good images for powerpoint presentation

This simplistic presentation example employs several different colors and font weights, but instead of coming off as disconnected, the varied colors work with one another to create contrast and call out specific concepts.

What I like: The big, bold numbers help set the reader's expectations, as they clearly signify how far along the viewer is in the list of tips.

10. “Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling,” Gavin McMahon

This presentation by Gavin McMahon features color in all the right places. While each of the background images boasts a bright, spotlight-like design, all the characters are intentionally blacked out.

What I like: This helps keep the focus on the tips, while still incorporating visuals. Not to mention, it's still easy for me to identify each character without the details. (I found you on slide eight, Nemo.)

11. “Facebook Engagement and Activity Report,” We Are Social

Here's another great example of data visualization in the wild.

What I like: Rather than displaying numbers and statistics straight up, this presentation calls upon interesting, colorful graphs, and charts to present the information in a way that just makes sense.

12. “The GaryVee Content Model,” Gary Vaynerchuk

This wouldn‘t be a true Gary Vaynerchuk presentation if it wasn’t a little loud, am I right?

What I like: Aside from the fact that I love the eye-catching, bright yellow background, Vaynerchuk does a great job of incorporating screenshots on each slide to create a visual tutorial that coincides with the tips. He also does a great job including a visual table of contents that shows your progress as you go .

13. “20 Tweetable Quotes to Inspire Marketing & Design Creative Genius,” IMPACT Branding & Design

We‘ve all seen our fair share of quote-chronicling presentations but that isn’t to say they were all done well. Often the background images are poor quality, the text is too small, or there isn't enough contrast.

Well, this professional presentation from IMPACT Branding & Design suffers from none of said challenges.

What I like: The colorful filters over each background image create just enough contrast for the quotes to stand out.

14. “The Great State of Design,” Stacy Kvernmo

This presentation offers up a lot of information in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming.

What I like: The contrasting colors create visual interest and “pop,” and the comic images (slides 6 through 12) are used to make the information seem less buttoned-up and overwhelming.

15. “Clickbait: A Guide To Writing Un-Ignorable Headlines,” Ethos3

Not going to lie, it was the title that convinced me to click through to this presentation but the awesome design kept me there once I arrived.

What I like: This simple design adheres to a consistent color pattern and leverages bullet points and varied fonts to break up the text nicely.

16. “Digital Transformation in 50 Soundbites,” Julie Dodd

This design highlights a great alternative to the “text-over-image” display we've grown used to seeing.

What I like: By leveraging a split-screen approach to each presentation slide, Julie Dodd was able to serve up a clean, legible quote without sacrificing the power of a strong visual.

17. “Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint,” Slide Comet

When you‘re creating a PowerPoint about how everyone’s PowerPoints stink, yours had better be terrific. The one above, based on the ebook by Seth Godin, keeps it simple without boring its audience.

What I like: Its clever combinations of fonts, together with consistent color across each slide, ensure you're neither overwhelmed nor unengaged.

18. “How Google Works,” Eric Schmidt

Simple, clever doodles tell the story of Google in a fun and creative way. This presentation reads almost like a storybook, making it easy to move from one slide to the next.

What I like: This uncluttered approach provides viewers with an easy-to-understand explanation of a complicated topic.

19. “What Really Differentiates the Best Content Marketers From The Rest,” Ross Simmonds

Let‘s be honest: These graphics are hard not to love. I especially appreciate the author’s cartoonified self-portrait that closes out the presentation. Well played, Ross Simmonds.

What I like: Rather than employing the same old stock photos, this unique design serves as a refreshing way to present information that's both valuable and fun.

20. “Be A Great Product Leader,” Adam Nash

This presentation by Adam Nash immediately draws attention by putting the company's logo first — a great move if your company is well known.

What I like: He uses popular images, such as ones of Megatron and Pinocchio, to drive his points home. In the same way, you can take advantage of popular images and media to keep your audience engaged.

And if you want more templates and examples, you can download them here .

PowerPoint Presentation Examples for the Best Slide Presentation

Mastering a PowerPoint presentation begins with the design itself.

Get inspired by my ideas above to create a presentation that engages your audience, builds upon your point, and helps you generate leads for your brand.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

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100+ Free PowerPoint Graphics For Better Presentations [Free PPT]

PowerPoint graphics to move your presentation up a level, and plenty of top quality free options.

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By Lyudmil Enchev

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PowerPoint graphics are a great addition to all PowerPoint presentations no matter what the audience. A Powerpoint simply containing text and bullet points is not going to hold the attention, even with your hot topic content. You run the risk of being dry and dull, and simply put graphics are more visual and therefore more interesting. You know it too if you are happy with your material you feel better and more confident as a speaker. Double plus.

Of course, the quality of your PowerPoint Graphics is important, this isn’t just a case of adding visuals for visual’s sake. High quality, highly appropriate, thoughtful graphics will enhance any presentation and will be a vital tool in getting your message across, succinctly and memorably. Equally poor quality clip art type graphics, blurry, pointless, and inappropriate images may get you to remember as well, but probably not how you would wish.

So let’s look at some great keys ways you can impress with a presentation, it’s not hard but it is effective.

In this article: 1. How to insert graphics into PowerPoint 2. 100+ Free PowerPoint Graphics by GraphicMama 2.1. Free PowerPoint Templates 2.2. Free Arrows, Pointers, Bullets for PowerPoint 2.3. Free Icons for PowerPoint 2.4. Free Stats, Charts, Graphs for PowerPoint 2.5. Free Numbers and Steps Graphics for PowerPoint 2.6. Free Text Section Graphics for PowerPoint 2.7. Free Presentation Graphics for PowerPoint 2.8. Free Speech Bubble Graphics for PowerPoint 2.9. Free Sale Graphics for PowerPoint 2.10. Free Infographic Kit 2.11. Free Infographic Templates 3. More places to find PowerPoint Graphics

In the meanwhile, do you know, that you can use premade infographic templates? Check out our  50 Free Timeline Infographic Templates .

1. How to insert graphics into PowerPoint

Once you’ve created your presentation it’s time to add those all-important PowerPoint Graphics. And it’s easy, easy, easy.

Step 1: Go to the slide and create a space for your graphic Step 2: Go to insert on the toolbar at the top of PowerPoint, click on it Step 3: This will open up insert options depending on your version of PowerPoint ( 2019 reveals online pictures, photo albums, pictures, or screenshots, older versions are similar but replace online pictures with clip art.) Step 4: Choose an image from your files or online through categories or the search bar – filter general images through creative commons only licensed pictures (free to use), select, click on insert. Step 5: Resize and reposition

Alternatively:

Step 1: Select an image, right-click, and copy. (Ctrl+C) Step 2: Right-click and paste on the desired slide. (Ctrl+V)

It really is that easy.

2. 100+ Free PowerPoint Graphics by GraphicMama

One of the best ways to make your presentation look professional is by using professionally designed PowerPoint graphics and one of the best design agencies, Graphic Mama has plenty of options to choose from. As well as paid-for bundles of design icons you can take advantage of a great range of free graphics from sales icons, holiday icons, speech bubbles, people avatars, and many more. These are graphics designed in a vector file format, so the quality will stay as good even when resized. there are free backgrounds, templates, and infographic bundles too. It’s a no-risk option that will certainly add a high-quality, professionally designed look to your slideshow. Just click on the links below and you are almost there.

2.1. Free PowerPoint Templates

A tremendously good way to create a stunning professional look is by using templates for your PowerPoint Design and the good news is there are lots of free options out there just waiting for you to fill with content.

Free Hand-Drawn PowerPoint Presentation

This freebie from Graphic Mamas’s collection of free templates shows off the power of a sketched hand-drawn style in adding a customized look that is both attractive and clear.

Free Corporate Presentation Template

Ideally suited to a business proposal, this free template can be edited and customized for anything that would benefit from fresh, clear colors and fantastically designed and organized slides.

Free Business PowerPoint Presentation Template

Another free business template that benefits from strong structural elements and a great mix of text boxes and images in this modern-looking option. Superb editable infographics to get that all-important message to stand out.

Free Minimalist Presentation Template

This minimalist template broken up into large blocks of strong color is perfect for making a statement. Instant impact and full of confidence.

Take a look at Graphic Mama’s Modern Templates for the New Era of PowerPoint Presentations

2.2. Free Arrows, Pointers, Bullets for PowerPoint

Basic icons such as arrows, bullets, and pointers are so ubiquitous that they are often forgotten about. Big mistake. These free PowerPoint graphics show just how much impact well-designed elements can make and they’re a quick and easy way of raising your presentation to another level, and all for free.

2.3. Free Icons for PowerPoint

The cool, simplicity of these PowerPoint graphic icons can add swagger and style to your show. This completely free bundle gives a great selection all in the same consistent style and multiple usages will hold a presentation together in a subtle way.

2.4. Free Stats, Charts, Graphs for PowerPoint

Powerful infographics give you a great chance to get inventive and creative. Fully customizable, fully editable, and a fantastically varied and imaginative selection of all kinds of charts, graphs, and pictograms. It’s difficult to believe they are free but they really are.

2.5. Free Numbers and Steps Graphics for PowerPoint

You will need numbers, so why not take advantage of this free collection and make the mundane come alive. The key is to keep a consistent design and it will create a magical flow throughout the whole show from beginning to end.

2.6. Free Text Section Graphics for PowerPoint

PowerPoint graphics for text sections do a vital job. It is well known that text-heavy presentations are not popular and therefore less effective but you do need text. A great way of drawing the eye, focusing on text content, and still keeping people awake are these text section graphics. Customizable colors (ideal for branding), all forms and functions, a fully flexible and fully free bundle of creativity.

2.7. Free Presentation Graphics for PowerPoint

PowerPoint Graphics come in all shapes and sizes and illustrate all kinds of ideas. Download this free pack and check out a wide range of options to create visual impact, a professionally customized look, and vitality.

2.8. Free Speech Bubble Graphics

Speech bubble PowerPoint graphics can make your presentation pop, and with this stylish selection, you can’t go wrong. Flat, shaded, angular, rounded, clouds, and all sorts of variations on the theme. Impactful and fun they help create the conversation you want to have.

2.9. Free Sale Graphics

PowerPoint graphics for sales will do the crucial job of getting you and your product noticed. Fit your show with these free high-quality vector graphics and watch the crowds flock in. Once you’ve downloaded the graphics, you are not limited to PowerPoint, use the same images on posters, advertising, social media, etc., and get selling. The vectors’ technique means that there will be no loss of quality whatever the size and function.

2.10. Free Infographic Kit

A fully comprehensive infographic PowerPoint graphic pack that is crammed full of everything you could want to bring your statistics to the audience. Carefully crafted, tremendously varied, customizable, editable, flexible, and all this with the added professional pizzaz of expert design. It’s free and it’s ready to rock.

2.11. 20 Free Infographic Templates

If you want to speed things up, you can try using premade PowerPoint templates for your presentation. In this huge bundle of 539 infographics, you will find 20 free infographic templates. They are made with a lot of graphics, and you can easily grab some of the elements and adapt it to your presentation.

3. More places to find PowerPoint Graphics

Although it’s difficult to believe you haven’t found exactly what you are looking for already in our classic collection, let’s not worry. The one thing we do have now is plenty and plenty of choice. Here are some paid-for possibilities that you may want to jazz up that make or break a presentation.

PresentationPro

For $49.00 you could check out this royalty-free Graphics pack from PresentationPro. This pack contains thousands of graphics, clipart, and illustration in all sorts of categories from geography to calendars, from Scrabble to sport, and in differing styles. The graphics can be used in other formats too so you are not limited to PowerPoint.

GraphicMama

As well as the free offers, already covered Graphic Mama has a top-class selection of paid-for bundles ranging from characters to graphics assets, backgrounds , and templates from a little as $31 per set. This is ideal if you’d like to theme your presentation around a character as there are multiple gestures and poses for each. All are easily customizable, editable, and adaptable to any project and design. A gallery of cartoon characters , including businessmen, animals, robots, superheroes, doctors, ninjas, and more. Graphic Mama also offers custom designs, so you can turn yourself into a caricature and animated puppets to really make waves.

