Using PowerPoint 2010 Picture Placeholders - Text Version

From Wendy Russell, former About.com Guide

Using PowerPoint 2010 Picture Placeholders

A recent question involved adding many pictures to a presentation, all needing to be the same size. The reader wanted to know if there was an easy way to do this without using the Photo Album feature, because that was not quite the desired end result he needed. He also did not want to have to resize each picture on every slide.

Well there is good news. The answer is to create a placeholder on the slide master -- and more specifically, a picture placeholder.

Additional Reference Article - This same article as a Step-by-step walkthrough with screen captures

Steps to Create a Picture Placeholder

1. Open a new or existing presentation.
2. Click on the View tab of the ribbon.
3. In the Master Views section of the ribbon, click on the Slide Master button.
4. In the slide master, look to the left of the main screen for thumbnail versions of the many slide layouts. Click on the slide layout that you wish to use for the picture placeholder.
   
   Choose the Picture Type from the List of Placeholders
5. The Slide Master tab should be visible on the ribbon. In the Master Layout section of the ribbon, click on the Insert Placeholder button.
6. From the drop down menu that appears, click on Picture.
   
   Draw the Picture Placeholder on the Slide Master
7. The mouse pointer changes to a crosshair.
8. Click and hold as you drag the mouse. A colored rectangle appears as you drag. When you release the mouse, the colored rectangle will change to a picture placeholder.
9. If the picture placeholder is not quite the right shape, hover your mouse over one of the selection handles and drag until the shape and size of the rectangle looks correct.
   
   Optional - Change the Size of the Picture Placeholder
10. After drawing the placeholder on the slide master, you may decide that the size is not precisely correct. Right click on the picture placeholder.
11. From the drop down menu, choose Size and Position...
12. In the Format Shape dialog box that opens, click on the Size selection in the left pane, if it is not already selected.
13. Under the Size and rotate section, make edits to the Height and Width measurements if needed.
14. Optional - Make any other changes to the picture placeholder as desired.
15. Click the Close button in the dialog box.
16. If no further changes are needed, click the Close Master View button on the ribbon to close the slide master and return to your slides.

Test Out the Picture Placeholder on the Slide Master

We have all heard that is a never wise to make assumptions. So, in this case, it is a good idea to test out the new picture placeholder that was added to the slide master.

1. Add a new slide to the presentation, making sure to choose the slide layout with the newly added picture placeholder.
2. Click on the tiny image icon in the new picture placeholder on the slide.
3. Navigate to the folder on your computer containing the photo you wish to use and click on that picture.
4. The picture is now added and resized to fit into the picture placeholder.

Issues with Using a Picture Placeholder

• Using Portrait Style Pictures
  Portrait style photos are those pictures that are taller than they are wide. Since most PowerPoint slide shows use landscape style photos, which are wider than they are tall, you will need to pay close attention to the picture choices you make for your presentation.
  
  Refer to the example image shown above. The original portrait picture that was used is shown at the top. Note that when this photo was inserted into the picture placeholder, it was cropped to show the focal point of the picture -- (or at least it was cropped to show what PowerPoint deemed to be the focus of the picture). You may find it necessary to make adjustments to your picture prior to inserting into the placeholder in order to choose a different area of focus.
• Small Photos May Be Distorted
  When you insert a picture that is smaller than the placeholder, PowerPoint will stretch the photo to exactly fit the placeholder. This can result in a very blurry and/or distorted end result. Refer to the image above to see an example of a bad photo choice.

To avoid these outcomes, take care when deciding on a photo to add to your PowerPoint slide show. Make sure that you have a version of that photo that will actually fit, or is larger than the picture placeholder.

Additional Reference Article - This same article as a Step-by-step walkthrough with screen captures

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