Images from PPT 2003 (PC) not shown correctly in 2008 (OS X)

[helgew]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi,

we are experiencing problems with images pasted into powerpoint presentations in Windows. While the dimensions of the images are shown correctly when selecting the image on the OS X side, the image itself is shown much smaller and slightly distorted in size.

thanks,
h.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Hi,

we are experiencing problems with images pasted into powerpoint

presentations in Windows. While the dimensions of the images are shown
correctly when selecting the image on the OS X side, the image itself is
shown much smaller and slightly distorted in size.

Use Insert, Picture, From File to bring pictures into PPT; pasting them in
is generally a bad idea.

When you paste, you may get a normal image, same as if you'd inserted it,
or you may get an OLE object represented by a Windows Metafile image.
Neither OLE nor Metafiles are Mac-native, so oddities wouldn't suprise me.

For images that have already been pasted in, try ungrouping them
(preferably on the Windows machine).

 

[helgew]

Use Insert, Picture, From File to bring pictures into PPT; pasting them in

is generally a bad idea.

When you paste, you may get a normal image, same as if you'd inserted it,
or you may get an OLE object represented by a Windows Metafile image.
Neither OLE nor Metafiles are Mac-native, so oddities wouldn't suprise me.

For images that have already been pasted in, try ungrouping them
(preferably on the Windows machine).

Thanks for the recommendation. I should have been a little more specific in my first post as your response doesn't address that a) this worked in Office X without any problems and b) I am not only referring to images available as files on disk but to objects (graphs, chemical structures, etc.) from other (Windows) applications.

Ungrouping does nothing and isn't even available since the images and objects weren't grouped in the first place.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks for the recommendation. I should have been a little more specific in my

first post as your response doesn't address that a) this worked in Office X
without any problems

Unless the Windows PPT version was the same, the method for pasting in the images
was the same, and the paste was done from the same apps, it may or may not have
worked the same in X *with the same PPT file as is causing trouble now*.

and b) I am not only referring to images available as files on disk but to

objects (graphs, chemical structures, etc.) from other (Windows) applications.

Ungrouping does nothing and isn't even available since the images and objects

weren't grouped in the first place.

As long as you've actually tried it on the Windows side (is that the case?) then
fine, that's another bit of data to consider. But pasted OLE objects needn't be
grouped with anything else on the PPT slide to be ungroupable. They're
inherently groups of a sort. Ungrouping removes the OLE data (that you can't
see) and leaves just the picture of it (what you can see).

Another test is to doubleclick the image/object, again in Windows PPT. If it
launches some other app or tries to and fails, it's an OLE object. If it brings
up the formatting dialog box, it's an embedded or linked picture.

 

[helgew]

As long as you've actually tried it on the Windows side (is that the case?) then

fine, that's another bit of data to consider. But pasted OLE objects needn't be
grouped with anything else on the PPT slide to be ungroupable. They're
inherently groups of a sort. Ungrouping removes the OLE data (that you can't
see) and leaves just the picture of it (what you can see).

Another test is to doubleclick the image/object, again in Windows PPT. If it
launches some other app or tries to and fails, it's an OLE object. If it brings
up the formatting dialog box, it's an embedded or linked picture.

Ah... we need to go back to the Windows side to fix a new incompatibility in Office 2008 on the Mac side! Not very satisfying, but it works.

Again, the same presentations open just fine in Office X Powerpoint, so something must have changed. In fact, I no longer get the annoying "Converting: Metafile" popup window for every embedded object, but in the end, the resulting presentation is broken.

Curiously, Keynote.app opens the same presentations just fine. And when I save them as a Powerpoint, they also open fine in Office 2008 Powerpoint.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Ah... we need to go back to the Windows side to fix a new incompatibility in Office 2008 on the Mac side! Not very satisfying, but it works.

Again, the same presentations open just fine in Office X Powerpoint, so something must have changed. In fact, I no longer get the annoying "Converting: Metafile" popup window for every embedded object, but in the end, the resulting presentation is broken.

Curiously, Keynote.app opens the same presentations just fine. And when I save them as a Powerpoint, they also open fine in Office 2008 Powerpoint.

That last is weird, but hey, it's a one-platform solution for you. Good to know.