GetMyGraphics

At GetMyGrpahics you can take up a subscription giving you access to over 9,000 professional PowerPoint graphics starting at $49 per month or a Pro package at $99 per month.  Obviously, at this price, it is not for a one-off or occasional piece but for professionals it does provide plenty of options. They include infographics and illustrations in a wide range of categories and differing styles.

Final Words

The old PowerPoint presentation. It’s been around for years and it truly isn’t enough to just churn out the old stuff. Vital though they may be, people always expect more, always expect better, and why not? With a little extra effort, you can turn your slideshow presentation into something that isn’t just a time filler but that really makes a difference, communication, and shows you off in the best light. PowerPoint graphics can make all the difference by breathing life and energy into your presentation and consequently your performance. If you feel confident in your material it will help your delivery. Best of all you can step it up for free, so why wouldn’t you?

You may also be interested in some of these related articles:

• The Best Free PowerPoint Templates to Download in 2022
• Need PowerPoint Backgrounds? The Best Places to Check Out [+ Freebies]
• 10 PowerPoint Tutorials to Help You Master PowerPoint

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Lyudmil Enchev

Lyudmil is an avid movie fan which influences his passion for video editing. You will often see him making animations and video tutorials for GraphicMama. Lyudmil is also passionate for photography, video making, and writing scripts.

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Where to Find Free Pictures for Your PowerPoint Presentations (10 Great Stock Image Sites)

Find Free High-Resolution Images for Your PowerPoint Decks

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 27, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft ® Word ® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can find beautiful free pictures that you can use in your PowerPoint presentations online. There are plenty of great stock photo sites that offer high-quality images at no charge. Images can make a big difference for audience engagement and can help your presentations look more professional. You can search for images on these sites by keyword and download images at different resolutions. Most of them allow personal and commercial use of images based on their license terms.

If you're a PowerPoint 365 user, you also have access to Microsoft's free stock image library .

Some stock photo sites have free images and may also offer paid images on a premium plan. For free images, there is an element of risk in terms of copyright (as many users upload images). However, the following sites have better policing, known copyright owners, review processes or business backgrounds so they have a higher trust ranking. Be sure to check the site's license terms when you're using images.

Here's our list of the best sources for free pictures to use in your PowerPoint presentations (links below):

• Life of Pix
• Morgue File
• StockSnap.io

Recommended article: How to Compress Images in PowerPoint to Reduce File Size (10 Ways)

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our online (virtual classroom) or in-person classroom PowerPoint courses >

The following are our picks of the top 10 websites (in no particular order) where you can find high-quality, free stock pictures for your presentations.

1. Unsplash

Unsplash was started  by Crew, an online platform connecting freelance creatives with customers, that turned viral. It was started as a give-back project. Their images have a modern and artsy style and are high quality. Unsplash started as a Tumblr blog offering leftover professional shots for free. It has grown into a stand-alone website offering more than half a million royalty-free stock photos from contributing photographers.

Photo by Mo on Unsplash

License Details: Unsplash uses their own custom license, enabling free use in commercial projects with no attribution required (just like a Creative Commons Zero) but forbidding image compiling. Unsplash has recently added a premium paid version (Unsplash+) for some images.

2. PIKWIZARD

PIKWIZARD is a professional stock photo site with over a million free high-quality images in multiple popular categories. It's owned by Wavebreak Media, a stock video and photography production company led by Irish videographer and entrepreneur Sean Prior. The images come from various contributors, most of whom are known stock media producers. PikWizard also offers great image editing with a DesignWizard tool where you can add text to images.

Photo by PIKWIZARD

License Details: PIKWIZARD has their own custom license allowing free use in commercial projects, with a sensitive use clause. They don't allow resale or use in products for resale (t-shirts, posters, etc.), but those are the only copyright restrictions.

3. Life of Pix

Life of Pix  is owned by Canadian digital marketing agency LEEROY and provides hundreds of thousands of artistic and high quality photos. All files have been submitted by photographers and are free to download and use.

Photo by Cyril Mouty on Life of Pix

License Details: Life of Pix images are Public Domain so they are not subject to copyright. This allows free usage for commercial purposes, no attribution required, but the site does not allow mass distribution

Public Domain licenses should be safer for commercial use since there's no copyright attached to the images. However, this only works if the contributor who donated them is the original copyright owner and all other required rights (such as model releases) are cleared. Since Life of Pix is owned by a reputable company, it is capable of providing trust in its free images.

BURST was launched in 2017 by Shopify and offers free stock images intended for e-shops and commercial use in general (although you can use the images for social media, blog posts and presentations). The site has a large library with thousands of high-resolution images with a current style covering popular commercial categories. Burst images are sourced from hired photographers and user submissions and all images are free to use.

Photo by BURST

License Details: BURST has two licenses: Creative Commons Zero (CC0) which is free usage for commercial purposes and a custom license which is almost identical to CC0 but which allows using photos in products for resale and has a sensitive use clause. Besides a no compiling term, there are no other copyright restrictions.

Pexels is a free stock photo site offering hundreds of thousands of royalty-free stock images in high resolution submitted by artists or added from other free photo sites. It was created by German twin brothers Bruno and Ingo Joseph. The images are beautiful and modern and all images are free to download and use. Pexels accepts user submissions but also aggregate images from multiple other sites which increases the risk of potential copyright or right of privacy infringements.

Photo by  Marta Dzedyshko on Pexels

License Details: Pexels photos are licensed under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) so are free for commercial purposes, no attribution required.

6. Rawpixel

Rawpixel was founded by Robert Churchill and has thousands of trendy, authentic and high-quality images submitted by qualified contributors. It offers free and premium pictures and you need to be sure you search for the free images. Users are limited to 100 free downloads per user per month.

Photo by Rawpixel

License Details: Rawpixel uses a custom license with free usage for commercial purposes. There is a sensitive use clause and no resale is permitted.

7. Morgue File

Morgue File has over 400,000 free images. Most images are free for commercial use but check each image for any license restrictions. You will need to set up an account to download images for free.

Photo by Gary3141 at Morgue File.

License Details: Morgue File contains thousands of images that are free for commercial use but check each image's license for restrictions.

Pixabay is a free stock photo site founded by German technology experts Hans Braxmeier and Simon Steinberger. It is crowdsourced from a global group of users. The library is huge (over 1 million) and the royalty-free images are all available for free. Most of them are high definition and suitable for commercial use. Pixabay has a professional curator that manually reviews and vets images for technical quality as well as legal validity. There are also paid images that will take you to another site for purchase.

Photo by Amy Irizarry on Pixabay

License Details: Pixabay uses a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license so images are free for commercial purposes with no attribution required.

9. Kaboompics

Kaboompics is owned by designer and photographer Karolina Grabowska. It offers free high-quality stock photos with a natural feel and multiple subjects. There are more than 8,000 images in the library and the pictures are quirky and modern. You can even search by colour palette.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Kaboompics

License Details: Kaboompics has a custom license granting free usage for commercial purposes that includes a sensitive use clause. Images may not be sold as-they-are-downloaded (so alterations to the original file are a requirement) and redistribution is also forbidden without permission. There is also a warning about the commercial use of photos with brands or trademarked subjects on them.

10. StockSnap.io

StockSnap.io is a stock image site by Christopher Gimmer and Marc Chouinard who also developed the graphic design tool Snappa. The site offers free high-resolution images in a modern and trendy style. Users submit the photos and all images are free so there is the usual risk in terms of copyright. There are also paid images that will take you to another site for purchase.

Photo by  Travel Photographer from StockSnap

License Details: StockSnap uses a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license so images are free for commercial purposes.

Choose Quality as a Priority

There are many other websites offering free images but these sites combine the benefits of quality, library size and trustworthiness.

This article was first published on May 17, 2020 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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More resources

How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint (4 Ways)

How to Remove the Background of an Image in PowerPoint

How to Change Picture Brightness or Contrast in PowerPoint

10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Presentations to Reduce File Size

How to Add Animation in PowerPoint (Animate Text, Images and Other Objects)

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How to Make a Beautiful PowerPoint Presentation: A Simple Guide

Ready to craft a beautiful and attention-grabbing powerpoint presentation we’ll walk you through slideshow design tips, show you some tricks to maximize your powerpoint skills, and give you everything you need to look really good next time you’re up in front of a crowd..

In this post, we’ll cover:

Key Elements of Winning PowerPoints

Illustrative, not generic, supportive, not distracting, inspiring and engaging, other considerations when creating a slideshow.

How many times have you sat through a poorly designed business presentation that was dull, cluttered, and distracting? Probably way too many. Even though we all loathe a boring presentation, when it comes time to make our own, do we really do any better?

The good news is you don’t have to be a professional designer to make professional presentations. We’ve put together a few simple guidelines you can follow to create a beautifully assembled deck.

We’ll walk you through some slide design tips, show you tricks to maximize your PowerPoint skills, and give you everything you need to look really good next time you’re up in front of a crowd.

And, while PowerPoint remains one of the biggest names in presentation software, many of these design elements and principles work in Google Slides, as well.

Let’s dive right in.

1. Use Layout to Your Advantage

Layout is one of the most powerful visual elements in design, and it’s a simple, effective way to control the flow and visual hierarchy of information. It’s also one of the most important elements to consider when thinking about how to make your PowerPoint look better.

For example, most Western languages read left to right, top to bottom. Knowing this natural reading order, you can direct people’s eyes in a deliberate way to certain key parts of a slide that you want to emphasize.

You can also guide your audience with simple tweaks to the layout. Use text size and alternating fonts or colors to distinguish headlines from body text.

Placement also matters. There are many unorthodox ways to structure a slide, but most audience members will have to take a few beats to organize the information in their head—that’s precious time better spent listening to your delivery and retaining information.

Try to structure your slides more like this:

And not like this:

Layout is one of the trickier PowerPoint design concepts to master, which is why we have these free PowerPoint templates already laid out for you. Use them as a jumping off point for your own presentation, or use them wholesale!

Presentation templates can give you a huge leg up as you start working on your design.

2. No Sentences

This is one of the most critical slide design tips. Slides are simplified, visual notecards that capture and reinforce main ideas, not complete thoughts.

As the speaker, you should be delivering most of the content and information, not putting it all on the slides for everyone to read (and probably ignore). If your audience is reading your presentation instead of listening to you deliver it, your message has lost its effectiveness.

Pare down your core message and use keywords to convey it. Try to avoid complete sentences unless you’re quoting someone or something.

Stick with this:

And avoid this:

3. Follow the 6×6 Rule

One of the cardinal sins of a bad PowerPoint is cramming too many details and ideas on one slide, which makes it difficult for people to retain information. Leaving lots of “white space” on a slide helps people focus on your key points.

Try using the 6×6 rule to keep your content concise and clean looking. The 6×6 rule means a maximum of six bullet points per slide and six words per bullet. In fact, some people even say you should never have more than six words per slide!

Just watch out for “orphans” (when the last word of a sentence/phrase spills over to the next line). This looks cluttered. Either fit it onto one line or add another word to the second line.

Slides should never have this much information:

4. Keep the Colors Simple

Stick to simple light and dark colors and a defined color palette for visual consistency. Exceptionally bright text can cause eye fatigue, so use those colors sparingly. Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background will work well. Also avoid intense gradients, which can make text hard to read.

If you’re presenting on behalf of your brand, check what your company’s brand guidelines are. Companies often have a primary brand color and a secondary brand color , and it’s a good idea to use them in your presentation to align with your company’s brand identity and style.

If you’re looking for color inspiration for your next presentation, check out our 101 Color Combinations , where you can browse tons of eye-catching color palettes curated by a pro. When you find the one you like, just type the corresponding color code into your presentation formatting tools.

