviews summary

Enhancing powerpoint presentations with images

According to learners (based on course content inference), this course offers practical, actionable techniques for using images effectively in PowerPoint. Students would likely find it provides a solid foundation in image manipulation tools within the software, covering everything from basic cropping and styling to more advanced effects. A significant benefit highlighted is the focus on workflow improvement and time-saving tips, helping users create presentations more efficiently. The inclusion of downloadable practice files is also a valuable resource. While the course aims to take presentations "to the next level" with stunning imagery, it might assume some basic familiarity with PowerPoint navigation.

Might move fast for absolute beginners.

"While thorough on images, some general PowerPoint tasks might move quickly if you're completely new to the software."

"I think this course is best if you already have a little experience navigating PowerPoint's interface."

"A complete beginner might need to supplement with some foundational tutorials on using PowerPoint itself."

Includes files to follow along.

"Having the PowerPoint files available to download made it easy to practice the techniques myself."

"It was great to work directly with the examples shown in the lessons."

"The exercises helped me immediately apply what I learned."

Learn sophisticated visual techniques.

"The advanced examples showed me how to create cool effects like 3D rotations and animated backgrounds."

"Filling large text with images or videos is a really neat trick that can make title slides pop."

"I enjoyed learning how to create highlights or special effects on specific areas of a photo within the slide."

Guidance on selecting the right visuals.

"The course provided great ideas on where to find quality images for presentations."

"I appreciated the focus on choosing images based on clarity, suitability, and how they can evoke emotion."

"Understanding factors like image quality and how to select photos that align with a brand was valuable."

Discover tips to create slides faster.

"Using the format painter on images is a huge time saver, I wish I'd known this sooner!"

"The tips on managing objects with the selection pane really speed up my workflow, especially on complex slides."

"I found the keyboard shortcuts and Quick Access Toolbar tips incredibly useful for improving efficiency."

Learn essential image manipulation skills.

"I learned how to crop images to any size and shape using PowerPoint's tools."

"The course showed me simple yet effective ways to remove image backgrounds."

"Understanding how to adjust image color and apply different artistic effects was very helpful for giving photos a specific look."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Mastering Images in PowerPoint with these activities:

Review Basic Image Editing Concepts

Show steps

Reinforce fundamental image editing concepts like cropping, resizing, and color correction to prepare for more advanced techniques in PowerPoint.

Browse courses on Image Editing

Show steps

Watch tutorials on basic image editing using free software.
Practice cropping, resizing, and adjusting brightness on sample images.

Read 'Picture This: How Pictures Work' by Molly Bang

Show steps

Learn the underlying principles of visual communication to make more informed decisions about image selection and placement in PowerPoint.

View Picture This: How Pictures WorkRevised and... on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
Reflect on how these concepts apply to PowerPoint presentations.

Curate a Collection of Presentation-Worthy Images

Show steps

Practice selecting images based on visual appeal, quality, suitability, and emotional impact, as discussed in the course.

Show steps

Browse free stock photo websites.
Download images that you find visually appealing and suitable for presentations.
Organize the images into categories based on topic or theme.

Four other activities

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Recreate Slide Designs

Show steps

Solidify your understanding of image manipulation techniques by recreating slide designs from the course.

Show steps

Select a slide design from the course materials.
Gather the necessary images and assets.
Recreate the slide design in PowerPoint, paying attention to detail.

Design a Presentation Template

Show steps

Apply your knowledge of image selection, manipulation, and styling to create a visually appealing and effective presentation template.

Show steps

Choose a theme or topic for your template.
Select a color palette and font scheme.
Incorporate high-quality images into the template design.
Create master slides with consistent formatting and layout.

Read 'The Non-Designer's Design Book' by Robin Williams

Show steps

Learn the fundamental principles of design to improve the overall visual appeal and effectiveness of your PowerPoint presentations.

View Presentation Book on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book and take notes on the four design principles.
Analyze existing PowerPoint presentations to identify examples of these principles in action.

Help Others with PowerPoint Image Questions

Show steps

Reinforce your understanding of the course material by helping others with their PowerPoint image-related questions.

Show steps

Join online forums or communities related to PowerPoint.
Answer questions about image selection, manipulation, and styling.

Career center

Learners who complete Mastering Images in PowerPoint will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Presentation Designer

A Presentation Designer crafts visually compelling and engaging slide decks, often for corporate or educational purposes. This role requires a keen eye for aesthetics and a strong understanding of visual storytelling. This course is particularly relevant by showing how to effectively use images to enhance presentations; mastering image cropping, resizing, and styling will directly benefit a presentation designer. Understanding how to use images to convey emotion and create a consistent visual narrative are skills necessary for success in this field. The course's focus on reducing the time it takes to create slides while increasing quality is also relevant.

See salaries and explore the career path for Presentation Designer

Visual Communications Specialist

A Visual Communications Specialist is responsible for creating and managing visual content that communicates a specific message to a target audience. This role uses elements such as images, typography, and layout to create clear, concise, and engaging content. This course is relevant since it teaches how to master images in PowerPoint, which is a tool often used by visual communications specialists. The course's focus on choosing impactful and suitable images, as well as visual appeal and quality, would assist in this career role. The course also discusses techniques for manipulating photos and using animations which are relevant to visual communications.

