PhotoAlbum doesnt work for NON 4x3 Images

[Tobias Becker]

Hi,

On a regular basis I have a lot of pictures (of exports from a graphics
software for that matter) and if they have a resolution that is NOT 4:3 and I
use the PhotoAlbum feature they are added on a white 4:3 canvas, the longer
side fits to the slide (scaled up or down), the other side is scaled as well,
but the part from the other side to match 4:3 aspect ratio is just white.
Picture to illustrate:
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/9863/picture3kopie.jpg

I would expect Powerpoint to extract the aspect ratio / resolution from the
folder (assuming they are all the same) and then make the slide fit to that
(if the image is 1920x1080 px for example create a powerpoint slide with that
aspect ratio).

There are ways around that problem by scaling the non 4:3 picture to a 4:3
picture with external software and then change the Photoalbum slide
properties to match the aimed aspect ratio (call it "sort-of-anamorphic" if
you like).

It feels like some Powerpoint developer forgot to program 16:9 (and other)
format compatibility into Photoalbum when they added support for 16:9 (an
others) into the general application.. ;(

Have I missed something or is this a bug?
Thanks
Tobi

 

[Echo S]

When you choose Insert | Photo Album, choose your pix and hit Insert, you
get the Photo Album dialog box. In PPT 2007 at the bottom of that box is an
option called THEME. Click the Brows button there and change the file type
to All Files. Go select a 16 x 9 theme or template and apply it.

You may need to create a 16 x 9 theme or template, of course.

Yes, I think the Photo Album feature should do this automatically, but it
doesn't. So this is the workaround I can offer you.

 

[Echo S]

Becker
wrote:

It doesn't do that. It could theoretically do that for the first slide in
the
presentation but after that, what? It doesn't permit mixed slide sizes in
a
presentation, so if all of your images weren't identically proportioned,
you'd
be out of luck.

Make the background black instead of white and when you project the show,
nobody
will know the difference.

Oooh, I obviously didn't read closely enough! Thanks.

 

[Tobias Becker]

If you work on a 16:9 display and you show a Powerpoint in 4:3 with 16:9
Images and black bars on top and bottom, you end up with bars on the left and
right as well.
So you end up with bars around the picture, like a little stamp in the
middle is your content.
Now imagine that for 7:1 presentations (e.g. using Matrox TrippleHead2Go)
for example and your bars (and lost resolution) gets HUGE.

Sorry, making the background black and calling it 16:9 doesn't do the trick
for me.
Yes there are "professional" ways to playout / create that content, like
Watchout, Wings Platinum or go to video editing like Final Cut Pro. We use
all these but in this case I'm interested in the most I could do out of
Powerpoint as it is everywhere and cheap..

To quote myself:

Have I missed something or is this a bug?

Thanks
Tobi