Here are more of our favorite free color palettes for presentations:

• 10 Color Palettes to Nail Your Next Presentation
• 10 Energizing Sports Color Palettes for Branding and Marketing
• 10 Vintage Color Palettes Inspired by the Decades

No matter what color palette or combination you choose, you want to keep the colors of your PowerPoint presentation simple and easy to read, like this:

Stay away from color combinations like this:

5. Use Sans-Serif Fonts

Traditionally, serif fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond, Bookman) are best for printed pages, and sans-serif fonts (Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana) are easier to read on screens.

These are always safe choices, but if you’d like to add some more typographic personality , try exploring our roundup of the internet’s best free fonts . You’ll find everything from classic serifs and sans serifs to sophisticated modern fonts and splashy display fonts. Just keep legibility top of mind when you’re making your pick.

Try to stick with one font, or choose two at the most. Fonts have very different personalities and emotional impacts, so make sure your font matches the tone, purpose, and content of your presentation.

6. Stick to 30pt Font or Larger

Many experts agree that your font size for a PowerPoint presentation should be at least 30pt. Sticking to this guideline ensures your text is readable. It also forces you, due to space limitations, to explain your message efficiently and include only the most important points. .

7. Avoid Overstyling the Text

Three of the easiest and most effective ways to draw attention to text are:

• A change in color

Our eyes are naturally drawn to things that stand out, but use these changes sparingly. Overstyling can make the slide look busy and distracting.

8. Choose the Right Images

The images you choose for your presentation are perhaps as important as the message. You want images that not only support the message, but also elevate it—a rare accomplishment in the often dry world of PowerPoint.

But, what is the right image? We’ll be honest. There’s no direct answer to this conceptual, almost mystical subject, but we can break down some strategies for approaching image selection that will help you curate your next presentation.

The ideal presentation images are:

• Inspirational

These may seem like vague qualities, but the general idea is to go beyond the literal. Think about the symbols in an image and the story they tell. Think about the colors and composition in an image and the distinct mood they set for your presentation.

With this approach, you can get creative in your hunt for relatable, authentic, and inspirational images. Here are some more handy guidelines for choosing great images.

Tips on Making Beautiful PowerPoint Presentations

So, the slide in question is about collaborating as a team. Naturally, you look for images of people meeting in a boardroom, right?

While it’s perfectly fine to go super literal, sometimes these images fall flat—what’s literal doesn’t necessarily connect to your audience emotionally. Will they really respond to generic images of people who aren’t them meeting in a boardroom?

In the absence of a photo of your actual team—or any other image that directly illustrates the subject at hand—look for images of convincing realism and humanity that capture the idea of your message.

Doing so connects with viewers, allowing them to connect with your message. This is one way to learn how to make your PowerPoint stand out and ensure a dynamic presentation PowerPoint.

The image above can be interpreted in many ways. But, when we apply it to slide layout ideas about collaboration, the meaning is clear.

It doesn’t hurt that there’s a nice setting and good photography, to boot.

Now that we’ve told you to get creative with your image selection, the next lesson is to rein that in. While there are infinite choices of imagery out there, there’s a limit to what makes sense in your presentation.

Let’s say you’re giving an IT presentation to new employees. You might think that image of two dogs snuggling by a fire is relatable, authentic, and inspirational, but does it really say “data management” to your audience?

To find the best supporting images, try searching terms on the periphery of your actual message. You’ll find images that complement your message rather than distract from it.

In the IT presentation example, instead of “data connections” or another literal term, try the closely related “traffic” or “connectivity.” This will bring up images outside of tech, but relative to the idea of how things move.

There’s a widespread misconception that business presentations are just about delivering information. Well, they’re not. In fact, a great presentation is inspirational. We don’t mean that your audience should be itching to paint a masterpiece when they’re done. In this case, inspiration is about engagement.

Is your audience asking themselves questions? Are they coming up with new ideas? Are they remembering key information to tap into later? You’ll drive a lot of this engagement with your actual delivery, but unexpected images can play a role, as well.

When you use more abstract or aspirational images, your audience will have room to make their own connections. This not only means they’re paying attention, but they’re also engaging with and retaining your message.

To find the right abstract or unconventional imagery, search terms related to the tone of the presentation. This may include images with different perspectives like overhead shots and aerials, long exposures taken over a period of time, nature photos , colorful markets , and so on.

The big idea here is akin to including an image of your adorable dog making a goofy face at the end of an earnings meeting. It leaves an audience with a good, human feeling after you just packed their brains with data.

Use that concept of pleasant surprise when you’re selecting images for your presentation.

Setting Appropriate Image Resolution in PowerPoint

Want to learn how to make a PowerPoint look good? Though you can drag-and-drop images into PowerPoint, you can control the resolution displayed within the file.

All of your PowerPoint slide layout ideas should get the same treatment to be equal in size.

Simply click File > Compress Pictures in the main application menu.

If your presentation file is big and will only be viewed online, you can take it down to On-screen , then check the Apply to: All pictures in this file , and rest assured the quality will be uniform.

This resolution is probably fine for proofing over email, but too low for your presentation layout ideas. For higher res in printed form, try the Print setting, which at 220 PPI is extremely good quality.

For large-screens such as projection, use the HD setting, since enlarging to that scale will show any deficiencies in resolution. Low resolution can not only distract from the message, but it looks low-quality and that reflects on the presenter.

If size is no issue for you, use High Fidelity (maximum PPI), and only reduce if the file size gives your computer problems.

The image quality really begins when you add the images to the presentation file. Use the highest quality images you can, then let PowerPoint scale the resolution down for you, reducing the excess when set to HD or lower.

Resizing, Editing, and Adding Effects to Images in PowerPoint

PowerPoint comes with an arsenal of tools to work with your images. When a picture is selected, the confusingly named Picture Format menu is activated in the top menu bar, and Format Picture is opened on the right side of the app window.

In the Format Picture menu (on the right) are four sections, and each of these sections expand to show their options by clicking the arrows by the name:

• Fill & Line (paint bucket icon): Contains options for the box’s colors, patterns, gradients, and background fills, along with options for its outline.
• Effects (pentagon icon): Contains Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, 3-D Format and Rotation, and Artistic Effects.
• Size & Properties (dimensional icon): Size, Position, and Text Box allow you to control the physical size and placement of the picture or text boxes.
• Picture (mountain icon): Picture Corrections, Colors, and Transparency give you control over how the image looks. Under Crop, you can change the size of the box containing the picture, instead of the entire picture itself as in Size & Properties above.

The menu at the top is more expansive, containing menu presets for Corrections, Color, Effects, Animation, and a lot more. This section is where you can crop more precisely than just choosing the dimensions from the Picture pane on the right.

Cropping Images in PowerPoint

The simple way to crop an image is to use the Picture pane under the Format Picture menu on the right side of the window. Use the Picture Position controls to move the picture inside its box, or use the Crop position controls to manipulate the box’s dimensions.

To exert more advanced control, or use special shapes, select the picture you want to crop, then click the Picture Format in the top menu to activate it.

Hit the Crop button, then use the controls on the picture’s box to size by eye. Or, click the arrow to show more options, including changing the shape of the box (for more creative looks) and using preset aspect ratios for a more uniform presentation of images.

The next time you design a PowerPoint presentation, remember that simplicity is key and less is more. By adopting these simple slide design tips, you’ll deliver a clear, powerful visual message to your audience.

If you want to go with a PowerPoint alternative instead, you can use Shutterstock Create to easily craft convincing, engaging, and informative presentations.

With many presentation template designs, you’ll be sure to find something that is a perfect fit for your next corporate presentation. You can download your designs as a .pdf file and import them into both PowerPoint and Google Slides presentation decks.

PowerPoint Presentations FAQs

What is the 5 5 5 rule in powerpoint.

The 5 5 5 rule in PowerPoint is fairly simple: 5 lines per slide, each line with no more than 5 words, and make sure your presentation is no longer than 5 minutes.

How long should your PowerPoint be?

A PowerPoint can be as long as it needs to be, but some people—and the 5 5 5 rule—advise you to keep five minutes or shorter.

What is the easiest way to make a PowerPoint prettier?

Beyond using eye-catching imagery and colors, a pretty PowerPoint should also follow good design principles. You want the information to be organized, balanced, and easy to digest. It doesn’t matter how many appealing images you include are if the information is hard to internalize. Use appropriate fonts and shorts sentences to make sure the words are legible and don’t crowd the slides with too many elements.

License this cover image via F8 studio and Ryan DeBerardinis .

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700+ Presentation Images That Will Enhance Any Presentation [Free Images]

Written by: Chloe West

When creating a speech or a pitch to present to an audience, there’s one element that you especially want to focus on to create an engaging experience – your presentation images.

Your presentation images allow you to showcase your story through visuals. Whether you choose photography, graphic design elements and so on, your imagery is key to helping you make your main point.

Helping your audience to visualize your point is essential to a good presentation . While your overall content and your slide design matters as well, you need high-quality images to really prove your point to your audience.

Not only that, but people are visual learners. They want to see what you’re talking about.

So we’ve put together a list of over 700 presentation images that will enhance even the driest slideshow.

Plus, s croll down to the bottom for some tips on using these presentation images within your slides.

Click on the image gallery under each category to view tons of handpicked images to use for your presentation.

1 Business Presentation Images

There are so many different types of presentations that you’ll need to do in business or in your career. Whether it’s a sales presentation, a marketing presentation, a pitch to an investor, a presentation for a conference or networking event and more.

And these are typically made in an effort to promote your business. So you really don’t want your audience to get bored due to a lack of visuals.

Including images within your business presentation is the perfect way to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you’re saying.

However, we don’t mean you want these images to take up your entire slide and nothing else. You need to work it into your slide in a way that simply boosts your content. Add these presentation images as a background to your slide.

Place an image on one side of your slide and your content on the other slide. Add an image into your presentation as an accent.

There are many different ways to include imagery in your business presentation.

And to help you find the perfect images to include, we’ve created a huge list of presentation images that you can find right in Visme’s photo library and easily drop right into your slides.

Click on the image gallery below to view business presentation images.

2 Nature Presentation Images

Are you looking for some compelling and beautiful nature photography to use in your next nature presentation?

When you’re leading a presentation for your environmentally friendly nonprofit or sharing a nature-focused movement, you want to use photos that help to argue your main point and sell your presentation to your audience.

There’s no shortage of beautiful imagery of the earth, and your presentation should show off everything that this planet has to offer.

Fighting climate change? Trying to save an endangered species? Working against littering and pollution? Share photos of how the earth and wildlife is supposed to look.

To help you do this, we wanted to put together a comprehensive list of all of the nature presentation images we have right in Visme’s photo library.

Browse through our nature photos below, then dive right into your Visme design dashboard to create a beautifully captivating presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view nature presentation images.

3 Marketing Presentation Images

When marketing your business, you really need to sell in your presentations. If you’re marketing your business at a networking event, tradeshow or conference, your presentation's visuals really matter.

They also matter in a sales pitch, or even just in a marketing presentation or report with your team. Keep your team and your supervisors engaged using a combination of data visualization tools and beautiful images.

Peruse Visme’s photo library to find photos that represent your target audience for your buyer personas. Search for images of social media users to help prove your point about the importance of social media.

You can even find images with analytics and data that will help visualize the statistics you’re working to convey. 

Picture this: your interactive charts on one side with a high-quality stock photo right next to it to really pull your entire slide design together.

Scroll through our top marketing presentation images to find the ones that work best in your presentation design.

Click on the image gallery below to view marketing presentation images.

4 City Presentation Images

Show off your city in your next presentation. These images can be useful to present an idea to the city council or to share a local movement or project with an audience.

Visme’s stock photo library has a plethora of images from cities around the world. Show off your landscape, sights to see and more for free.

