presentation add images

How to Insert a Picture in PowerPoint

Make them a bit more visually appealing

One of the ways to make your presentations visually appealing is by adding images to them. You can use Microsoft PowerPoint’s built-in options to add pictures to your slides from multiple sources. You can also use an image as the background for your slides. We’ll show you how.

You can add photos from your Windows or Mac machine, Microsoft’s stock images repository, or the internet. You can then reposition and resize your images, so they fit your slides.

Add a Picture From Your Local Storage to PowerPoint

If you’ve already saved an image to your Windows or Mac machine’s local storage, it’s easy to load this picture into your presentation . PowerPoint supports nearly all image formats, so your photo can be in any popular file format.

• Open your presentation with PowerPoint on your PC.
• Choose the slide you want to add an image to.
• Access the Insert tab in PowerPoint’s ribbon at the top.
• Select Pictures > This Device in the Images section.

• Navigate to the folder that has your image and double-click the image to load it in PowerPoint. You can select multiple images by holding down the Ctrl key.

• Your image is now added to your slide.

You can now drag your image to reposition it on your slide. You can resize the image by selecting the handlers around it and dragging them.

Insert a Stock Image in PowerPoint

Microsoft Office 365 subscribers can choose from thousands of royalty-free stock images to add to their PowerPoint slides. If you’re subscribed to this plan, here’s how to find and add the image of your choice to your slides.

• Launch your presentation with PowerPoint .
• Select the Insert tab and choose Pictures > Stock Images .
• Select the picture type you’d like to add to your slide from the tab list at the top.
• Access the Search box and enter the name of the image you’re looking for.

• Select your image on the list and choose Insert at the bottom.

• You can add multiple images by selecting them on the list and choosing Insert at the bottom of the window.

When you add a stock photo, PowerPoint will download it from the internet. This can take anywhere from a few seconds to minutes, depending on the number of images you’ve selected and the speed of your internet connection.

Add a Photo From the Internet or OneDrive to PowerPoint

PowerPoint includes the Bing image search functionality, allowing you to perform a quick image search and add the chosen images to your presentation. You can also load images from your OneDrive account if you want.

• Open your presentation with PowerPoint .
• Go to the Insert tab at the top and choose Pictures > Online Pictures .
• Select the Search Bing box at the top and type the name of the picture you’re looking for.
• Select your image in the search results and choose Insert at the bottom. You can select multiple images if you want.

• If you’d like to add images from OneDrive, select OneDrive in the window’s bottom-left corner.
• Access your OneDrive folder, choose the image to add, and select Insert at the bottom.

Capture and Add a Screenshot to PowerPoint

PowerPoint includes a screen capture tool that allows you to take a screenshot and add that image to your slides. This way, you don’t need a third-party app to grab screen captures and then load them into the app.

• Open the window that you want to take a screenshot of.
• Access your presentation in PowerPoint and select the slide where you want to add your screenshot.
• Go to PowerPoint’s Insert tab at the top and choose Screenshot in the Images section.
• Select the window you want to capture an image of. The app will add the screenshot to your current slide.

Use an Image as a Slide’s Background in PowerPoint

You can use a picture from your computer, stock images repository, or the internet as your slide’s background. This puts your photo in the background and your other slide content in the foreground.

You can achieve this by changing your chosen slide’s background formatting as follows:

• Right-click the slide where you want to use a picture as the background and choose Format Background from the menu.
• Enable the Picture or texture fill option on the right.
• Select Insert in the Picture source section.

• Choose your picture’s source. We’ll go for From a File .

• Open your picture’s folder and double-click the photo to make it your slide’s background.

You can customize your slide’s background using various options available in the right sidebar of PowerPoint.

Add an Image to PowerPoint on Mac

PowerPoint’s Mac version also makes it easy to add pictures to your presentations. You can find and add images from both your local storage as well as the internet.

