Tutorial

HD, 2k,4k, 8k Resolution Guide

Living in the digital era isn’t always easy. It is difficult to keep up with aspect ratio and resolution for PowerPoint Presentations. Here is a quick reference beyond this modern marvel of technology:

Resolution-6

 

Why is it called 2K-4K-8K?

An easy way to know what to call a resolution is to look only at the horizontal pixel count. 2K, 4K, 8K, etc. all refer to the horizontal resolution – approximately that number.

Note: For this post, all resolutions referenced are for 16×9 aspect ratio displays (with the exception of 2K).

HD (1920×1080)

HD, or High Definition, is used for two resolutions 1280×720 or 1920×1080.  These are commonly referred to as 720p or 1080p (see this post that explains “P” and “I”). I am going to refer to 1080p as HD.

Resolution-1

2K

HD, or High Definition, almost 2K, but not quite. 2K resolution is 2048×1080. It is a long story why computer displays did not just go with 2K, we’ll save that for another post. But needless to say, true 2K resolution is not used a lot in an HD world.

Resolution-2

4K

Like HD, 4K is actually 2 different resolutions depending on the context. The resolution we use for PowerPoint resolution and 4K monitors is called UHDTV 4K @ 3840 x 2160 pixels. The film industry will use 4096 x 2160 pixels, but this is not a 16×9 aspect ratio so it is not a part of this discussion and something you will most likely never use.

Resolution-3

8K

Yes, I am skipping 6K (noted below), because 8K is the next industry standard, also called UHDTV 8K @ 7680 x 4320 pixels. This is a lot of pixels and yes we design presentations for beyond 8K projection!

Resolution-4

 

6K, 10K, 12K and beyond are all resolutions, but they are not industry standards. Here is a quick list of resolutions, that includes them for reference.

HD = 1920×1080

2K = 2048×1080

4K = 3840×2160

5K = 5120×2880

6K = 6144×3160

8K = 7680×4320

10K = 10328×7760

Yes, PowerPoint can handle any of these resolutions. It is not so much a question of can PowerPoint handle a high resolution as it is can the computer and monitor/projector handle the high resolution. In addition, many stage events we develop presentations for use an array of side-by-side projectors to create a custom resolution. Usually, it is an array of HD, 1920×1080, projectors, so (and I am simplifying the details) a 4 projector wide setup will create an 8K wide by HD height image. TLC then creates a custom PowerPoint for the 7680 x 1080 pixel resolution, which we generically refer to as “Ultrawide Presentations.”

Industry Standard Resolutions in 1 Chart

Resolution-5

 

-Troy @ TLC

 

 

 

By |2016-08-10T08:31:00-07:00March 25th, 2016|Resource/Misc, Tutorial|

Use The PowerPoint Video Playback Bar

Inserting video into Powerpoint is an easy task. Using the video playback bar also makes controlling the video playback easy.

playback bar 1

The playback bar is available in slide edit view – when a video is selected, it appears. The playback bar can be used to preview the video, click-and-scrub through a video, pause a video, and see a live time code.

 

During a presentation, when the mouse is moved over the video, a simplified semi-transparent playback bar will pop up. Most of the same functions are available; time code and incremental incremental jumps are not on the playback bar in slideshow.

5-2B

The playback bar position cannot be moved (although this functionality is definitely on my wish list for the Microsoft Dev team). When the cursor is moved off the video, the playback bar hides almost immediately (and reappears with any mouse movement over the video).

Slideshow playback control options:

  1. Play / Pause Button.
  2. Timeline bar (click anywhere on timeline and jump video to that position, click-and-drag and “scrub” through the video forward and back).
  3. Volume Control (very helpful for muting a video during a presentation).

 

7

 

The semi-transparent playback bar is not overly distracting because it’s nicely designed. Here are a few examples over different color videos. In addition, these two videos are on the same slide, side-by-side. See demo video of this slide below.

9-1B

Here is a video demo of interacting with videos during a slide show.

[KGVID]https://thepowerpointblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/unnamed-file.mp4[/KGVID]

-Troy @ TLC

 

 

 

By |2019-10-28T09:58:50-07:00March 23rd, 2016|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

Download Streaming Videos using Keepvid.com

 

Keepvid.com allows you to download streaming videos from of a variety of websites, including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and more. The process is quick, easy and very convenient.

A video version of this process is below.

1

To get started, you must first make sure that Java is enabled. According to keepvid.com/help, Java is sometimes required to fetch download links.

 

keepvid.com 1

2

Find the video that you want to download, copy the link – URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to your video and paste it in the field to the left of the Download button.

 

url

 
2

3

A list of links to your video file will appear on the bottom of the page in various sizes and formats.

