Wowing your employer. Standing out at a conference. Acing an important class project. These are just some things you can do with a well-designed PowerPoint presentation. Of course, such a presentation must include photos. After all, you can’t expect huge chunks of text to hold anyone’s attention.
However, adding the photos to your presentation isn’t the problem. Making them fit just right can be. Luckily, Microsoft offers several handy tools to edit your photos without leaving PowerPoint.
Here are the top three photo editing tools in PowerPoint and how to use them.
No. 1 – Corrections
Sometimes, your photo only needs slight tweaks to be perfect. That’s what the Corrections tool is for. This tool allows you to play with your photo’s brightness, contrast, and sharpness. Here’s how to use it.
Step 1: Click on the photo you want to modify.
Step 2: Open the “Picture Format” tab at the top of your presentation. If you have an older version of PowerPoint, this tab only be called “Format.” It will also only appear after you click on your photo.
Step 3: Head to the “Adjust” group and select the “Corrections” button. Depending on your screen size, you might only see a sun icon.
Step 4: Choose the editing option that best works for your photo. You can hover over each effect in the “Corrections” gallery to try it out.
A text box will pop up, showing the exact settings being applied. For example, it might say “Sharpen: 25%” or “Brightness: +20%; Contrast: -40%.”
If you don’t like any of the predefined options, you should click on “Picture Corrections Options” at the bottom of the “Corrections” gallery.
This will lead you to sliders for each of the settings.
No. 2 – Artistic Effects
Not everyone is attracted to basic visuals. That’s why Microsoft added a handy “Artistic Effects” tool to PowerPoint. Thanks to this tool, you only need one click to transform your photo into a tiny work of art. Here’s how to get to that click.
Step 1: Select the picture you want to modify.
Step 2: Navigate to the “Picture Format” tab.
Step 3: Click on the “Artistic Effects” button.
Step 4: Hover over the effect options to see which one you like the best. Some options include “Pencil Sketch,” “Marker” and “Pastels Smooth.”
Step 5: Click on the desired effect to apply it to your photo. You can only do this once, so choose carefully. Clicking on another effect will only remove the previous one.
No. 3 – Picture Effects
If you’re looking for photo editing tools in PowerPoint that can truly make your photos pop, you’ll love “Picture Effects.” This tool is perfect for perfectionists who want every little corner of their presentation to shine. Here’s how to use this creative tool.
Step 1: Click on the image you want to edit. If you want to apply the same effect to multiple photos, you can press and hold CTRL and select them all.
Step 2: Go to the “Picture Format” tab.
Step 3: Select the “Picture Effects” button. You’ll find it in the “Picture Styles” group, below the “Picture Border” button.
Step 4: Choose the effect you want to apply from the dropdown menu. Your options include adding a shadow, reflection, or glow. You can also make the edges softer, add a bevel, or rotate your photo in 3D.
As always, you can preview each effect by hovering over it. Each option will also have additional buttons at the bottom of their dropdown menus. These options will allow you to fine-tune each setting.
For instance, the “Glow” option will give you two buttons – “More Glow Colors” and “Glow Options.”
The first allows you to choose the glow color from a wider palette.
The other lets you also adjust the size and the transparency of the glowing effect using a slider.
This time, you can apply multiple effects to your photo. Just select them all one by one, until you’re satisfied with the result.
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