• Launch your presentation in PowerPoint for Mac.
• Select the slide you want to add a picture to.
• Choose Insert > Picture > Picture From File .
• Select the photo to add to your slide and choose Insert .
• You can select multiple photos by holding down Shift and clicking your images.

Insert Pictures in PowerPoint’s Web Version

PowerPoint’s web version offers nearly as many features as its desktop app. You can add images from various sources to your presentations on the app’s web client.

• Launch your preferred web browser and access PowerPoint . Sign in to your account if you haven’t already done so.
• Choose the presentation and then the slide you want to add a picture to.
• Select Insert > Pictures from the ribbon at the top. Then, select your image’s source followed by the actual image to add it to your chosen slide.

You can remove unwanted images from your slides by choosing your images and pressing the Backspace key.

Add Photos to Make Your PowerPoint Presentations Aesthetically Pleasing

Your presentations don’t have to be boring. Luckily, PowerPoint offers various options to help you turn your slides into something your audience will enjoy watching . One of these options is to add photos to your slides, and you can choose your pictures from various sources.

Once you’ve added your images, you can customize their appearance so they blend well with your presentation’s existing content. Happy presenting!

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he's written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm. Read Mahesh's Full Bio

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How To Work With Multiple Images In PowerPoint

Images and pictures can spice up your presentation in a way that text cannot. Nowhere is this more accurately depicted than in the idiomatic expression, “ A picture paints a thousand words .” You can only put so many words on a single slide. The best course of action would then be to use images or videos that will help you get your message across far more effectively than plain text can. With that said, in today’s article, I’m going to show you how to work with multiple images in PowerPoint.

5 Different Ways To Quickly Insert Multiple Images In PowerPoint

There are a couple of different ways you can use to quickly add multiple images to your PowerPoint slide. Note, however, that if some of the options don’t seem to be available on your end, then you may need to update your copy of PowerPoint. An Office 365 subscription would also be ideal, so you get all the latest updates to all Microsoft Office apps (including PowerPoint, of course).

1. Copy and paste images into your slide

You can quickly copy a photo from your image gallery, web browser, or any other compatible app on your computer. All you have to do is hit CTRL+C on your keyboard to save the image to your clipboard. Take note, however, that some apps do not support copying multiple images which means you can only copy and paste one image at a time to PowerPoint. To paste the image(s) to PowerPoint, hit CTRL+V on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can go to Home > Paste if you want to see other Paste Options.

2. Use the Insert menu in PowerPoint

The Insert tab is where you go to add various elements or objects on your slides. In the Images section of the Insert tab, you’ll notice you can insert different types of photos. You can add pictures saved in your computer as well as online pictures, screenshots and even an entire photo album for your slideshow.

Let’s go through these different image types you can insert on your slides:

• Pictures . Use this option if you want to insert 1 or more images that are saved on your computer. You can CTRL+click on the images you want to add. Likewise, you can also hold down the SHIFT key if you want to add images that are saved right next to each other.

• Online Pictures. Use this option if you want to search for images on Bing (Microsoft’s search engine) or access your photos on OneDrive. Note that you will need to be signed in to your personal OneDrive account to access the photos saved there.

• Screenshot . You do not need to open up a separate app to take screenshots and add it to your PowerPoint slide. You can now insert a screenshot or screen clipping straight from PowerPoint. Note, however, that you can only take full screenshots of open PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Excel files. If you want to take a screenshot of other apps, you will need to select the Screen Clipping option.

• Photo Album. If you want to show off your latest product photos (or your travel photos to a white-sand beach somewhere), then this is the option for you. Imagine if you’ve got 100 photos on your photo album and you’d need to insert one photo for each slide. That’s going to eat up a lot of your time! Fortunately, the Photo Album option will help make your life easier.

You can add as many pictures as you want to your photo album. You can reorder the pictures, add captions and even turn all your colored pictures into black and white. For album layout, you can have up to a maximum of 4 pictures in a slide, and you’ve got several frame shapes to choose from as well.