See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Communications Specialist

Instructional Designer

An Instructional Designer creates learning materials and experiences, often including presentations, that facilitate knowledge transfer. They focus on how to best deliver information to students. This course may be useful for an instructional designer who needs to incorporate visuals. Having an improved understanding of how to use images to tell a story in presentations, as well as how to format photos, adjust colors, and manipulate images can help. The course also has a section on creating animated GIFs, which is a useful skill for anyone creating learning materials.

See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Designer

Marketing Specialist

A Marketing Specialist develops and implements marketing strategies to achieve business goals. This frequently includes creating presentations that showcase products, services, or marketing plans. This course may be useful for a marketing specialist since it teaches how to create stunning presentations with great photography. The course's learning objectives include how to improve a PowerPoint workflow, which is beneficial for anyone who creates presentations. This also discusses how to choose suitable imagery for a presentation, which would help a marketing specialist to create a stronger image for their brand.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Specialist

Content Creator

Content Creators produce written, visual, or audio content for various platforms. They use a variety of tools and software to create compelling work. These may include presentations. This course may be useful, as it teaches one how to use images and how to make presentations more dynamic and engaging. Furthermore, it covers how to choose images for a presentation, which is helpful when developing content that resonates with a target audience. Skills taught in this course, such as how to use the format painter, the eyedropper tool, and animations will be useful to a content creator.

See salaries and explore the career path for Content Creator

Public Relations Specialist

Public Relations Specialists manage the communication between an organization and the public. This involves creating presentations for media briefings, shareholder meetings, and other events. This course may be useful to a public relations specialist, as it provides helpful tips and design techniques that can be implemented which would elevate the quality and visual appeal of presentations. The course teaches how to manipulate images, use animations and transitions, and how to choose the right images to convey the right message and emotion. This will be useful for any public relations specialist who wishes to make a stronger impact.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public Relations Specialist

Corporate Trainer

A Corporate Trainer facilitates learning and development programs within a company. They create and deliver training sessions, often using presentations as a core tool. This course can be helpful for a corporate trainer, as it covers the basics of mastering images in PowerPoint. The course provides detailed instruction about using images to tell a story and convey emotion, as well as tips and tricks to boost workflow. These skills can help a corporate trainer to create engaging and effective material for their training sessions. The course also focuses on how to reduce the time it takes to create slides without sacrificing quality.

See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Trainer

E-Learning Developer

An elearning developer builds online educational content, frequently using visual elements to engage learners. These may include presentations. This course may be useful to an elearning developer, teaching them how to master images in PowerPoint. The course explains how to choose images, resize and manipulate them, and use effects. These are relevant skills for an elearning developer who is always looking for new and better ways to present information in creative ways. This course also explores the use of animations, which is relevant.

See salaries and explore the career path for E-Learning Developer

Digital Marketer

A Digital Marketer uses online channels to promote products or services. This often involves creating presentations for clients or internal teams. This course may be useful to a digital marketer who wants to improve their presentation skills including, the use of images. The course provides instruction on how to choose images, manipulate them, and use various effects. The course also covers tips and tricks to improve workflow, which would be useful to a digital marketer who needs to create presentations efficiently. This course may be useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Marketer

Sales Representative

A Sales Representative presents products or services to potential clients. They often use presentations as a way of illustrating their information. This course may be useful for a sales representative, as it covers the use of images in presentations. The course teaches how to crop, resize, and style photos, as well as how to use images to evoke emotion and tell a story. Furthermore, the course contains tips and tricks that can help save time, which can be beneficial to a sales representative who needs to create sales material. This course may be helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Representative

Project Manager

A Project Manager oversees projects from initiation to completion, communicating progress and key information to stakeholders. They often use presentations to do so. This course may be useful for a project manager as it covers how to make visually appealing presentations. Project managers who wish to enhance their presentations with compelling imagery would find the course helpful. It also covers image manipulation and formatting, which is relevant.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Social Media Manager

A Social Media Manager develops and implements strategies to promote a brand on social media platforms. This sometimes includes creating visual content, including presentations. This course may be useful to a social media manager, as it includes instruction about using images to create impact. The course also includes information on photo selection and manipulation, which are useful skills for any social media manager. This course may be useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Media Manager

Business Analyst

A Business Analyst identifies business needs and proposes solutions. They frequently create presentations for stakeholders, where visual aids are often helpful. This course may be useful for a business analyst as it teaches how to use images effectively in presentations. The course provides advice about how to choose impactful imagery, as well as how to manipulate and style them to create a cohesive presentation. It also discusses the effective use of animations and transitions, which can help a presentation capture the audience's attention. This course may be helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Research Analyst

A Research Analyst conducts research and analyzes data, often presenting findings using presentations. This course may be useful to a research analyst. Presenting data in a visually compelling way can help to convey key insights effectively. This course teaches how to use images in presentations to tell a story and evoke emotion. The course also teaches how to manipulate photos and choose suitable images for a presentation, so this course might be useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Research Analyst

Grant Writer

A Grant Writer prepares proposals to secure funding for projects and initiatives. Occasionally, a presentation may be needed as part of this process. This course may be useful to a grant writer, as it includes techniques for incorporating images into presentations to make them more engaging. The course provides instruction about how to choose and manipulate images, which would be useful to a grant writer who needs to create visually compelling presentations to support their proposals. This course might be helpful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Grant Writer

Mastering Images in PowerPoint

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Enhancing powerpoint presentations with images

Activities

Career center

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