It doesn’t matter if your beautiful city includes more skyscrapers or shopping centers, farms or amusement parks. Regardless, you can find the perfect stock photos to represent your city within Visme’s searchable library.

Your city presentation will hold that much more emotion and power if it includes visual representations of the exact locations you’re talking about.

Check out our city presentation image options below to start your search for the perfect photos for your slideshow.

Click on the image gallery below to view city presentation images.

5 Political Presentation Images

Whether you’re running a local, statewide or national campaign, you’re going to have to give a few speeches and presentations. And it’s essential to include visuals and imagery inside any presentation slides you create alongside your speech.

People are passionate about their political views, and integrating visual aids to support your speaking points can make your stance on the issues seem even more impactful.

Help to rally your supporters by including patriotic photography alongside imagery that speaks to your focal campaign messaging.

Share images of the area that you’re running to represent to showcase your love for your district and how you want to change it. 

Whether you’re running for student council, city council, or even president or prime minister, you need to include photos that help to sell your messaging and let people know why they should vote for you.

Click on the image gallery below to view political presentation images.

Visme gives you access to over a million high quality photos .

• Photo editor included
• Access gorgeous photo filters
• Add text, graphics and more to your designs

6 Animal Presentation Images

Who doesn’t love animals? And when you’re putting together a presentation about animals (whether it’s to help animals get adopted, share information on an endangered species, combat animal cruelty, etc.), what better way to appeal to your audience than with photos?

Visme’s photo library includes images of pets as well as images of wildlife so that you can find photos that suit any presentation talking points.

Search for photos of lions, tigers, bears and more. Or on the tamer side, find images of some puppies, kittens and bunnies.

Looking for something a bit more exotic? Check out our selection of reptiles, like alligators, lizards and snakes.

Simply dive into Visme’s design dashboard, click over to Graphics in the left sidebar and start searching through the massive photo library to find the perfect animal presentation images for your slides.

Click on the image gallery below to view animal presentation images.

7 Holiday Presentation Images

There’s a never ending list of holidays, so the list of stock photos needs to be just as long! If you’re referencing holidays in your presentation or putting together a report that covers a single holiday extensively, we’ve got your images covered.

Find any and all holiday presentation images in Visme’s stock photo library. Whether it’s winter holidays like Christmas or Hannukah or summer holidays like Fourth of July or Cinco de Mayo, you’ll find the perfect images in our photo resource.

Remember, an image is worth a thousand words, so you always want to have a few good photos to visually represent what you’re saying.

Do a quick search of holiday presentation images in this gallery as well as in Visme.

Click on the image gallery below to view holiday presentation images.

8 Educational Presentation Images

Whether you’re putting together a report for school or giving a presentation on the importance of education, the need for photos to accompany your words is essential.

Showcase children sitting at their desks, eager to learn. Share images of kids at play during recess. Visualize what it means for students to make friends in class. 

There are so many different ways to show off education in stock photos through your presentation, and we’re only here to help.

Take a look at the photos included in our roundup below, but don’t forget to conduct a thorough search in Visme’s design dashboard.

You can use imagery as the background of a slide or to simply create an accent or emphasis on your slide content.

But one thing is for sure: you need to visually represent your words with graphics and photography. Browsing through the gallery below can help.

Click on the image gallery below to view educational presentation images.

9 Nonprofit Presentation Images

There are many different reasons someone involved in a nonprofit might need to give a presentation. There are donor pitches, fundraising events, speeches and more.

And each of those presentations is made up of two components: words and images.

When it comes to a nonprofit presentation , the need for an emotional appeal to the audience grows exponentially. The purpose of these presentations tends to be to generate or increase donations, because nonprofits operate exclusively through donations.

Including imagery that represents what your nonprofit is fighting for or against is the best way to appeal to your audience’s senses. Even more than words, visuals help people to understand or relate to an issue.

And Visme’s photo library is full of images that your nonprofit can use in its next presentation. Just start browsing through our selection below.

Click on the image gallery below to view nonprofit presentation images.

10 Financial Presentation Images

Putting on a presentation to talk finances? Maybe you’re a financial planner, and you’re trying to show potential clients why they need your help.

Or perhaps you’re putting together a presentation to let the board on your nonprofit or supervisors in your company know about your revenue and spending.

Either way, a presentation is a great way to visualize the dollars and cents and help to create a compelling argument for how well your company is performing.

And any compelling presentation needs visuals. While financial presentations will also require some powerful data visualizations , don’t forget about the images.

Financial presentation images can provide context for your argument, add an accent to a slide, or give you a background to overlay your information onto.

Check out the images we have in our massive photo library that can help improve your financial presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view financial presentation images.

11 Motivational Presentation Images

If you’re giving a motivational speech , you definitely need presentation images to accompany your content. An image is worth a thousand words, and incorporating photos into your motivational presentation is the perfect way to inspire your audience.

Your motivational presentation images can range from photos of inspirational sayings or scenes to photos of people working hard to succeed at something.

Consider what your topic is, and find photos that are relevant. You want to inspire and motivate your audience to take action to better themselves and their lives.

Browse our extensive photo library to find the perfect motivational photos to accompany your presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view motivational presentation images.

12 Art Presentation Images

Are you discussing art? Whether it’s the history of art, modern art or simply how art can be found in life, you’re in luck.

Our library of stock images can help you find the beautiful and artistic presentation images that you need to amplify your message. 

Showcase the exact types of art that you’re discussing in your presentation by sharing photos of it directly in your slideshow. You can use those photos as a background to your slide, as an accent that appears alongside your content or as the feature photo on a slide.

Art is such a visual concept anyways, that it should be fairly simple for you to find the perfect stock photography to match your information.

Browse through just a few handfuls of the photos that Visme’s presentation image library has to offer.

Click on the image gallery below to view art presentation images.

13 Travel Presentation Images

Our last section of presentation images for your slideshow needs covers travel presentations . If you’re a travel agent making a pitch or a digital nomad teaching others how to do the same, you need some stellar travel photos to show off.

Sharing photos from around the world is a huge incentive to get people on your side, listening to what you can teach them or do for them.

After all, who doesn’t love the idea of vacationing and traveling the world?

Find the perfect travel photos to pop into your presentation slides with Visme’s stock photo library. With hundreds of thousands of photos to choose from, you’re sure to find some beautiful travel presentation images that are perfect for your message.

Check out the gallery below to find a few that will fit perfectly in your next presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view travel presentation images.

How to Use These Presentation Images

So now that we’ve shown you over 700 of the thousands of presentation images we have available for free use, we know what you’re thinking.

How can you use these photos in a presentation? And furthermore, how can you use them and ensure your slides still look well designed ?

There are several different ways to use images in your presentations, so let’s go over how you can do these right in Visme’s presentation maker.

Color Overlay

A color overlay is a transparent color on top of a photo. These are great to use when you want to add a photo onto a slide for emphasis, but you still need to include text on the slide.

Because it tends to be difficult to see text directly on top of a bright, busy photo, a color overlay is a great way to soften the photo and ease it into the background.

You can create a color overlay in Visme by clicking the Filter setting, choosing your color and selecting the opacity percentage. Check out a few other photo filter options here .

Create an accent in your slide by using an accent photo. The photo can be in the corner of your slide, covering the top or bottom half, taking up the left or right side or even right in the middle of your slide with your content surrounding it.

You can easily create an accent photo by selecting your photo from our photo library or uploading your own, then sizing it and dragging it to the area you want to accentuate.

You can easily upload a background photo by clicking the slide background and selecting a photo from the stock image library.

If the photo doesn’t fit perfectly, you can drag it around to ensure the area that you want to be visible is shown in your slide.

When using a background image with no color overlay, it’s a good idea to choose a photo with a lot of white space. This allows you to add visuals to your presentation slide while also including copy from your slide content.

If you’ve found a photo that is partially perfect, don’t worry. You can quickly and easily crop photos directly in the Visme design dashboard so that you’re only showcasing the part of the image that you want to be visible on your slide.

To crop a photo, select the Crop setting and drag the corners until the area that you want to see is selected. Then click Apply .

Last, but not least, is our feature image.

If you’ve found a photo that conveys your messaging perfectly, but you don’t want any text to distract your audience, you can include it as a feature image on a slide.

All you do is upload it as a background image or resize it so it covers the entire screen and let your words speak for themselves.

Not every slide needs to have copy on it. You can include feature images every few slides so that your audience still has something engaging to look at while you continue speaking.

To learn even more about using images in your presentation design, check out this video from our Make Information Beautiful series:

Create Your Own Presentation

Ready to take charge of your next presentation? All you need are the right presentation images to engage your audience and help to illustrate your point.

Jump into our Visme design dashboard with one of these pre-designed presentation templates , input your content, choose your images and you’re ready to present!

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Chloe West is the content marketing manager at Visme. Her experience in digital marketing includes everything from social media, blogging, email marketing to graphic design, strategy creation and implementation, and more. During her spare time, she enjoys exploring her home city of Charleston with her son.

A Guide to Using Images and Photos For Powerpoint

No matter what industry you’re in, you’ll likely be tasked with creating PowerPoint presentations to use in meetings, for marketing, or as a standalone piece of sales collateral to hand off to a client. Whatever the context, a PowerPoint presentation allows you to share information in an easily digestible, visual format that informs the reader and brings your story to life. Presenting images alongside your text is a surefire way to make your slides more eye-catching, but it takes some finesse to give your audience information without the overload.

Creating an aesthetically pleasing PowerPoint can be a make-or-break deal, and the photos you use – along with the the right combination of colors, fonts and other graphic elements – can either convey professional credibility and inspiration, or be a jumbled mess that your audience won’t know how to decipher. In this guide, we’ll go over the best practices for using images in PowerPoint (or the slide deck program of your choice).

Tips for Presenting Images

Text, colors, and icons can’t always do the heavy lifting of a presentation on their own — using photos in PowerPoint will make your ideas feel more immediate, human, and relatable. Think about your key messages and your brand identity before adding images to your presentation. What story are you trying to tell? What audience are you trying to speak to?

Visuals are essential to creating an engaging presentation. Audiences will tune out if they see nothing but text.

Generally, you should focus on adding photos to your PowerPoint that support and emphasize your key statements, rather than overshadow or distract from them. Selecting more muted background images for presentation slides can also maintain the look, feel, and texture you desire without attracting too much focus.

Here, we’ve compiled a handy guide to the Do’s and Don’ts of PowerPoint presentation design and selecting the right images:

1. Use High Quality Photos

Nothing can tarnish your professional credibility quicker than seeing a blurry, pixelated image in your presentation. This is why adding high-resolution stock photography to your presentation is a must, and drawing from the wealth of professional photos available on a site like Noun Project will lend your slides an immediate air of professionalism.

Go to NounProject.com/photos and search for keywords related to your main idea. You can view specific collections like Diversity in Tech , Empowered Women , Students , and Hiking , and explore additional images by photographer as well.

When you’ve found a stock photo you like, be sure to download it in the resolution you want. Noun Project offers many photos for free in a lower resolution, but depending on how large your final presentation will be, you’ll want the highest resolution that can be expanded to fit your screen without pixelation. Always double check to make sure that the picture still looks crisp at full screen size.

Tip: Standard screen resolutions are 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high (and most default PowerPoint templates have these dimensions). Be sure your photo is at least the same dimension if you’re doing a full screen size to avoid pixelation.

2. Practice Consistency

Chances are, your entire presentation focuses on a single overarching idea and the photos you use should reflect that. In addition to finding the right subjects, pay attention to the other aesthetic qualities of the photos you bring in. Are they in a similar, complementary color scheme? Are they shot in similar environments for a consistent tone (e.g., sleek and corporate, rugged and outdoorsy, urban and gritty, or light and playful)?

Use images in PowerPoint that support and accentuate your theme and overall tone. The images you use throughout should complement each other without repeating or looking too dissimilar.