3. Use the layout option in PowerPoint

When inserting a new slide, you can choose a layout option that allows you to add images with just a single click. To view the available layouts, you can double click on the slide you want to edit and then click on Layout .

In the screenshot above, you can see that only the Two Content and Comparison layouts have picture placeholders. If you want to add layouts with even more picture placeholders, you will need to edit the Slide Master.

To edit the Slide Master, go to View > Slide Master > Insert Layout . A new slide will appear on your screen. Click on Insert Placeholder and select either Picture (to add an image stored on your computer) or Online Image (to add an image from the web).

Once you have added the placeholders on the slide, you can then close the Master View.

For this example, I created a new layout with two pictures and one online image. I’ve also formatted the shapes of the placeholders, so it’s not the usual rectangle used in most placeholders. Here’s what it looks like:

When I closed the Slide Master view and went back to Normal View, the new custom layout I just made is now shown as an option in the Layout menu. Here’s a screenshot:

So, I clicked on Custom Layout and added images to the placeholders. This is what the slide looks like now:

4. Use the ‘Shape Fill with Pictures’ option

Use this method if you want to use various shapes for your images. Say, for example, you want a circular image, a heart-shaped image, a square image, etc. Sure, you can use the Picture Layout or Picture Styles menu to change the look of the image. But the ‘Shape Fill with Pictures’ method opens up a lot more possibilities (and shapes) for your images.

Here’s how you do this:

• Click on Insert > Shapes and select the shape you want to use.
• Draw the shape on the slide.
• Click on the shape to open up the Drawing Tools
• In the Format tab in Drawing Tools , click on Shape Fill then select Picture on the dropdown list.
• In the dialog box, choose whether you want to insert pictures from a file (on your computer) or from the web.

Here’s an example slide I made just for you:

5. Use the SmartArt option

SmartArt has a lot of practical uses in real-world presentations. They not only look good, but they also help save a lot of time. The good news is SmartArt isn’t limited to adding text; you can also quickly insert images in many SmartArt graphics.

To add a SmartArt graphic, go to Insert > SmartArt . Browse the different categories and click on the graphic you want to use. Alternatively, you can just go directly to the Picture category to see the graphics with built-in image placeholders.

Once you’ve added the SmartArt graphic to your slide, you can then click on the placeholder to quickly add a picture from file or from the web. You can also easily change the layout, colors, add more shapes, etc. by accessing the SmartArt Tools menu. You can quickly access this hidden menu by clicking on the graphic you want to edit. That’s it!

How To Quickly Transform Multiple Images in PowerPoint

In this section of the article, I will show you a few tricks you can use to quickly transform the look of multiple images in PowerPoint – all at once!

· How to resize multiple photos

Resizing multiple images one by one is no fun. Fortunately, PowerPoint makes it easy for you to resize multiple images all at once. There are a couple of techniques you can use to make your images smaller or larger.

Method 1: Manual method

To select multiple images, press CTRL on your keyboard and click on the images you’d like to resize. Drag a sizing handle on any of the images and move it towards the center (to make the images smaller). If you want to scale or make the images bigger, then drag the sizing handle away from the center.

Here are a few more tips to consider:

Press and hold the OPTION key while simultaneously dragging the sizing handle. This will keep the images’ center in the same place. If you want to maintain the image proportions, you’d need to press and hold the SHIFT key on your keyboard.

Method 2: Set exact height and width in Picture Tools

If you want more precise measurements for your images, instead of just eyeballing the size, then you’ll find your answer in the Picture Tools menu. First, click on the images you’d like to resize. The sizing handles will appear and a new tab (Picture Tools) will appear on the Menu Bar. Click on Format and go to the Size group on the far-right side of your screen. Type in your desired height and width, or click on the up/down arrows.

