WeCompress is the Online Version of NXPowerlite!
If you’re frequently working with large files, especially images and presentations like the TLC Creative design team does every day, you might already be familiar with the pain point of dealing with oversized files. WeCompress is an online app designed to alleviate this problem by compressing a wide variety of file types — whether you want to compress PDFs, PowerPoint Presentations, Word documents, or images.
At its core, WeCompress is essentially a free, web-based version of the popular NXPowerLite desktop application. Developed by the same team at Neuxpower (who makes NXPowerlite), WeCompress allows users to upload and compress files without the need for installation, account or subscription. This makes it incredibly convenient for anyone who needs quick, on-the-go file compression, especially for presentations or documents that exceed email attachment limits.
One thing to keep in mind when using WeCompress, especially for images, is that it doesn’t save your files into different formats. For instance, if you’re working with a TIFF image that you’d like to use in a presentation, you want to convert it to an optimized PNG. But that’s not how WeCompress works. Instead, it will compress the file while keeping its original format intact. So, if format conversion is part of your workflow, you’ll need to use a different tool.
TIP: there is a file size limit. WeCompress will allow files up to 50MB.
TIP/or maybe this is a Public Service Announcement (PSA): the wecompress website contains A LOT of sponsor ads – everywhere on it. While these ads help keep the service free, they can be distracting or misleading, so be cautious about what you click on. Stick to the main functionality of the site, and you’ll be good.
The TLC Creative design team has the desktop version, NXPowerlite, on all design computers. NXPowerlite allows for larger file sizes (ugh, 2GB + presentations!), batch compressing of multiple files, and more advanced features like custom profiles.
Let’s walk through a demo of how to compress a file using WeCompress.com:
- On https://www.wecompress.com/, upload a file for compression by either dragging the file to the upload area or clicking the purple + icon in the middle of the screen.
- Select a file for optimization, then click OPEN.
- The file uploads (FAQ says it is a temp file and not stored after file compression completes)
- After the upload is complete, there is a notice that file compression is in process.
- Once the file is ready to download, a “File Ready” notice appears with the new file size, and information about the percentage of compression.
- Click DOWNLOAD FILE. The new file name has (wecompress.com) added to the original file name.
- After download, a successful download notice with a link to compress another file if needed.
That’s it. Easy, quick (depending on file size and internet speed), and free! WeCompress offers only 1 compress option with no levels of compression or profiles, which is possible in NXPowerlite. Bookmark WeCompress and test it, the TLC Creative design team has used it many times (especially when working on provided show computers that lack our suite of apps and settings).
-Amber
TPP e208 – Mike Power
One of the superpowers of PowerPoint is its ability to allow third party add-ins to expand its functionality. Neuxpower is the software company behind NXPowerlite and Slidewise, two add-ins installed on every computer at TLC Creative Services. Mike Power of Neuxpower spends some time with us talking about PowerPoint, add-ins, and what’s new on the horizon!
Join the conversation through your favorite podcast app, or at the episode 208 page, with shownotes.
Click here to listen.
Build-A-Graphic Review
Build-A-Graphic seamlessly integrates with Microsoft PowerPoint, whether you’re using it on Windows, Mac, or PowerPoint Online. It offers a massive 10K+ library of pre-made, but fully editable graphics. Including graphs, charts, infographics, a favorite- Isometric (2D with a fixed 45º grid to easily align and mix-and-match) elements, and much more.
On the technical side, this is a JS Add-in (install through the “add-in” button on the PowerPoint Insert tab). As a JS add-in it enables it to be used within PowerPoint Online, and on any computer you are logged in with the registered Microsoft account.
Click the Build-a-Graphic button on the PowerPoint HOME tab. From the Build-A-Graphic action pane, search its library, or view the graphics by category and then by graphic type.