Formats to select from include Video formats: MP4, FLV, 3GP, WebM and Audio Formats: M4A, MP3.

 
 
3

Click on the actual link for your specific format and size to simply save the video file.

 
4

4

You now have the video (in the format of your choice) downloaded onto your computer!

2016-03-17_11-34-36

 

– Troy @ TLC


Video Demonstration.

[KGVID]https://thepowerpointblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/unnamed-file-3.mp4[/KGVID]

(Note: This an updated post. Original post 05/07/2014)

I’m sure you’re aware of the legalities over Copyright Infringement. Download videos that are not yours at your own risk.

 

By |2019-10-28T10:00:53-07:00March 18th, 2016|Resource/Misc, Tutorial|

Recolor Content with Powerpoint Tools

In PowerPoint, you can place content on top of a video background to create a dynamic and dimensional design.

Find a great example we created here:

[KGVID]https://thepowerpointblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/unnamed-file-7.mp4[/KGVID]

Here’s how to create a similar effect to your video

1

Insert  (1) Video onto your Canvas , click (2) Video and select your Video.

2016-03-01_11-02-20

 

2

To recolor your video, click on (1) Format Tab, select (2) Color tool in the drop down, you get Recolor options.You can add custom colors by Selecting the (3) More Variations or using the (4) Eyedropper tool.

1_ Recolor Content Over Video

 

3

Once you are satisfied with the styling of the video, select your (1) video on the Canvas, select (2) Playback, set the video to (3) Start Automatically and Loop until Stopped.

2016-03-01_11-35-523

4

Next, add stylized text and graphics directly on top of the video and animate as desired. The end result is a slide with content that animates directly on top of the video background.

 

2016-03-01_11-54-45

 

-Michelle @ TLC

By |2019-11-12T11:50:22-08:00March 2nd, 2016|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

Create a Picture Frame Using a Video

Here’s how we created a Video Picture Frame in PowerPoint

My example is a standard 4×3 slide. The goal was to create a picture frame that was full slide size and for the picture frame to have motion. By layering a video under the photo and sizing it to the same aspect ratio as the photo, the result is a dynamic motion picture frame. The steps to make it happen are pretty easy.

Step 1

Add the photo to the slide (we prepped this image in Photoshop by making it semi-transparent and saving out as a .png).

Video Picture image 01

Step 2

Add the video to the slide, send to back, resize and crop to proportionally be a bit larger than the photo.

Video Picture Frame-centered

 

Step 3

Fine tune position of video and photo. Select both and use the ARRANGE > ALIGN > ALIGN CENTER and ALIGN MIDDLE to make them exactly centered on each other.

Video Picture image 03

Step 4

Set video animation. Select the video, remove the current trigger animation, add a new PLAY animation set to WITH PREVIOUS.

VideoFrame Animation

Step 5

Set video to loop. Select video, go to PLAYBACK > VIDEO OPTIONS > LOOP UNTIL STOPPED.

Powerpoint Video Picture Frame 6

Step 6

Stylize video with an outline and drop shadow. Stylize photo with an outline and inner shadow.

Video Picture Frame with Shadow

Step 7

View in slide show!

[KGVID]https://thepowerpointblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/unnamed-file-1.mp4[/KGVID]

-Troy @ TLC

 

 

By |2019-11-15T09:42:16-08:00February 22nd, 2016|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

How to Prevent Resize Slide From Erasing Formatting (part 3)

The solution we use at TLC Creative Services is to remove the variant. The simple answer is to save the presentation as a PowerPoint template (.potx) which creates a file with no variants. Here is a quick step-by-step process:

1. Go to File>> Save As >> POTX from drop down list

  • Save to the desktop (this is a temporary file you will delete)
  • Use a file name that is applicable to the template
  • Note 1: The file name will be seen in the file properties
  • Note 2: A .potx is a PowerPoint template and it cannot contain slides, so doing this is going to DELETE all slides (which will be added back in a few steps)

SlideResize-8

2. Open the new .potx file and look at the file properties

  • Creating a .POTX removes the Default Theme ID
  • The TEMPLATE property will now list the .POTX file name
  • Note: When you open a .potx, it automatically creates a .pptx presentation file.

SlideResize-12

3. Go to FILE > SAVE AS > POWERPOINT PRESENTATION (.pptx) from the drop down list

  • Opening a .potx automatically creates a .pptx presentation file
  • Open file is most likely named “Presentation1.pptx”
  • Save presentation with a new file name – Best Practice: Name same as original file name + version # (eg. _v2)

4. Go to DESIGN tab > VARIANTS section

  • The presentation now has no VARIANTS

SlideResize-13

7. Add slides from original presentation to the new, no variant, presentation and save file

8. Delete the temporary .potx and the original presentation

9. Use the Resize option without losing template formatting!

 

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-08-10T09:00:17-07:00August 19th, 2015|Tutorial|

Why Resize Slide Erases All Formatting (part 2)

The previous post showed how template formatting is often stripped out of a presentation when it is resized.