Method 3: Use SmartArt graphics

This is probably the least commonly used method when resizing images. You can quickly change the look of your entire slide by simply converting the images to SmartArt graphic. Here’s how you do this:

• Click on the images you want to convert to SmartArt. This will open up the Picture Tools
• Go to the Format tab and click on Picture Layout . You’ll then see a bunch of different picture layouts. Hover your mouse over the layouts to see the real-time changes taking place on your slide. Your images will magically transform right before your eyes!

• Click on the picture layout you want to use. The SmartArt Tools menu will appear on screen. Go through the different options to customize your new SmartArt graphic.

What’s really awesome about this method is that SmartArt is pretty intuitive. Whether you’re resizing two or ten images, the resulting SmartArt graphic is always perfectly sized and will have no problems fitting on the slide.

However, you may notice that some of the photos may be cropped. Let’s say you’ve resized your family pictures, but in a couple of those photos your face has been cropped out. To solve this problem, go back to Picture Tools and click on the Crop button. When you do this, you’ll see the full image and you can then move the image around until your face appears within the resized photo.

Also, if you’re looking to make a photo collage for your PowerPoint slideshow, this is the technique you should be using. SmartArt will perfectly resize your images in just a few clicks and you’ll have your photo collage in no time!

· How to blend 2 or more pictures

Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you can easily blend 2 or more pictures in PowerPoint in just a few clicks. Here are a few tricks you can use:

• Make a picture transparent by going to Picture Tools and adjusting the transparency levels. Doing so will allow the image behind it to be seen.
• Apply Soft Edges to the photos by going to Picture Tools and selecting Picture Effects . Click on Soft Edges and select the preset variation you want to use. Alternatively, you can always specify the soft edge size if you want a more custom look.

So, I made an example slide where I applied the two techniques above. I put the goat picture on top of the whiteboard and set the transparency to 20%. I also set the soft edge to 50%. Here’s the final result:

· How to use animation effects to make images appear one after another

There may be times when you don’t want all your images to appear all at once. Instead, you want them to appear one by one. Fortunately, doing this isn’t all that hard. If you’ve already got an animation order in mind, all you have to do is go to the Animations tab. Then select the animations for the various elements on your slide.

There are plenty of animations you can choose from. You can choose from various Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Paths animations. Just remember, however, that animations are meant to be used sparingly. If you overdo your animations, your audience is in danger of becoming ill with motion sickness!

Check out the best practices when adding transitions and animations to your slides if you don’t want your audience to hate you.

· How to crop multiple images

When you’re working with 2 or more images, your crop options are limited. You can’t do a normal image crop or crop it to a certain aspect ratio. You can only use the Crop to Shape option. Here’s how it works:

Click on the images you want to crop. Then go to Picture Tools > Format . As you can see in the screenshot below, only the Crop to Shape option is clickable. The other options are greyed out:

The good thing about this cropping option is that you can convert your images into fun-looking shapes. You’re no longer limited to working with a rectangular or square shape. You have plenty of different shapes to choose from and make your pictures look even more exciting!

· How to adjust the color of your pictures

If you want to give your images a uniform look, you can apply a filter. Fortunately, you don’t need a separate photo app to apply filters . You can do it directly on PowerPoint. Here’s how:

Click on the images you want to re-color. Then go to Picture Tools > Format . Look for the Color button and select from the preset variations or use a custom color by clicking on More Variations .

If you want to get creative, you can click on Set Transparent Color to make a single color transparent. If you choose to make the color red transparent, then all instances of red in your selected images will become transparent.

The Power of Using The Right Image in Presentations

Your PowerPoint slides are your presentation’s visual aid. It’s supposed to help your audience understand what you’re telling them. You may think your speech is enough to get people to pay attention. Maybe, maybe not. For the most part, however, we are visual learners and a visually-attractive slideshow will win over a text-based one.

There’s nothing wrong with text-based presentations per se. With typography and a bit of graphic design knowledge, you can certainly transform your plain-looking slides into something more eye-catching. But in some cases, great typography simply isn’t enough to get people’s eyeballs glued to your presentation.