The most fail-proof way to ensure consistency is to draw from an individual photographer or a particular photo shoot. Stock photographers will often shoot several different angles, poses and variations from a single scene, so you can find just the right shot for each slide and remind your audience that this is all part of one cohesive message.

Noun Project organizes stock photos in collections from individual shoots, so almost any image you click on will have similar ones from the series available. Bear in mind, though, that you don’t want to use too many similar images — the more you can change scenes without shifting the tone, the better.

Adding photos to a presentation from the same photographer is the easiest way to keep it visually consistent. If you insert photos from the same shoot, just make sure you add enough variety so it doesn’t become repetitive. Pictured: Fitness photo collection by Jacob Lund.

Once you have your desired photos downloaded (and ideally put in the same folder in your hard drive), here’s how to add pictures to PowerPoint:

• Simply click and drag the picture file (as .JPG or .PNG) from your file finder window into the PowerPoint pane. You may see the “Design Ideas” toolbar pop up on the side of your pane, with different options you can try out to arrange visual elements.
• Alternatively, go to Insert > Pictures > Picture from file , and select the photo you want from your finder.

3. Avoid Photo Clutter

The photos you add to your PowerPoint should be presented one at a time, or minimally enough to maintain focus — too many photos can cause clutter and become distracting. You don’t want the photo to be the sole star of the show — you want it to support your statements and add emotional resonance to your messages.

There may, however, be occasions when you want to use multiple images that support a unifying topic: for example, steps in a process or different ways that customers can purchase your product.

If you ever want to add one or more smaller photos, rather than a large background image, here are a few rules of thumb:

• Crop the photos to the same size or shape: Having mixed dimensions makes the overall composition feel unbalanced. Whether you choose a square, rectangle, or circle shape for your photos, making them all the same size and shape will boost the scannability of your page.
• Group and align: Again, scannability is key. When you group the elements of your page together in an even and consistent way, people will visually register the pattern and can digest the content more quickly. For example, you may have three groupings that consist of an image, headline, and descriptive body text. Make sure that these elements are (1) clustered together so they form one unified thought, (2) grouped to match each other so they form a visual “rhythm” across the page with equal text sizes, line weights, and image dimensions, and (3) aligned and justified along the X or Y axis for legibility (in PowerPoint, select multiple objects and go to Arrange > Align to line them up along the same axis).
• If using different sized photos, fit them together into a cohesive shape . A binding element like a grid with solid lines will help the photos appear on the page like neatly fitted puzzle pieces. Again, keep overall alignment in mind — the more your content stays organized in tidy rows and columns, the more scannable it will be.

If you must use multiple photos, PowerPoint’s Design Ideas toolbar will give you options to array them in a neatly aligned grid. Focus on creating a tidy overarching shape to avoid the cluttered “collage” effect.

4. Choose Photos Over Clipart

Clipart has been nearly synonymous with PowerPoint and other programs since the ’90s, but unfortunately hasn’t evolved much with the times. While a piece of clipart from the web may encapsulate or accentuate your key themes, keep in mind these aesthetic considerations:

• Professional credibility is lost when your design looks “dated” or “cartoonish,” but gained when your presentation is sleek and modern.
• While aiming for visual consistency, also bear in mind that more muted and subtle visuals — from the photos you choose to the icons that illustrate your key points — help keep the focus on your words and ideas, rather than your visual aids
• If you want to add a more sleek, modernized look, browse Noun Project’s collection of over 3 million icons to find a corresponding set to include.

For a more polished and modern look, go for minimalist and visually consistent icons to accentuate key messages, rather than clipart.

Tip: The PowerPoint Add-In for Noun Project lets you search and pull in icons right there in the software without having to leave your workflow. Go to Insert > Add-Ins > Get Add-Ins and search for Noun Project. Once you open the Noun Project Add-In window and log in to your account, choose icons from the same collection to ensure that they’re visually consistent.

Find the Noun Project PowerPoint Add-In on NounProject.com or, from PowerPoint, go to Insert > Add-Ins > Get Add-Ins to search for Noun Project icons.

5. Don’t Use Watermarked Images

Even if it is small, a watermark can be distracting and, once spotted, can negatively impact your credibility. Be sure to use free photos and credit the photographer, or pay for the photos you use in your presentations to avoid the loss of credibility and trust that can occur when you use watermarked images.

Not sure what usage rights you have with an image? Let’s cover the basics of how to cite images in a presentation: Questions about fees, licenses, and usage rights are common, and citing images in a presentation is the standard expectation for free photos so that the photographer gets credit. Fortunately, Noun Project Photos provides a transparent model for photo usage and licensing — any free photo download is licensed under Creative Commons, which allows you to use the photo for noncommercial purposes, without creating derivatives, as long as you provide attribution to the photographer.

The “Basic Download” option will not only give you a free, CC-licensed image, but tell you exactly what attribution information you should include when you cite it. Once you click “Get This Photo,” you’ll see the image title and photographer name listed in a text box — simply copy the text and include it on your slide to properly cite the image.

Noun Project Photos provides a transparent licensing model in which photos are free to use with attribution under Creative Commons.

Your presentation may have a footer for notes, where such a citation could easily fit. If not, many presentations will have all the attributions listed on a final page. Under Creative Commons, both methods are acceptable.

6. Maintain Diversity in Photos

The truth is incontrovertible: representation matters. Stock photography — like much of the broader media and marketing landscape — has faced a chronic issue with only representing a particular sub-sect of the population, and more and more consumers have started to notice. At Noun Project, we’re dedicated to ensuring that the visual resources we share are inclusive, free from outdated stereotypes, and more accurately reflect the world we live in . Through initiatives like our Diversity in Tech and Empowered Women photo collections, we’re championing more equal and accurate representation in the world of stock photography.

Double-check the photos you’ve added to your presentation and ask yourself: Does this speak to the widest possible audience, or does it leave certain groups out of the picture?

Noun Project offers diverse, inclusive photos, so you can finally leave the stuffy corporate photo shoot in the past. Audiences want to see natural, non-posed, high-quality photos that better resemble day-to-day life.

7. Keep it Simple.

Finally, slides should be readable. The visual elements you choose should bolster the core message of each slide, rather than overshadowing it. Key things to watch out for are:

• Less text, more talk . Unless you’re handing off a comprehensive sales deck, you as the presenter should be doing the talking — not the words on the page. Focus on using short bullet points to extract main ideas and keywords, rather than numerous full sentences.
• Check your text size. Bigger is better (and with less text on the page, it should have more room to breathe). But don’t forget about hierarchy: there should be a clear distinction between headlines and supporting text.
• Check legibility . Are you using simple, legible text for body copy? Does the text appear clearly against the background? Up the contrast or find a more suitable background that doesn’t strain the eye.

Search for “Copy Space” photos to add to your presentation. The best background photos to add are those that have plenty of white space for you to add your own content. While bold, busy photographs might be the most visually striking, bear in mind that your text needs room to breathe. A quick Noun Project search for “Copy Space” will lead you to more minimal photographs that include this built-in space for text.

Search for photos with copy space to give your text legibility. Tip: If you need to set text against a more visually busy background, add a semi-transparent color block. Add a rectangle (Insert > Shapes > Rectangle) underneath your text, give it a black fill, but adjust the transparency until the text becomes clearer while leaving the photo visible.

Explore More Stock Photos for PowerPoint at Noun Project

Noun Project Photos features professionally-selected, inclusive, beautiful and affordable images created by a global community of photographers. We’ve curated our collection to put visual clichés and tired, outdated stereotypes to rest — so you can find stunning images for any project. With worry-free licenses, you’ll support photographers and have peace of mind with clear image usage rights, including model and property releases.

Explore the collection at thenounproject.com/photos/ and follow our blog for more tutorials about visual communication.

Marketing Communications Manager at Noun Project, Designer and Illustrator.

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Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Blog > Tips for good PowerPoint Presentations

Tips for good PowerPoint Presentations

08.14.21   •  #powerpoint #tips.

If you know how to do it, it's actually not that difficult to create and give a good presentation.

That's why we have some examples of good PowerPoint presentations for you and tips that are going to make your next presentation a complete success.

1. Speak freely

One of the most important points in good presentations is to speak freely. Prepare your presentation so well that you can speak freely and rarely, if ever, need to look at your notes. The goal is to connect with your audience and get them excited about your topic. If you speak freely, this is much easier than if you just read your text out. You want your audience to feel engaged in your talk. Involve them and tell your text in a vivid way.

2. Familiarize yourself with the technology

In order to be able to speak freely, it is important to prepare the text well and to engage with the topic in detail.

However, it is at least as important to familiarize yourself with the location’s technology before your presentation and to start your PowerPoint there as well. It is annoying if technical problems suddenly occur during your presentation, as this interrupts your flow of speech and distracts the audience from the topic. Avoid this by checking everything before you start your talk and eliminate any technical problems so that you can give your presentation undisturbed.

• Don't forget the charging cable for your laptop
• Find out beforehand how you can connect your laptop to the beamer. Find out which connection the beamer has and which connection your laptop has. To be on the safe side, take an adapter with you.
• Always have backups of your presentation. Save them on a USB stick and preferably also online in a cloud.
• Take a second laptop and maybe even your own small projector for emergencies. Even if it's not the latest model and the quality is not that good: better bad quality than no presentation at all.

3. Get the attention of your audience

Especially in long presentations it is often difficult to keep the attention of your audience. It is important to make your presentation interesting and to actively involve the audience. Try to make your topic as exciting as possible and captivate your audience.

Our tip: Include interactive polls or quizzes in your presentation to involve your audience and increase their attention. With the help of SlideLizard, you can ask questions in PowerPoint and your audience can easily vote on their own smartphone. Plus, you can even get anonymous feedback at the end, so you know right away what you can improve next time.

Here we have also summarized further tips for you on how to increase audience engagement.

4. Hold eye contact

You want your audience to feel engaged in your presentation, so it is very important to hold eye contact. Avoid staring only at a part of the wall or at your paper. Speak to your audience, involve them in your presentation and make it more exciting.

But also make sure you don't always look at the same two or three people, but address everyone. If the audience is large, it is often difficult to include everyone, but still try to let your eyes wander a little between your listeners and look into every corner of the room.

5. Speaking coherently

In a good presentation it is important to avoid jumping from one topic to the next and back again shortly afterwards. Otherwise your audience will not be able to follow you after a while and their thoughts will wander. To prevent this, it is important that your presentation has a good structure and that you work through one topic after the other.

Nervousness can cause even the best to mumble or talk too fast in order to get the presentation over with as quickly as possible. Try to avoid this by taking short pauses to collect yourself, to breathe and to remind yourself to speak slowly.

6. Matching colors

An attractive design of your PowerPoint is also an important point for giving good presentations. Make sure that your slides are not too colorful. A PowerPoint in which all kinds of colors are combined with each other does not look professional, but rather suitable for a children's birthday party.

Think about a rough color palette in advance, which you can then use in your presentation. Colors such as orange or neon green do not look so good in your PowerPoint. Use colors specifically to emphasize important information.

To create good PowerPoint slides it is also essential to choose colors that help the text to read well. You should have as much contrast as possible between the font and the background. Black writing on a white background is always easy to read, while yellow writing on a white background is probably hard to read.

7. Slide design should not be too minimalistic

Even though it is often said that "less is more", you should not be too minimalistic in the design of your presentation. A presentation where your slides are blank and only black text on a white background is likely to go down just as badly as if you use too many colors.

Empty presentations are boring and don't really help to capture the attention of your audience. It also looks like you are too lazy to care about the design of your presentation and that you have not put any effort into the preparation. Your PowerPoint doesn't have to be overflowing with colors, animations and images to make it look interesting. Make it simple, but also professional.

8. Write only key points on the slides

If you want to create a good presentation, it is important to remember that your slides should never be overcrowded. Write only the most important key points on your slides and never entire sentences. Your audience should not be able to read the exact text you are speaking in your PowerPoint. This is rather annoying and leads to being bored quickly. Summarize the most important things that your audience should remember and write them down in short bullet points on your presentation. Then go into the key points in more detail in your speech and explain more about them.

