Inserting and Formatting Illustrations
The majority of the Illustration tools are located on
the Insert tab, Illustrations Group.
You can add Pictures such as scanned photos, illustrations or art created from other programs.
Select the folder that contains the file, click on the file name and choose OK.
Images Pictures for use on a poster should be scanned at 150 dpi at 100% of the size that they will
appear on the poster. Limit image resolution to 150 dpi. Higher resolution results in large file sizes which
take longer to print or occasionally do not print at all. Pictures imported from web sites are low resolution
(72 dpi) images. These images are made for on-screen presentations and Web page use only. They should
not be imported directly to a poster. Images used from the Web would have to be resized and have the
resolution reset in a photo editing program like Photoshop before they can be used on a poster. If the
images are not resized they will become pixilated and distorted. Be cautious about stretching images or
making them significantly larger than their original size. Instead, use images scanned and sized
specifically to fit your poster needs (150 dpi scanned at 100% of the size to appear on the poster).
Do not enlarge pictures once they are inserted into PowerPoint. If the image used will be larger in the
poster than the original, it should be enlarged when scanned. Scan the original at a higher resolution to
make up for the size difference. Save the image as a high quality JPEG file. The preferred image format
for all inserted images is JPEG. Pay close attention to alignment and size between groups of related
images.
If you need to adjust the size of an imported picture or logo, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard
and then click and drag with your mouse on one of the corners in order to scale it proportionally. This
will keep it from being distorted. Do not allow pictures to hang over the edge of the poster. Remember
you need a 1 inch margin. Use the picture cropping tool or scale the image down proportionally.
Tips on inserting images:
A raster graphic (bitmap image) uses a grid of individual pixels where each pixel can be a different
color or shade. Vector graphics use mathematical relationships between points and the paths
connecting them to describe an image. These relationships can produce an image scalable to any size
and detail. Bitmaps are best for photographs and images with subtle shading. Vector graphics are
typically line art or illustrations, such as logos.
CSU vector logos for print use are available at:
http://graphicstandards.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=download_logos_print
They can be resized to any size and the colors can be changed with a vector graphics editing
program like Illustrator or Freehand. The EPS and PDF versions are best.
Select the Insert Shapes drop down arrow to add shapes to your
poster. Each shape has properties and can be resized, moved, have
a color applied, and adjust line width.