One of the best things about virtually all of the Build-A-Graphic content is they can be edited in PowerPoint; colors, text and other elements can be adjusted to align with a brand or the theme of the presentation. As an example graphic, here is a before (default on left) and after (customized on right) graphic. Colors and font changed; some content removed for a graphic customized to align with the presentation’s design.
A lot of the graphics include tips on how to edit them. As example, This Funnel graphic has a tip in the lower left about ungrouping to customize.
TIP: remove these tips before presenting!
As mentioned earlier, the primary advantage we see, is Build-A-Graphic content is PowerPoint native vector art and significant edits can be made directly within PowerPoint, saving time and simplifying the workflow. When ungrouped, elements can be deleted, customized, or replaced. A good example is that many of the graphics include icons. But the icons are not “locked” to the graphic, but separate elements (when ungrouped in PowerPoint) allowing each graphic element to be modified with different icons easily. For advanced editing beyond PowerPoint’s capabilities, graphics can be exported from PowerPoint as .SVG vector graphics and edited in Adobe Illustrator (then copy/pasted back to the slide).
Aside from the main draw of the graphic design library, one feature we like is the “Chunking” feature (yes, that is the real name!). With one click you can turn a slide full of text into separate smaller text blocks, in a stylized visual layout. Those smaller text blocks can then be modified as needed to better fit on the slide.
As example, here is a slide with 3, dense, paragraphs of text (Lorum Ipsum text for the example):
Using the “Chunk Text by Paragraph” tool, it separates the Lorem Ipsum text into separate text boxes and into separate paragraphs in one click. This can be just a starter and the new text boxes and styling elements can be edits, resized, recolored as best for the slide and content/message.
Incorporating Build-A-Graphic into a design routine can be a good time saver and an easy path to creating visual slides that stand out. Being able to quickly tweak graphics inside PowerPoint keeps things simple, especially when you’re working against tight deadlines. While it may not replace specialized graphic design software for more complex projects, it has the breadth of graphics to offer a convenient solution for enhancing slides directly within PowerPoint.
Note: Build-A-Graphic is a subscription and locks the subscription to the registered Microsoft ID (eg. your Microsoft 365 account) – and this is the first software we have used that leverages the Microsoft ID as the user.
See examples and details at the Build-A-Graphic website here.
How PowerPoint can use Adobe CC Fonts
The Adobe Creative Cloud font library is vast, with a much larger offering of font options than Microsoft provides. The question is, can an Adobe Creative Cloud font be used in a PowerPoint presentation?
The quick answer is “yes”, but there are some gotchas to know about. The first gotcha is that to use Adobe fonts (anywhere) an Adobe Creative Cloud account is needed. Once you have signed up for the Adobe CC service, download and install the Adobe Creative Cloud app from the website. Then login using your credentials. To find fonts, you can use the Adobe Creative Cloud app. From the menu on the CC homepage, click the “f” icon to navigate to Adobe Fonts:
Once here, you can see the Adobe fonts you have added to your CC account or have installed on your computer. “Added Fonts” are all fonts you have simply added to your CC account. “Installed Fonts” are fonts you’ve added AND installed on your computer (this is an important distinction).
To find more fonts to use, you can browse fonts via the Adobe Fonts website by clicking on the “BROWSE MORE FONTS” button:
You can find all fonts in the Adobe library here. Filter fonts by tags like “calligraphic”, “clean”, “rounded”, along with serif, sans serif and other properties.
Once you find a font you’d like to use, click “ADD FAMILY”. This will add the font to your CC account:
You’ll be prompted to open the CC app back up. Then you can find the font(s) that you’ve added there. And here is the second gotcha: you can’t use the new fonts in PowerPoint until you click “install family”. This will allow you to not only use the font in PowerPoint, but across other apps on your computer!
The computer now has the installed Adobe fonts available to ALL apps, including PowerPoint! However, you’ll need to restart PowerPoint for the fonts to be recognized.
On the list of gotchas – PowerPoint does not have a warning when fonts are used in a presentation but not installed on that computer. So, knowing an Adobe font is needed, is not obvious when a presentation is opened.