9. Do not overdo it with animations

Do never use too many animations. It looks messy, confusing and definitely not professional if every text and image is displayed with a different animation. Just leave out animations at all or if you really want to use them then use them only very rarely when you want to draw attention to something specific. Make sure that if you use animations, they are consistent. If you use transitions between the individual slides, these should also always be kept consistent and simple.

10. Use images

Pictures and graphics in presentations are always a good idea to illustrate something and to add some variety. They help keep your audience's attention and make it easier to remember important information. But don't overdo it with them. Too many pictures can distract from your presentation and look messy. Make sure the graphics also fit the content and, if you have used several images on one slide, ask yourself if you really need all of them.

11. Choose a suitable font

Never combine too many fonts so that your presentation does not look messy. Use at most two: one for headings and one for text. When choosing fonts, you should also make sure that they are still legible at long distances. Script, italic and decorative fonts are very slow to read, which is why they should be avoided in presentations.

It is not so easy to choose the right font. Therefore, we have summarized for you how to find the best font for your PowerPoint presentation.

12. Do not use images as background

In a good presentation it is important to be able to read the text on the slides easily and quickly. Therefore, do not use images as slide backgrounds if there is also text on them. The picture only distracts from the text and it is difficult to read it because there is not much contrast with the background. It is also harder to see the image because the text in the foreground is distracting. The whole thing looks messy and distracting rather than informative and clear.

13. Never read out the text from your slides

Never just read the exact text from your slides. Your audience can read for themselves, so they will only get bored and in the worst case it will lead to "Death by PowerPoint". You may also give them the feeling that you think they are not able to read for themselves. In addition, you should avoid whole sentences on your slides anyway. List key points that your audience can read along. Then go into more detail and explain more about them.

14. Don't turn your back

Never turn around during your presentation to look at your projected PowerPoint. Not to read from your slides, but also not to make sure the next slide is already displayed. It looks unprofessional and only distracts your audience.

In PowerPoint's Speaker View, you can always see which slide is currently being displayed and which one is coming next. Use this to make sure the order fits. You can even take notes in PowerPoint, which are then displayed during your presentation. You can read all about notes in PowerPoint here.

15. Do not forget about the time

In a good presentation, it is important to always be aware of the given time and to stick to it. It is annoying when your presentation takes much longer than actually planned and your audience is just waiting for you to stop talking or you are not able to finish your presentation at all. It is just as awkward if your presentation is too short. You have already told everything about your topic, but you should actually talk for at least another ten minutes.

Practice your presentation often enough at home. Talk through your text and time yourself as you go. Then adjust the length so that you can keep to the time given on the day of your presentation.

16. Avoid a complicated structure

The structure of a good presentation should not be complicated. Your audience should be able to follow you easily and remember the essential information by the end. When you have finished a part, briefly summarize and repeat the main points before moving on to the next topic. Mention important information more than once to make sure it really gets across to your audience.

However, if the whole thing gets too complicated, it can be easy for your audience to disengage after a while and not take away much new information from your presentation.

17. Choose appropriate clothes

On the day of your presentation, be sure to choose appropriate clothing. Your appearance should be formal, so avoid casual clothes and stick to professional dress codes. When choosing your clothes, also make sure that they are rather unobtrusive. Your audience should focus on your presentation, not on your appearance.

18. Adapt your presentation to your audience

Think about who your audience is and adapt your presentation to them. Find out how much they already know about the topic, what they want to learn about it and why they are here in the first place. If you only talk about things your audience already knows, they will get bored pretty soon, but if you throw around a lot of technical terms when your audience has hardly dealt with the topic at all, they will also have a hard time following you. So to give a successful and good presentation, it is important to adapt it to your audience.

You can also ask a few questions at the beginning of your presentation to learn more about your audience and then adapt your presentation. With SlideLizard , you can integrate polls directly into your PowerPoint and participants can then easily answer anonymously from their smartphone.

19. Mention only the most important information

Keep it short and limit yourself to the essentials. The more facts and information you present to your audience, the less they will remember.

Also be sure to leave out information that does not fit the topic or is not relevant. You will only distract from the actual topic and lose the attention of your audience. The time your audience can concentrate and listen with attention is rather short anyway, so don't waste it by telling unimportant information.

20. Talk about your topic in an exciting way

Tell compelling and exciting stories to make your presentation really good. If you speak in a monotone voice all the time, you are likely to lose the attention of your audience. Make your narration lively and exciting. Also, be careful not to speak too quietly, but not too loudly either. People should be able to understand you well throughout the whole room. Even if it is not easy for many people, try to deliver your speech with confidence. If you are enthusiastic about the topic yourself, it is much easier to get your audience excited about it.

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About the author.

Helena Reitinger

Helena supports the SlideLizard team in marketing and design. She loves to express her creativity in texts and graphics.

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• Presentations

30 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Make Good PPT Slides in 2024 (+ 6 Expert Tips)

• Bahasa Indonesia

Here are 30 quick PowerPoint presentation tips to help you improve your presentations. 

Plus, get PowerPoint tips on changing your slide design to make your content shine. We've even called on six presentation experts for their best tips.

How to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation (Watch & Learn)

This screencast is a speed round of my very favorite PowerPoint tricks. It's a great resource to learn how to make a presentable PowerPoint. I'll walk you through ten of my favorite PowerPoint tips and tricks to create a better presentation.

Keep reading for an illustrated version of these good PPT tips (and more) that you can use to improve your PowerPoint presentations. You'll see 30 of our favorite PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks, including techniques to update slide master PowerPoint 2024 designs.

Jump to content in this section:

• How Do You Give a Memorable PPT Presentation?
• Practice Makes Perfect
• Adapt Your Presentation to the Audience
• Use a Custom Font
• Use Contrast
• Avoid Too Many Animations
• Use the Rule of Three
• Use a Custom PPT Theme Design
• Make Use of Charts and Graphs
• Use the Built-in Slide Layouts
• Align Text Consistently
• Make Your Exports User-Friendly
• Try a Different Color Scheme
• Edit Slide Masters for Consistency
• Use the Alignment Feature
• Use Stock Assets
• Reduce Your Content
• Rethink Your Slide Order
• Use PowerPoint Animations
• Invite Collaborators
• Add Supporting Video Clips
• Use Infographic Templates
• Use Impactful Closing Techniques
• Include Data in the Appendix
• Alternate Between Solid Color and White Slides
• Present Information With Maps
• Keep the Design Best Practices in Mind
• Set a Time Limit
• Test Your Content Everywhere

30 Tips: How to Make Good PowerPoint Presentation Designs Fast in 2024

A few tried and true tips can help you speed up your PowerPoint presentation design. Check out 30 of my favorite PowerPoint tips to do just that. Each of these give you PowerPoint slideshow help to create good PowerPoint slides:

1. How Do You Give a Memorable PPT Presentation?

If you're learning the top PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks, you're probably asking yourself: how do I give a presentation that won't be forgotten?

We all want to be remembered. The best PowerPoint slideshow help to make a mark on the audience. There are tried-and-true ways to do just that, and expert Neil Tomlinson shares expertise on being remembered:

Get your main point into the presentation as early as possible (this avoids any risk of audience fatigue or attention span waning), then substantiate your point with facts, figures etc and then reiterate your point at the end in a ‘Summary’.

2. Practice Makes Perfect

Also, don’t forget to practice your presentation. Go through your slide deck a few times to make sure you know it like the back of your hand when the big day arrives. Doing so helps you feel more confident. It'll reduce any anxiety and nervousness you might feel as the presentation day approaches.

What's the best way to rehears for a good PowerPoint? Here's one of the top PowerPoint presentation tips from expert presenter Sandra Zimmer :

Once slides are ready, practice one slide at a time aloud until you feel like you know it and like the flow of speech. Be willing to change anything that does not feel in flow. At the end of learning all your slides, practice the whole talk.

If you want even more great PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks, check out the following post:

3. Adapt Your Presentation to the Audience

Let's say that you're a seasoned presenter with a pretty standard set of presentation topics. Maybe you're an expert in your field, and you're asked to give a PPT presentation frequently on similar topics.

That's the value of being an expert. You might have a standard spiel that you give your audiences, and your content won't totally change from one presentation to another. That's why it helps to make only slight tweaks to adapt your presentation to each audience.

Leading presentation expert Suzannah Baum offered up this advice:

Different audiences will have different needs and different challenges, which requires me to re-sequence the slides, or create new ones. I tend to do a lot of research on my audiences – via surveys, interviews, and conversations with the hiring manager – to help me better understand what information would be most relevant to them.

How do you adapt to your audience? Here are a few more tips:

• Learn about them. If you're asked to speak, talk to the curator of the presentation to learn more about the audience and their background.
• Ask about them! With contact details, send out a survey or a response link to ask for feedback and preparation info. Ask leading questions like "what do you want to learn?"
• Consider the environment.  If you're presenting via Zoom, your style will differ from presenting in person. The key is to acknowledge the difference and adapt to your environment.

Learn everything you can about your audience. Learning how to make a presentable PowerPoint is all about thinking of the recipient, not the presenter!

4. Use a Custom Font

A PowerPoint presentation tip that'll make your slideshow more interesting and more engaging is to use a custom font.

Fonts set the tone for your presentation. So, when you use a premium font, you’re opting for a high-quality font while also adding a personal or creative touch. 

When choosing a font, remember that you want everyone to read your text easily. 

5. Use Contrast

One PowerPoint trick is to use contrast to make some of your text stand out or make it easier to read.

If you’re putting text over an image on our PowerPoint slide, you may need to use a white box with black text in it to make your text easier to read. You can also use contrasting colors to highlight important text.

6. Avoid Too Many Animations

Another PowerPoint tip is to avoid having too many animations or transitions.

When you've got too many animations, it can be distracting to the audience. It’s not only distracting, but it's unprofessional.

It’s best to stick to one or two animations throughout your presentation. Also, if you've got any animations in your presentation, make sure to test them to see if they work before presenting.

7. Add Audio

Include audio on a slide on PowerPoint to increase audience engagement. Audio can be anything from fun sound effects to interview clips. You can even add an audio clip of your voice.

Audio gives you a break from speaking while also engaging the audience. Envato Elements has hundreds of premium audio clips if you want to add some.

8. Use the Rule of Three

One PowerPoint tip and trick is to follow the rules of PowerPoint.

One of those rules is the rule of three. It's where you start by dividing your presentation into thirds. Everything should come in thirds, so if you use bullet points, you should only have three. If you use icons, you should only have three.

When things come in threes, it's easier to remember them. For more information, read this informative article:

9. Use a Custom PPT Theme Design

Above all, consistently use custom PowerPoint themes. Microsoft has built-in themes that you can use for free, sure. But the premium themes that are on Envato Elements   are a major step-up from PowerPoint's built-in themes. 

When you subscribe to Envato Elements, you'll have access to unlimited downloads of all the PowerPoint themes. Right now, Envato Elements has almost 4,000 PowerPoint themes and that number is always growing. You'll learn tips for a good PowerPoint presentation by using the best templates.

10. Make Use of Charts and Graphs

Illustrate your data with the use of charts and graphs. Not only will you be able to make your presentation more visually appealing, but you'll also help your audience remember the information better.

Many PowerPoint templates already include chart and graph elements. Easily customize them to make your data and stats more interesting and easier to understand.

Want to learn more about how to use data? Turn to expert Adrienne J ohnston , a presentation professional:

When it comes to visualizing data in presentations, we have to remember that our audience does not need all the fine details of the data - they need the main takeaway and we need to make sure that's evident to them when looking at the slide.

11. Use the Built-in Slide Layouts

Inside of PowerPoint themes, you'll find layouts , which are custom slide designs.

Most themes include a selection of content layouts that you can use as a starting point for your own slide designs. You can leverage slide master PowerPoint 2024 designs with the help of layouts.

