Why is the PPT file so LARGE?

[Mac...@officeformac.com]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

Help, help,

I have Powerpoint 2008 for Mac and I am saving a 24 page presentation with no pictures and just very basic smart graphics (squares) on a few slides.

If I save it as PPT format it ends up being 3.7 MB and is too large to attach to my email and send. If I save it as PPTX format it is only 546 KB ... but my recipient can't open it then.

What to do?

Gracias! - MacInDC

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi,

Try this -

In Finder, right click on the file and choose either Compress or
Archive. That will create a Zip file that's much smaller.

Send the Zip file via email.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are independent experts who are not affiliated with Microsoft.
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/

Visit my blog
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-i7JMeio7cqvhotIUwCzaJWq9

[Mac...@officeformac.com]

Thanks for the response - very much! Unfortunately I tried using the "compression" feature in FINDER but it only compresses the file by 10%. Instead of a 3.7MB file it is now 3.45 MB.

I've thought that there might be a setting in Office but I've had no luck. I also don't know if there is a conversion tool for Windows users that will take a PPTX file and convert it to a PPT file.

... still searching ... MacInDC

[CyberTaz]

The 2008 features you're using create objects that aren't supported in the
.ppt format so they're being converted to something earlier versions can
understand. As a result the .ppt contains both the original as well as the
converted objects. Generally the same applies to much of the file so it can
be used in both 2008 as well as earlier versions.

If the recipient doesn't need to edit the file you might consider saving in
a different format - such as PDF - which will result in a much smaller file
and retain more of the appearance & graphic effects.

The bigger question is "Why can't the recipient open the .pptx files?"

Even if they don't have PPt 2008 there are a number of other programs which
should be able to open then files. On a Mac, for example, Apple's Keynote as
well as the Open Office/NeoOffice suites as well as others. If they're on a
PC, PPt 2007 should have no problem & PPt 2000-2003 should have converters
if they've been kept up to date.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 6/23/08 3:43 PM, in article 59b52...@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw,

[Mac...@officeformac.com]

I checked with the recipient who is on Office (PPT) 2003 and 'yes' they have the converter installed. It works - they can open the pptx file, although some of the smart graphics can't be edited, as you pointed out. Good enough. They'll live with it. I'm happy and productive again.

You're the best, Bob Jones!

[Steve Rindsberg]

Are you using lots of the soft shadow, 3d and other effects introduced in 2008?
Those aren't supported in earlier versions, so when you "back-save" they're
converted to images. That can make your file grow. Considerably.

================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

[Mac...@officeformac.com]

In fact some of the slides have text boxes/shapes that use a lot of shading. I noticed that as I autosaved (currently set to every 10 minutes) and saved over the past few weeks, it took longer and longer to do each save.

I'm not familiar with "back-save", how to stop doing a "back-save", or how to delete the potentially hundreds of "back-saves" in this file. I'm sure you're correct and that's the cause. Is there a way to revert, or to avoid this in the future?

MacInDC

[CyberTaz]

All I meant by that term is creating the file in the newer (2008, .pptx)
format using the 2008 features, then saving it "backwards" as an earlier
(.ppt) file format. Sorry if it wasn't clear - sometimes I make up my own
language:-)

--

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

<Mac...@officeformac.com> wrote in message
news:59b52...@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw...

[Steve Rindsberg]

> I've thought that there might be a setting in Office but I've had no luck. I also
don't know if there is a conversion tool for Windows users that will take a PPTX file
and convert it to a PPT file.

There is ...

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101686761033.aspx

[Steve Rindsberg]

>
> I'm not familiar with "back-save"

Ah, sorry. I just meant saving it back to an earlier file format as opposed to
the new PPT format.

But no matter, it seems you've got it all worked out anyhow.

[CyberTaz]

Heh - I thought *I* wrote that%-}

--
HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
Office:Mac MVP

"Steve Rindsberg" <ab...@localhost.com> wrote in message
news:VA.0000405...@localhost.com...

[sco...@officeformac.com]

I apologise if I should have started a different topic for this, but it seems related.

I created a PowerPoint [.ppt] presentation and checked its size. I got 9.3MB. I then compressed as suggested here. I now have a .zip file measuring 8.2 MB.

However, when I attached the zip file to an email, it [the attachment only] grows to 11.11 MB making it too big to send.

Simple question. Why????

Cheers....Scotty

[sco...@officeformac.com]

Sorry, I need to clarify the previous post.

It appears the dramatic increase in file size is related to the email programme. The instance I mentioned occurred when I used Entourage as the email programme. When I then attached the same file to a Mail email, the size of the attachment is, apparently, reduced to 7.9 MB. Not sure how that happened given the actual file size is 8.2 MB!!!

Anyway, I guess I am off to the Entourage forums.

Regards...Scotty

[Steve Rindsberg]

In article <59b52...@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw>, wrote:

No need. This is true of email in general, not just Entourage.

Because of the way binary files are usually encoded for transmission by email, they grow.

I don't use Entourage, so don't know what options are available but if you can, try
different encoding methods for attachments. You may find that some result in smaller files
than others.

[Steve Rindsberg]

In article <#GBHNNk1...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>, CyberTaz wrote:
> Heh - I thought *I* wrote that%-}
>

Nah, your writing makes sense usually.

[larr...@officeformac.com]

This is a question that's been nagging at me since upgrading to 2008.

PPT files are handy and easy to use anywhere, regardless of platform (mobile) or OS (Linux); the same can't be said (yet) for .pptx). PDF files lack the ability to edit and collaborate.

I have a series of PPT files that were created in Office 2004. If I simply open one in 2008 and save as the "same" PPT format, the size goes from (for example) 2MB (2,052,096 bytes) to 23.7MB (24,812,032 bytes). No changes, just saving as the same file in a different location. Naturally, sending this via email is impossible.

How do I turn that 10X increase in file size off while maintaining the flexibility and ubiquity of the PPT format?

thanks,
Larry

[Ed]

I, too, have been having similar problems. I hoped that the latest
update would have fixed this problem. I created a pdf from a small
PowerPoint file. The PPT 2008 file is 5 times larger than the PPT 2004
file. What more, the pdf from PPT 2008 is unstable. The full version
of Adobe Acrobat 8 cannot reduce the size of the pdfs created with PPT
2008. And, I've found that a lot of people have trouble opening these
files. Pdfs created with PPT 2004 work just fine.

It would be great if the next time Microsoft "upgrades" their software
they don't strip out important features and break things that users
actually need.

Ed