And one final gotcha: anyone wanting to view or edit a presentation using an Adobe font must have an Adobe CC account and install the font on their computer through that CC account. For designers and some corporate users this won’t be much of an issue. This is because the Adobe CC suite is widely in use by this group (just remember to install the Adobe CC font). However, for many corporate users, using a presentation with Adobe CC fonts will be an issue if they do not have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
-Jake @ TLC
Creative Use of Aptos Font for Design
Aptos is one of the newest fonts from Microsoft. We talked about Aptos in detail in this post from last year, August 2023, HERE.
The Aptos font is now the default font for Windows OS and all Microsoft apps, and we’re pretty sure that everyone has seen and probably used this new font. The previous default font, Calibri, is a nice font and still available, but Aptos has much more design appeal.
Aptos is not a single font; it is a font family. A font family is a collection of fonts that share a common design aesthetic and typeface, but may differ in style, weight, or slant. The Aptos font family has 28 variations that all have the same aesthetic across the many different weights and styles.
A font weight is the overall thickness, also called the typeface stroke. The most common weights are regular and bold, but weights can be thin, condensed, extra bold, and heavy to name a few.
REAL VS FAKE
As much as designers love font families with multiple fonts and styling options, PowerPoint does not always show all the options. As example, Aptos has “Aptos Bold”, but in the PowerPoint font list, “Aptos Bold” is not seen. However, when the “B” bold button is applied to “Aptos” in the PPT font ribbon, PowerPoint uses “Aptos Bold” – a real font.
The same applies to italics. Making text italicized with the “I” italics key, PowerPoint uses the real font, Aptos Italics. In contrast, the font Papyrus does not have an italics version, so when text is italicized with the “I” italics key, PowerPoint applies a “fake” auto-generated right angle to the text.
TYPOGRAPHY CREATIVITY
Aptos provides design creativity when mixing different versions of the font to create a dynamic slide layout.
CONCLUSION
The Aptos font family, with its 28 styles, provides a lot for presentation designers to work with. Its range of weights and styles allows for creative flexibility, whether aiming for a professional, formal look or a more casual, approachable feel. The font’s flexibility ensures that it can meet the aesthetic and functional needs of any presentation, making it an asset in any designer’s toolkit.
~Thanks to Amber on the TLC Creative presentation design team for assisting with this blog post and designing the demo slide.
TPP e207 – Mike Parkinson, AI
In this episode of the Presentation Podcast, Troy, Nolan and Sandy spend some time with Mike Parkinson, a graphic designer, prolific conference speaker, and the person behind the Build-A-Graphic PowerPoint add-in. We talk about the evolving landscape of presentation design, particularly the role AI tools now play. Mike shares his “3 AI truths”, emphasizing that AI tools enhance productivity and creativity, not threatening jobs. We also cover the importance of understanding the audience, effective storytelling, and common presentation mistakes. Listen to the conversation now!
Join the conversation through your favorite podcast app, or at the episode 207 page, with shownotes.
Click here to listen.
Less than 30 days until we meet at the Presentation Summit!
(Troy & Lori recording podcast conversations at the 2022 Presentation Summit)
The 2024 Presentation Summit is coming in less than 30 days! This is an annual event that I book on our calendar to not miss. In fact, I have officially missed only two of the summits throughout its 22 year run (a few, like last year, I was only able to be at for part of the in-person event).
Last week’s episode of The Presentation Podcast with Rick Altman, conference director of the Presentation Summit, Rick offered a registration promo – $75 off to either the in-person event or the virtual event.
If you are planning to attending this year, here is that promo/discount code (that we are making available to all PowerPoint blog readers!):
- When registering, in the Client Field, enter “prespod75” for an instant $75 registration discount.
Both Lori and myself (Troy) of TLC Creative will be in attendance, so say hello!
Event registration is here: https://betterpresenting.com/summit24/registration