Let me give you an example. Look at the two slides below and tell me which one looks better:

Slide 1 (text-based slide):

Slide 2 (image slide + caption):

Both of these slides refer to the same thing – feeding the goats. However, if you’re trying to convince people to go check out your farm, they probably won’t be too interested if you just show them Slide #1.

Why? Because it’s boring! With a text-based slide, you’re basically asking people to imagine what feeding a goat looks like. You’re letting their brains do the extra work. What if they don’t know what goats look like? There are plenty of goat breeds out there. What kind of goat are they going to feed? There are so many questions that can’t be answered with a text-based slide.

With Slide #2, however, you’re showing people exactly what they’re going to do at the farm. They no longer need to imagine what the goats look like. They can easily see themselves feeding the goat. The image speaks volumes and will help you do your job more effectively.

Imagine listening to a 20-minute presentation where all the slides look like Slide #1. How do you think you’re going to feel? Do you think you’ll enjoy the presentation? Or will you tune out and scroll through your Instagram feed instead?

When designing your presentation slides, it’s important to place yourself in your audience’s shoes. You can’t win their trust and get them to engage in your presentation if they’re not paying any attention to you. With the right images, however, you’ll have your audience awake, attentive, and eating from the palm of your hand!

Ready To Work With Multiple Images In PowerPoint?

Your presentation is so much more than a bunch of slides with text, graphics, and other objects in it. It’s supposed to support your presentation’s message, not take away from it. With that said, the right images can capture your audience’s attention and help drive your message home. Apply the various tips and tricks for working with multiple images in PowerPoint and drive your presentation message home!

You might also find this interesting: How To Work With Tables, Graphs And Charts In PowerPoint

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A Guide to Using Images and Photos For Powerpoint

No matter what industry you’re in, you’ll likely be tasked with creating PowerPoint presentations to use in meetings, for marketing, or as a standalone piece of sales collateral to hand off to a client. Whatever the context, a PowerPoint presentation allows you to share information in an easily digestible, visual format that informs the reader and brings your story to life. Presenting images alongside your text is a surefire way to make your slides more eye-catching, but it takes some finesse to give your audience information without the overload.

Creating an aesthetically pleasing PowerPoint can be a make-or-break deal, and the photos you use – along with the the right combination of colors, fonts and other graphic elements – can either convey professional credibility and inspiration, or be a jumbled mess that your audience won’t know how to decipher. In this guide, we’ll go over the best practices for using images in PowerPoint (or the slide deck program of your choice).

Tips for Presenting Images

Text, colors, and icons can’t always do the heavy lifting of a presentation on their own — using photos in PowerPoint will make your ideas feel more immediate, human, and relatable. Think about your key messages and your brand identity before adding images to your presentation. What story are you trying to tell? What audience are you trying to speak to?

Visuals are essential to creating an engaging presentation. Audiences will tune out if they see nothing but text.

Generally, you should focus on adding photos to your PowerPoint that support and emphasize your key statements, rather than overshadow or distract from them. Selecting more muted background images for presentation slides can also maintain the look, feel, and texture you desire without attracting too much focus.

Here, we’ve compiled a handy guide to the Do’s and Don’ts of PowerPoint presentation design and selecting the right images:

1. Use High Quality Photos

Nothing can tarnish your professional credibility quicker than seeing a blurry, pixelated image in your presentation. This is why adding high-resolution stock photography to your presentation is a must, and drawing from the wealth of professional photos available on a site like Noun Project will lend your slides an immediate air of professionalism.

Go to NounProject.com/photos and search for keywords related to your main idea. You can view specific collections like Diversity in Tech , Empowered Women , Students , and Hiking , and explore additional images by photographer as well.