SlideResize-1      SlideResize-9

So here is my simple, non-tech description of what is happening inside PowerPoint (Note: If you really want details on templates and themes, I highly recommend Echo Swinford and Julie Terberg’s excellent book: Building PowerPoint Templates Step by Step with the Experts).

The resize “bug by design” will only happen with presentations and templates developed in PowerPoint 2013 and above.  Files created in PPT 2007 and 2010, even if edited in 2013, do not have the resize issue because those versions of PowerPoint do not have the troublemaking feature. With PowerPoint 2013, a new option for templates was added, VARIANTS. Variants will eventually be a great feature, but currently they are not really used and the “Super Theme Templates” they open the door to create are so difficult to develop, I only know a few designers in the world who really understand them and are willing to tackle them (and I am not one of them).

Variants, which you see in the Ribbon on the Design Tab, are basically template styling options.

SlideResize-5

When resizing slides, PowerPoint needs to use a variant. If there is not a custom variant already there from a Theme, PowerPoint reapplies the Microsoft Default Theme. The default theme, called “Office Theme,” is what you get when opening a new blank presentation (boring, white, no stylized formatting).

SlideResize-10

When the default theme, and its variants, are applied, all formatting to the master slide and layouts are replaced with this “default” setup. What this means is nicely designed slides lose their existing template styling attributes. See the previous post for a downloadable sample slide you can test and see formatting stripped.

Here are 2 ways I do a quick check to see if a provided file is going to have an issue if it needs to be resized:

1. Go to FILE > PROPERTIES > expand to see all properties > TEMPLATE

– If the TEMPLATE property is BLANK or has “OFFICE THEME,” I know it is almost 100% certain to have formatting issues if resized

SlideResize-6

2. Or I look at the DESGIN tab >> VARIANTS section and see what variants are available (Note: If there are no variant thumbnails, that is covered in part 3, and it is okay)

SlideResize-11

The next post, part 3, is a step-by-step solution to avoid PowerPoint adversely affecting slides when resized.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-06-16T14:07:02-07:00August 17th, 2015|Tutorial|

Resize Slide Erases All Formatting! (part 1)

Here is the scenario: you have a 16×9 presentation that needs to be changed to 4×3. Easy! PowerPoint has a great feature to change the aspect ratio (via Page Setup) and it keeps everything proportional (eg. circles stay round) and adjusts the position of everything to fit the new slide layout – but things don’t go as smoothly as planned.

1. Here is your 16×9 slide (download this PowerPoint 2013 Resize Test Slide):

SlideResize-1

2. Go to DESIGN > SLIDE SIZE > STANDARD 4×3

Resize14

3. Here is the disaster you get when converting to 4×3

SlideResize-9

Note: This problem is not the size selected (4×3), it happens when going from any size to another size. And this is not a bug, but by design (I really like how Echo Swinford  describes this as “a bug by design”). What you end up with is:

– Correct page size – yay!

– Custom background – gone

– Custom fonts – gone

– Custom color scheme – gone

– Any template customization – gone

Part 2 and 3 of this series detail what is happening behind the scenes in PowerPoint and a (fairly) simple step-by-step solution.

 

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-06-16T14:09:24-07:00August 14th, 2015|Tutorial|

Find and Replace Double Spaces in a Presentation

[text]Presentations are the creation of many people copy/pasting content into a single slide deck. One of the common content edits is double spaces in sentences. Here is a quick and easy method for removing them.[/text]
[text]1. On the Home ribbon, select “Replace” on the far right.[/text]

replace double spaces 1

[text]2. Under “Find what:” Hit the space bar 2x. Then, under “Replace with:” Hit the space bar 1x. Click “Replace all.”[/text]

replace double spaces 2

[text]3. PPT will find all instances of double spaces and replace with a single space with 1 click! It searches the Notes section as well as slides, but it’s certainly very helpful in catching the ones hiding in slide content.[/text]

replace double spaces 3

[text]4. If you wanted to see exactly where the erroneous double spaces are, you can opt to click “Find Next” and PPT will take you slide by slide highlighting where the spaces are. You can then choose which ones to change by clicking “Replace” rather than “Replace all.”[/text]

replace double spaces 4

By |2016-08-10T09:02:39-07:00July 22nd, 2015|Tutorial|
Copyright TLC Creative Services, Inc | All Rights Reserved
Go to Top