Layouts are like a starting point for your PowerPoint presentation slides. They contain combinations of placeholders for text boxes, images, and more.

Instead of clicking and drawing individual objects onto the slide, use one of these layouts to start your slide off. It's one of the top PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks to save time.

12. Align Text Consistently

When you're working with text on your slide, it helps to ensure that it aligns consistently. Keeping your text aligned in the same orientation really makes a slide look clean. 

In the example below, I've basically got three text boxes:

• list of bulleted points

Notice that all this text is aligned left. 

Aligning text was the " aha " moment that I learned when I started studying slide design. It's one of those steps that makes a slide look much neater and professional, so keep it in mind when designing.

13. Make Your Exports User-Friendly

No matter how great your PowerPoint presentation slides look, you need to think about how your user will use the presentation file. 

Any of these are likely scenarios if you're regularly sending presentations to other users:

• The viewer may not have PowerPoint installed on their computer.
• The recipient may be using a version of PowerPoint that renders the presentation differently.
• Maybe you don't want the user to be able to make any edits or see your notes in the presentation file.

In this case, my favorite tip is to export the presentation as a PDF. To do that, go to File > Export > Create PDF , and then save your presentation as a PDF.

This is sure to help most of your users see the presentation just the way you intended.

14. Try a Different Color Scheme

Many PowerPoint themes have more than one color scheme that you can apply to your presentation. On the Design  tab, click on the drop-down next to Themes to try out a different color scheme.

Typically, these will restyle your entire presentation. Premium themes that you might get from Envato Elements, for example, may have many versions inside the original presentation zip file.

15. Edit Slide Masters for Consistency

The slide master controls the design for your PowerPoint slide. Instead of making the same change to each slide, apply a change to a slide master. It'll affect all the PowerPoint presentation slides that use the same master.

It's ideal to apply a logo to the slide master itself, for example. This keeps the logo the same size and in the same position on each slide.

To do that, go to View > Slide Master.  On the right side, you're likely to see a variety of slide masters that control designs for many slides. Drop the elements that you want to remain consistent onto one of the slide masters.

16. Use the Alignment Feature

PowerPoint presentation slides look better when the objects on them are in line with one another. There's a certain visual rhythm that occurs when objects line up in the center or along certain boundary lines.

When you start dragging objects on your slide, you'll see guiding lines that pop up. These are very intuitive, and you'll likely notice that they help you line up your objects. You might seem them pop up when you've got a box that's equidistant between two other objects on the slide, for example.

This is one of the best tricks for improving the look of your PowerPoint slide. Spend some time making sure that your key elements line up cohesively.

17. Use Stock Assets

Earlier, I mentioned using Envato Elements to grab PowerPoint themes. But there's more that comes with an Envato Elements subscription for presentations.

That includes a wide variety of stock photos, graphics,  and custom designed fonts  that you can use in your presentation. Instead of reusing the same stock photo or clip art, Envato Elements has everything you need to supplement a presentation. 

Again, Envato Elements is the perfect subscription if you build presentations. It's a one-stop-shop that you can use to fill content.

18. Reduce Your Content

There's nothing that makes an audience tune out faster than being overloaded with slide content. Sometimes we try to make so many points that the audience misses all of them due to information overload.

Less is truly more. When you cut the weaker points of your presentation, the audience's attention will follow your key points accordingly.

It seems like cheating, but one of the best steps that you can take for your slide is to simply reduce the number of items that are on it. Convert some of your typed points to things you'll speak verbally.

19. Rethink Your Slide Order

Sometimes, I find that my presentations are out of order. I might spend too much time explaining my decision before I get to the conclusion.

In these cases, I like to use Slide Sorter View  to re-sequence the slides in my presentation. To access this view, go to View > Slide Sorter  on PowerPoint's ribbon.

From Slide Sorter view, you've got a top-down view of all the slides in your presentation deck. It sometimes becomes obvious that the slides can be reordered into a better sequence from this view.

20. Use PowerPoint Animations 

One of my favorite PowerPoint presentation tips is to complement your major points with a bit of animation. Using animation can bring a key point onto your slide with style!

Check out ten of the best PowerPoint tips for how to use animation from expert Sven Lenaerts below:

21. Invite Collaborators

Building a presentation often benefits from a second set of eyes. That's why it helps so much to invite a collaborator to work with you side-by-side in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Pushing your presentation up to OneDrive and inviting collaborators is easy. Thanks to the cloud-based approach, more than one user can edit a slide deck in real time. Learn how to do that in the tutorial below:

22. Add Supporting Video Clips

Building impactful presentations is all about adding other perspectives and angles to the content. One of my favorite ways to do that is to add a video clip. Maybe that's a production that you built on your own or found on sites like YouTube.

Either way, learn how to add and auto play a video clip in the quick tip below:

23. Use Infographic Templates

More presentations than ever will feature visuals that tell stories with data. But it's easy for an audience become overwhelmed with data. 

That's where infographics come into play. Learn to use them in PowerPoint in the tutorial below:

24. Use Impactful Closing Techniques

I've sat through many presentations in my life. I can only remember a few that really stick out, thanks to techniques that highlighted key points. You need PowerPoint tips and tricks that help leave your audience with an impact.

To do just that, make sure you use some of the techniques highlighted in the article below:

To do that, just drag and drop the thumbnails into the order you want. When you return to Normal view, the PowerPoint presentation slides will be in the resequenced order you set here.

25. Include Data in the Appendix

Many PowerPoint presentations include data in the form of charts and graphs. That means that you'll condense specifics into a few easy-to-follow charts.

But what if your audience wants more of the backing details? Maybe they want to validate and review the detail for themselves. In that case, a   set of  appendix slides  with extra data is sure to help.

Appendix slides are included at the end of a presentation deck for backup purposes. You might not present them, but your audience is certain to appreciate that you included them. That helps your presentation continue to be useful even after you leave the room.

Here's a great tip from: pro presenter  Graeme Thomas of Johnny F Designs:

If (my clients) are sending the deck straight to clients however, I would then put all the information on the slides but will often use more slides so that they aren't too cluttered. In cases where there is a lot of content, like financial statements, I would use  appendix slides.

Including an appendix helps your audience understand data  without  overwhelming them with that data. Follow these tips so that you get the best of both worlds.

26. Alternate Between Solid Color and White Slides

Alternating between solid color and slides with a white background can produce an interesting visual effect and engage your audience. You can use the solid-colored slides to signify a new section in your presentation.

Not to mention, solid-colored slides are the perfect way to re-enforce your brand colors and build your brand recognition.

27. Present Information With Maps

If you’re trying to make a case for a global expansion or need to report on how other branches are performing, consider using a map to help your audience visualize the data.

There's no shortage of quality PowerPoint templates with maps built in so be sure to take advantage of them.

28. Keep the Design Best Practices in Mind

The design of your presentation matters just as much as the content of your presentation. That’s why you need to devote an equal amount of time to making sure the design of your presentation is on point as you do to the actual content.

Familiarize yourself with best design practices and keep them in mind as you go about customizing your template.

29. Set a Time Limit

How many slides is the right number for you? Well, it all depends on the time limit you set for your presentation.

Believe it or not, setting a time limit is helpful to create good PowerPoint slides. If you want to learn how to make a presentable PowerPoint, it's a must to lock in the time limit and ensure that your slides support that timeframe. 

Expert presenter Stephanie Ottavan offers one of our top tips for a good PowerPoint presentation based on time limits:

A presenter is usually limited to a specific time frame and you want to adhere to that as closely as you can. If you have animations and transitions in your deck, these take added time so make sure to rehearse in “show mode” of PowerPoint or Keynote and time yourself.

Believe it or not, setting a time frame is one of the most important part of creating a PPT presentation. It helps you influence how many good PowerPoint slides you should design.

30. Test Your Content Everywhere

PowerPoint in 2024 could take place anywhere. Maybe you present, online, in-person, or beam it to mobile devices. It's important to remember that the content will appear differently on each device.

PowerPoint Online is a different medium than many other apps. Make sure that your presentation design appears the same by testing it with the help of this tutorial. It shows you how your PPT presentation appears even in a browser:

Discover Great Premium PowerPoint Templates With Google Slides (For 2024)

Creating a great presentation starts with a great template. And a great PowerPoint slide design use the best presentation practices, for example:

• Use high-quality photos and graphics to help tell the story.
• Keep text to a minimum.
• Stick to one idea per slide.

Designing a great template doesn’t mean you've got to start from scratch, though. Take a look at some of the best PowerPoint templates we've got on Envato Elements.

1. Neo PowerPoint Template

The Neo PowerPoint template features a modern and bold design and includes five color variations to get you started. Along with this, you'll also get 10 master slides and 30 individual slides for all your presentation needs.

2. Vexana PowerPoint Template

The Vexana template is a great choice for brands that need a touch of elegance. This template works with PowerPoint and Google Slides and comes with a grand total of 150 slides. It also has five color variations and includes infographic elements and photo placeholders.

3. Sprint PowerPoint Template

The Sprint PowerPoint template features a professional and modern design. The template is easy to customize. You'll find 20 masters in the standard 4:3 size, allowing you to choose the best layout for your information.

4. Travelicious PowerPoint Template

For any presentation that deals with the topic of travel, check out the Travelicious template. This template is compatible with both PowerPoint and Google Slides. It includes three premade color variations as well as 30 unique slides.

 As you can see from the examples above, there's no shortage of beautiful and professional PowerPoint slide designs on Envato Elements . What’s more, Envato Elements allows you to download as many PowerPoint templates as you want. Plus, get thousands of other design assets such as fonts, photos, and icons—all for one low monthly price.

Want to see even more great PowerPoint template examples? Be sure to check out our related roundup:

Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)

We've got the perfect complement to this tutorial. You can find more information in our eBook on making great presentations . Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. 

It'll help you master the presentation process from initial creative ideas through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

PowerPoint Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Now that you’ve read about PowerPoint tips and tricks, if you want to learn more about PowerPoint, here are some FAQs:

1. What Is a Placeholder?

Placeholders in your slide on PowerPoint help you easily add text or images to your slide without changing your design.

In a template, sometimes the placeholders have prompts such as “Click to insert a picture” or “Click to add text.” These prompts let you know what kind of placeholder it is. To learn more about placeholders, read this article: 

2. How Can I Automatically Play a Video?

A PowerPoint tip is to insert an automatically played video in your presentation. When you've got a video that'll play automatically, it saves you the trouble of starting your video manually.

Videos can illustrate topics or specific points. They're also a great way to keep your audience engaged. If you want to learn how to play a video automatically, read this tutorial:

3. How Can I Add a Map to my Slide?

Another PowerPoint trick is to add a map to your slide. If you're discussing a specific location, then a map can help your audience visualize the location you're presenting. To learn how to add a map to your PowerPoint slide, read this tutorial:

4. How Do I Add a GIF to My Presentation?

Adding a GIF to your slide on PowerPoint is one way you can grab your audience's attention. To add a GIF to your slide, you’ll need to download a GIF.

Once you download it, upload it into PowerPoint and use it on your slide. For more information about how to add a GIF to your slide on PowerPoint, read this article:

5. Can I Recover My Unsaved Presentation?

Another PowerPoint trick is to learn how to recover unsaved PowerPoint files so that you can be prepared in case of an emergency. If you want to learn more, read this tutorial:

Learn More About How to Make Presentable PowerPoints

These quick PowerPoint Presentation tips are some of my favorite ways to rapidly improve a presentation. Keeping them in mind while you build a presentation can help you build a deck that you'll be confident about presenting.

Check out these tutorials to keep learning more about PowerPoint. These tutorials will give you more ideas for fixing up your PowerPoint presentation slides efficiently:

Find More Templates

Didn't see a template you like? Here are some more:

Use These PPT Presentation Tips on Your Next Presentation

Now that you've studied some of our best PowerPoint tips, it's time to put them to use. Download one of our top-notch PowerPoint themes from Envato Elements to get started. These PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks give you confidence to make you a skilled presenter.