When you’ve found a stock photo you like, be sure to download it in the resolution you want. Noun Project offers many photos for free in a lower resolution, but depending on how large your final presentation will be, you’ll want the highest resolution that can be expanded to fit your screen without pixelation. Always double check to make sure that the picture still looks crisp at full screen size.

Tip: Standard screen resolutions are 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high (and most default PowerPoint templates have these dimensions). Be sure your photo is at least the same dimension if you’re doing a full screen size to avoid pixelation.

2. Practice Consistency

Chances are, your entire presentation focuses on a single overarching idea and the photos you use should reflect that. In addition to finding the right subjects, pay attention to the other aesthetic qualities of the photos you bring in. Are they in a similar, complementary color scheme? Are they shot in similar environments for a consistent tone (e.g., sleek and corporate, rugged and outdoorsy, urban and gritty, or light and playful)?

Use images in PowerPoint that support and accentuate your theme and overall tone. The images you use throughout should complement each other without repeating or looking too dissimilar.

The most fail-proof way to ensure consistency is to draw from an individual photographer or a particular photo shoot. Stock photographers will often shoot several different angles, poses and variations from a single scene, so you can find just the right shot for each slide and remind your audience that this is all part of one cohesive message.

Noun Project organizes stock photos in collections from individual shoots, so almost any image you click on will have similar ones from the series available. Bear in mind, though, that you don’t want to use too many similar images — the more you can change scenes without shifting the tone, the better.

Adding photos to a presentation from the same photographer is the easiest way to keep it visually consistent. If you insert photos from the same shoot, just make sure you add enough variety so it doesn’t become repetitive. Pictured: Fitness photo collection by Jacob Lund.

Once you have your desired photos downloaded (and ideally put in the same folder in your hard drive), here’s how to add pictures to PowerPoint:

• Simply click and drag the picture file (as .JPG or .PNG) from your file finder window into the PowerPoint pane. You may see the “Design Ideas” toolbar pop up on the side of your pane, with different options you can try out to arrange visual elements.
• Alternatively, go to Insert > Pictures > Picture from file , and select the photo you want from your finder.

3. Avoid Photo Clutter

The photos you add to your PowerPoint should be presented one at a time, or minimally enough to maintain focus — too many photos can cause clutter and become distracting. You don’t want the photo to be the sole star of the show — you want it to support your statements and add emotional resonance to your messages.

There may, however, be occasions when you want to use multiple images that support a unifying topic: for example, steps in a process or different ways that customers can purchase your product.

If you ever want to add one or more smaller photos, rather than a large background image, here are a few rules of thumb:

• Crop the photos to the same size or shape: Having mixed dimensions makes the overall composition feel unbalanced. Whether you choose a square, rectangle, or circle shape for your photos, making them all the same size and shape will boost the scannability of your page.
• Group and align: Again, scannability is key. When you group the elements of your page together in an even and consistent way, people will visually register the pattern and can digest the content more quickly. For example, you may have three groupings that consist of an image, headline, and descriptive body text. Make sure that these elements are (1) clustered together so they form one unified thought, (2) grouped to match each other so they form a visual “rhythm” across the page with equal text sizes, line weights, and image dimensions, and (3) aligned and justified along the X or Y axis for legibility (in PowerPoint, select multiple objects and go to Arrange > Align to line them up along the same axis).
• If using different sized photos, fit them together into a cohesive shape . A binding element like a grid with solid lines will help the photos appear on the page like neatly fitted puzzle pieces. Again, keep overall alignment in mind — the more your content stays organized in tidy rows and columns, the more scannable it will be.

If you must use multiple photos, PowerPoint’s Design Ideas toolbar will give you options to array them in a neatly aligned grid. Focus on creating a tidy overarching shape to avoid the cluttered “collage” effect.

