How to get a simple drawing into PowerPoint

[YourMum]

Hi folks,

I have a simple drawing in Xara Xtreme Pro (v4) - it's basically text and boxes (it's a form mockup). I would like to export this to PowerPoint 2007 so that the text / boxes / etc are all editable. Is this possible?

I've tried using EMF / WMF but whenever I use the clip gallery, they just come through as pictures and not objects.

Please can someone tell me how to do it?! I'm sure it's possible...

Cheers.

[bcire68]

While it is very easy to import graphics into PowerPoint. I do not believe that it is possible to create graphics in XXP and have them be editable in PowerPoint. At least not directly. I would be happy to be proved wrong on this one.

Eric

[YourMum]

I have just had some successs by paste-special (Picture Enhanced Metafile) into Visio, then ungrouping, then copy again, and paste-special (EMF again) into PowerPoint. A couple of ungroups later and all the bits are available (it's lost a little bit in the process, but is thoroughly workable).

I'm not sure why I can't paste-special into PowerPoint straightaway, but hey, I've got a solution now

[jclements]

very "somple".

Basic steps I use.

Make a template page the same size as the standard PP page (10 x 7.5). As a horizontal guide where the bottom of your slide's tiltle will be.
I you have a background for the Slide, cut and paste that from your master slide or do a screen caputure of it and paste in Xara and LOCK it.

Now create your graphic, select it and exports as a TRANSPARENT png.

john

[Boy]

I don't think .png files are 'very editable' in PP, which is what YourMum says she needs to be able to do.

[jclements]

If you are talking about non-vector files (bitmaps) in PowerPoint, then use PNG.

PP (and I believe Word) converts all bitmaps to PNG internally automatically so it makes sense to feed them PNG to begin with.

I've given up on vectors into PP. They are usually too complex when imported, often have scaling problems and don't buy me much of anything except constant tweeking. If the graphic needs to be upscaled, then go back to Xara rescale and re-export. It only takes seconds to do. Scaling down a PNG in PP never looses clarity and you can always resample it in PP (or Word) by right-clicking on it and picking Format Picture > Picture > Compress. This will enable you to reduce the filesize of the presentation.

Perhaps MicroSoft will someday allow you to import PDFs ... you think?

[amoore]

Perhaps MicroSoft will someday allow you to import PDFs ... you think?

Perhaps. But then they'll probably screw it up.

BTW, if you need to create a pdf of your PowerPoint, you may find that transparent pngs don't translate well. For a recent series of ppts, I had to replace all the transparent pngs with non-transparent versions saved against the ppt background.

[jclements]

Hey Allison:

Just make/create all of your slides in Xara then export to PDF. At least it would work for static (slides without animations).

[amoore]

Just make/create all of your slides in Xara then export to PDF. At least it would work for static (slides without animations).

Sounds like a good idea, but not when you're doing 8 or 10 presentations at a time on a tight schedule.

Rebuilding all the slides in Xtreme is not feasible. As painful as it is, it's much faster to position the graphic on the background in Xtreme, export as non-transparent and replace the image in the ppt using the same coordinates. Usually, I set up the slide background in Xtreme during the image creation process anyway and use the same coordinates in both apps. That's helpful for sizing and checking for color issues (ie: too dark in that part of the background? image color clashing with background?)

We don't present from the pdfs, so I don't need transitions there. They do present from PowerPoint with transitions.