Editorial Note : This post was first published in February of 2019. Our staff updates this post regularly — adding new, exciting PowerPoint tips and templates (with special help from Brenda Barron , Andrew Childress and Sarah Joy ).

Category 9 minutes read

10 creative ideas for presentations

December 8, 2022

Ready to step up your presentation game? Let’s talk about creative ideas for presentations so you can deliver killer presentations every time. Whether you’re preparing a pitch deck for potential investors or onboarding new hires, you’ll need an engaging presentation to keep your audience interested. That’s right: even if you’re already a pro at public speaking, creative Powerpoint presentations can instantly upgrade your next meeting.

So, what’s the secret to creative presentations? You don’t have to spend hours on every slide, but you should design your slides to impact your audience. Well designed slides can add more power to your words, and they can make you feel more confident during presentations.

Why should you make presentations?

Creative ideas for presentations might not be easy to come by, but they’re important. Why? Presentations are all about storytelling. From business ideas to online classes, presentations offer a unique opportunity to inspire, educate, and persuade your audience.

At the same time, they’re an incredibly flexible (and cost-effective!) communication tool. Even if you’re using presentation design templates , you’ll have the flexibility to tweak the design based on your needs. This way, you can create presentations for different audiences—all while easily adding and removing information to pique your listeners’ interest.

Types of presentation slides

There are all kinds of creative ideas for presentations, but they ultimately serve a few similar purposes. Before diving into presentation design, you’ll need to choose the right slides. Remember: you need well designed slides to leave a lasting impact on your audience. Not only that, but your slides should be visually impactful, easy to understand, and convey key information in just a few words.

So, how can you choose the best slides for your next presentation? Here are some of the most common slides to inspire your presentation design.

Informative presentations

Informative presentations are educational, concise, and straight to the point. While other presentations might entertain or inspire their audience, informative presentations share information to educate their audience.

For example, you might create informative slides during an onboarding program. During new hire onboarding, HR needs to explain what benefits employees will receive, how to file complaints, where employees can find information, and other important hiring details.

Educational presentations

While informative presentations are typically used in the business world, educational presentations are usually used in academics. They’re a great communication tool for sharing ideas, detailing study results, or presenting a hypothesis.

In both in-person and online classrooms, teachers give educational presentations daily. Using beautiful presentation slides, eye-catching visuals, and fun design elements can help keep students interested while conveying key information.

Progress reports

Your business builds a new marketing strategy to achieve its long-term goals. After the newest marketing campaign starts driving results, it’s time to report on the campaign’s progress. Progress report presentations share updates, progress toward deadlines, collected data, and potential areas of improvement.

Inspirational presentations

One of the biggest examples of inspirational presentations? TEDTalks. During TEDTalks, motivational speakers inspire people to rethink their approach or change their behavior.

Most inspirational presentations aren’t as life-changing as TEDTalks, but they keep their audience engaged. For example, a company overview presentation might present information about a company, from its origins to values. Most importantly, it tells the company’s story to show listeners what the company stands for.

Infographic presentations

Whether you’re reporting marketing stats or presenting study results, infographics can be your MVP.

Simply put, an infographic is a multimedia graphic that helps you share information through beautiful designs. It’s an amazing tool for highlighting key statistics, visualizing data, and flexing your creative muscles to spark your audience’s curiosity.

Top 10 unique presentation ideas

Right, so let’s get to our creative ideas for presentations section. Most people tune out of presentations within the first 10 minutes . You need an engaging presentation that keeps your audience hooked, but finding creative ideas for presentations isn’t always easy.

The good news? Whether you’re presenting your master thesis or marketing analytics, it’s possible to create exciting presentations that don’t put your audience to sleep. Here are the best creative Powerpoint ideas to upgrade your next presentation.

1. Channel your inner minimalist

When it comes to unique presentation ideas, minimalism is one of the best ways to make an impact. The key to minimalist design is including just enough information and visual detail to keep your audience engaged. When done right, minimalist presentation slides can make your audience feel relaxed and focused.

2. Use a monochrome color palette

A monochrome color palette uses a single hue with different strengths. For example, you might create a presentation with different shades of orange. For the best results, change the background color to the palest shade, and use the strongest shade for the title. You can even make your photos match by adding an orange-tinted filter.

3. Tell an amazing story

If you want to leave a lasting impact on your audience, storytelling is the tool you need to create a memorable presentation. Sharing personal stories, whether they’re funny or inspirational, can help you connect with your audience and make your presentation more meaningful.

4. Make an impact with bold fonts

Want to draw your audience’s attention to the slide title? Use a bold, chunky font to make your title stand out (bonus points if your title is short, sweet, and straight to the point). The best presentation fonts are easy to read with minimal visual decorations and sharp corners.

5. Experiment with different textures

Mix up your presentation design with different textures, like scrunched paper or textile backgrounds. Here, you might experiment with different types of backgrounds to match your topic. For example, if you’re creating a back-to-school presentation , use notebook paper to match your student’s note-taking style.

6. Use a geometric background

A geometric background can add a pop of color to your presentation without distracting your audience. If you’re feeling bold, use dynamic titled polygons to create movement. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a softer vibe, use circular backgrounds to infuse your slides with creativity.

7. Explain complex concepts with mind maps

Presenting study results? Reporting marketing stats? Instead of playing it safe with snore-worthy slides, keep your presentation fresh with mind maps. By creating mind maps, you’ll be able to showcase complicated information in a visually impactful way.

8. Engage your audience with questions

Make your presentation more interactive by asking questions to your audience. For example, to keep your slides minimal, try displaying only the question on the slide. Once the audience has pitched in their opinions and answers, you can click to the next slide to reveal the actual answer.

9. Stay on brand

Once you’ve captured your audience’s attention, you need a consistent design to keep everyone on the same page. When designing your slides, use your brand’s style guidelines to choose the right color scheme, font styles, and design elements.

10. Replace bullet points with fun design elements

Let’s face it: bullet points can get boring, especially if you’re using them on every slide. Instead of using the same design over and over, create fun slides by replacing boring bullet points with fun designs, like icons, stickers, and pictograms.

Apply creative ideas for presentations through Picsart

Now that we’ve learned all about creative ideas for presentations, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. An amazing presentation can bring your story to life, helping you keep your audience engaged with pro-grade slides.

Even if you’re not a seasoned designer, you can add fun design elements, bold color palettes, and attention-grabbing visuals with Picsart. Here’s how to bring your creative vision to life with a professional slideshow.

On the web:

1. Open the Picsart Slideshow Maker and start a new project.

2. Choose the desired size for your slideshow. Then, click Upload to upload your own photo or video.

Or, you can explore photos and videos from the Picsart library.

3. After you’ve picked your favorite design, click Text on the left panel sidebar to add text to your slide.

4. To add music, click Audio to explore our library of #FreeToUse music.

5. Click the + button on the right panel sidebar to add a new slide.

6. When you’re finished, click Export , choose the image quality and file type, and download your slideshow.

1. Open the Picsart app and tap on the plus sign (+) to start a new project. 2. Scroll down to Video and choose Slideshow . Then, choose the pictures you’d like to include in your slideshow. Or, you can tap Search to explore the Picsart photo library. 3. After you’ve picked your photos, tap Next .

4. Choose your desired slideshow size and add transition effects to your slides. 5. Upgrade your slideshow with fun effects, music, text, and stickers to engage your audience.

Create at the Speed of Culture

Picsart is a photo and video editing platform and creative community. A top 20 most downloaded app worldwide with over 150 million monthly active users, its AI-powered tools enable creators of all levels to design, edit, draw, and share content anywhere. The platform has amassed one of the largest open-source content collections in the world, including photos, stickers, backgrounds, templates, and more. Used by consumers, marketers, content creators and businesses , Picsart tools fulfill both personal and professional design needs. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app or start editing on web today, and upgrade to Gold for premium perks!

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How To Compress Images in PowerPoint

• August 14, 2024
• Image Optimization

Adding images to your PowerPoint presentations can make your message more impactful and your ideas clearer.

However, large image files can quickly increase the size of your PowerPoint, making it harder to share and slower to open. To avoid this, compress images in PowerPoint to reduce file size without sacrificing quality.

In this guide, we’ll explore several methods to compress all pictures in your PowerPoint presentation.

Table of Contents

Use ShortPixel before adding the images to PowerPoint

For best results, consider compressing images before inserting them into PowerPoint using ShortPixel’s online image compression tool .

This service allows you to optimize images, reducing their size while maintaining high quality.

Here’s how you can use ShortPixel:

Step 1: Upload and optimize the images

To upload your images to ShortPixel , simply drag and drop them into the blue selection area, or click the area to select images from your computer. Once uploaded, ShortPixel will optimize the images, often reducing their size by up to 90% while maintaining minimal quality loss.

Step 2: Download the compressed images

After compression, you can download the optimized images by clicking the download icon beneath each image or the red download button.

Step 3: Insert the compressed images into PowerPoint

Navigate to Insert > Pictures > This Device , browse, and select the optimized images to insert into your PowerPoint presentation to ensure a smaller file size and smoother performance.

Compress images in PowerPoint using built-in tools

Although not as efficient as using a specialized tool like ShortPixel, the easiest method to compress images in PowerPoint is by using the built-in compression tool.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Insert the image(s)

To start, insert the image(s) you want to compress into your PowerPoint presentation. Go to the Insert tab, select Pictures , and then choose your image from your device, stock images, or the internet.

Step 2: Select the image, go to the Picture Format tab, and compress

Click on the image. To select multiple images, hold down the Shift key and click on each image, or use Ctrl for non-consecutive selections. Then navigate to the Picture Format tab in PowerPoint. Doble-clicking the image should also redirect to this tab. Here, click Compress Pictures .

Step 3: Adjust compression options

In the Compress Pictures dialog box, adjust the settings according to your needs:

• Target output : Select “ Print (220 ppi)” for high-quality prints or “ Web (150 ppi) ” for onscreen presentations, which reduces file size more significantly.
• Delete cropped areas of pictures : Check this box to remove unused portions of the images, which helps reduce the file size further.
• Apply to selected pictures only : Check this if you want to compress only the selected image(s). Leave unchecked to compress all images in the presentation.

Step 4: Apply the compression

Finally, click “OK” to apply the compression settings. PowerPoint will automatically compress the images based on your preferences.

Best practices for reducing PowerPoint file size

Besides optimizing images, you can improve your file-saving process by following some best practices:

• Delete unused slides and elements: First, remove any slides that aren’t essential. Additionally, PowerPoint files may contain hidden or unused data that can bloat the file size. Go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document and remove any unnecessary information. To significantly reduce file size, consider removing Off-Slide Content and Invisible On-Side Content . These options delete elements that are present outside the visible slide area, or hidden elements that still contribute to the overall file size.

• Use appropriate file formats: JPEGs are suitable for photographs, while PNGs are better for images with transparent backgrounds or simple graphics. GIFs are ideal for simple animations or small icons.
• Consider vector graphics: For logos, icons, and illustrations, vector graphics are scalable without loss of quality. PowerPoint supports SVG files, making them a great choice for crisp and lightweight visuals.
• Convert and optimize videos: If your presentation includes videos, converting them to formats like MP4 and compressing them before inserting them to your slides can save space.
• Limit the number of images: Overloading slides with images can be counterproductive. Use images only when necessary to maintain audience focus and reduce file size.

Compressing images is an essential step in creating efficient and professional PowerPoint presentations.

Whether you use a service like ShortPixel, or PowerPoint’s built-in tools, compressing your images will help you manage file sizes effectively.

With these methods, you can maintain high visual quality without compromising performance, keeping your audience engaged and focused on your content.

Go unlimited with ShortPixel!

Optimize media files effortlessly, with no restrictions or limitations.

Andrei Alba

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