4. Choose Photos Over Clipart

Clipart has been nearly synonymous with PowerPoint and other programs since the ’90s, but unfortunately hasn’t evolved much with the times. While a piece of clipart from the web may encapsulate or accentuate your key themes, keep in mind these aesthetic considerations:

• Professional credibility is lost when your design looks “dated” or “cartoonish,” but gained when your presentation is sleek and modern.
• While aiming for visual consistency, also bear in mind that more muted and subtle visuals — from the photos you choose to the icons that illustrate your key points — help keep the focus on your words and ideas, rather than your visual aids
• If you want to add a more sleek, modernized look, browse Noun Project’s collection of over 3 million icons to find a corresponding set to include.

For a more polished and modern look, go for minimalist and visually consistent icons to accentuate key messages, rather than clipart.

Tip: The PowerPoint Add-In for Noun Project lets you search and pull in icons right there in the software without having to leave your workflow. Go to Insert > Add-Ins > Get Add-Ins and search for Noun Project. Once you open the Noun Project Add-In window and log in to your account, choose icons from the same collection to ensure that they’re visually consistent.

Find the Noun Project PowerPoint Add-In on NounProject.com or, from PowerPoint, go to Insert > Add-Ins > Get Add-Ins to search for Noun Project icons.

5. Don’t Use Watermarked Images

Even if it is small, a watermark can be distracting and, once spotted, can negatively impact your credibility. Be sure to use free photos and credit the photographer, or pay for the photos you use in your presentations to avoid the loss of credibility and trust that can occur when you use watermarked images.

Not sure what usage rights you have with an image? Let’s cover the basics of how to cite images in a presentation: Questions about fees, licenses, and usage rights are common, and citing images in a presentation is the standard expectation for free photos so that the photographer gets credit. Fortunately, Noun Project Photos provides a transparent model for photo usage and licensing — any free photo download is licensed under Creative Commons, which allows you to use the photo for noncommercial purposes, without creating derivatives, as long as you provide attribution to the photographer.

The “Basic Download” option will not only give you a free, CC-licensed image, but tell you exactly what attribution information you should include when you cite it. Once you click “Get This Photo,” you’ll see the image title and photographer name listed in a text box — simply copy the text and include it on your slide to properly cite the image.

Noun Project Photos provides a transparent licensing model in which photos are free to use with attribution under Creative Commons.

Your presentation may have a footer for notes, where such a citation could easily fit. If not, many presentations will have all the attributions listed on a final page. Under Creative Commons, both methods are acceptable.

6. Maintain Diversity in Photos

The truth is incontrovertible: representation matters. Stock photography — like much of the broader media and marketing landscape — has faced a chronic issue with only representing a particular sub-sect of the population, and more and more consumers have started to notice. At Noun Project, we’re dedicated to ensuring that the visual resources we share are inclusive, free from outdated stereotypes, and more accurately reflect the world we live in . Through initiatives like our Diversity in Tech and Empowered Women photo collections, we’re championing more equal and accurate representation in the world of stock photography.

Double-check the photos you’ve added to your presentation and ask yourself: Does this speak to the widest possible audience, or does it leave certain groups out of the picture?

Noun Project offers diverse, inclusive photos, so you can finally leave the stuffy corporate photo shoot in the past. Audiences want to see natural, non-posed, high-quality photos that better resemble day-to-day life.

7. Keep it Simple.

Finally, slides should be readable. The visual elements you choose should bolster the core message of each slide, rather than overshadowing it. Key things to watch out for are:

• Less text, more talk . Unless you’re handing off a comprehensive sales deck, you as the presenter should be doing the talking — not the words on the page. Focus on using short bullet points to extract main ideas and keywords, rather than numerous full sentences.
• Check your text size. Bigger is better (and with less text on the page, it should have more room to breathe). But don’t forget about hierarchy: there should be a clear distinction between headlines and supporting text.
• Check legibility . Are you using simple, legible text for body copy? Does the text appear clearly against the background? Up the contrast or find a more suitable background that doesn’t strain the eye.

Search for “Copy Space” photos to add to your presentation. The best background photos to add are those that have plenty of white space for you to add your own content. While bold, busy photographs might be the most visually striking, bear in mind that your text needs room to breathe. A quick Noun Project search for “Copy Space” will lead you to more minimal photographs that include this built-in space for text.

Search for photos with copy space to give your text legibility. Tip: If you need to set text against a more visually busy background, add a semi-transparent color block. Add a rectangle (Insert > Shapes > Rectangle) underneath your text, give it a black fill, but adjust the transparency until the text becomes clearer while leaving the photo visible.

Explore More Stock Photos for PowerPoint at Noun Project

Noun Project Photos features professionally-selected, inclusive, beautiful and affordable images created by a global community of photographers. We’ve curated our collection to put visual clichés and tired, outdated stereotypes to rest — so you can find stunning images for any project. With worry-free licenses, you’ll support photographers and have peace of mind with clear image usage rights, including model and property releases.

Explore the collection at thenounproject.com/photos/ and follow our blog for more tutorials about visual communication.

Marketing Communications Manager at Noun Project, Designer and Illustrator.

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How to Add Images to PowerPoint Presentations

Although known for presentations, PowerPoint is also a fair image editor. One of the many abilities within PowerPoint is cropping pictures to specific shapes. This trick is how designers make images in the shape of a circle, triangle, or other unique shapes rather than the default square or rectangle. See below for our tutorial on how to crop pictures in PowerPoint.

Let’s get started with a  keyboard shortcuts for inserting images (pictures) into PowerPoint .  That’s right! You can open the Images panes without ever touching your mouse!

Insert Images (pictures) into PowerPoint Presentations using Keyboard Shortcuts

First, click the Alt button on your keyboard. You’ll see a series of letters pop up along the top of your ribbon area.

Next, press the letter N on your keyboard. This will open the “Insert” ribbon in PowerPoint.

Thirdly, press the letter P on your keyboard. This will open the “Pictures” portion of your Insert Ribbon.

Finally, press either D, S or O to open the appropriate dialogue box for where you’d like to get your images from. D will launch your local Windows Explorer. S will launch the Microsoft Stock Images page. O will launch a Bing Image search window. Find the image you’d like to use, and click “Insert”. Using S or O will let you select multiple images just by clicking. To insert multiple images from your device, hold down the Ctrl (control) key when clicking on files located within the same folder.

If using the keyboard shortcut seemed a little daunting for you, you can easily insert pictures into PowerPoint by simply clicking the menu options with your mouse.

Inserting Images into PowerPoint Presentations using your Mouse

Click on the “Insert” tab at the top of your screen

Click on the “Pictures” icon that appears below the Insert tab.

Select where you’d like to get your images from (Device, Stock images, or Online).

Thanks for reading this simple tutorial on how to insert images into PowerPoint. Visit our  clipart  or  animations  page to download content for your presentation today!

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How to add shapes and images to PowerPoint slides

You can't have an engaging presentation without an artist's touch. Imagery is not only eye candy for your audience, it's another way for them to learn and understand.

How often have you heard that a picture is worth a thousand words? That well-known quote could very well be true for a report or presentation. Visual aids may even have more of an impact than text alone. Here's how you can add supporting multimedia to PowerPoint presos and create images of your own.

• How to draw on presentations
• How to draw shapes

How to add images in PowerPoint

How to group pictures and shapes.

PowerPoint and Office 365 provide a few ways to add images and graphics to your files. These include shapes, clip art, and images stored locally or in the cloud. You have the freedom to set the location, size, and dimensions of most content while also applying color and effects to make them stand out. Let's take a look at adding images, creating your own, and applying effects to them.

Drawing on PowerPoint presentations

How to draw on a slide during a presentation.

To draw on a PowerPoint slide:

• Click on the Slide Show tab in the navigation ribbon.
• Click From Beginning in the Start Slide Show group to begin your presentation.
• Choose which slide that you want to write or draw on.
• Select Pointer Options from the list.
• Select a color from the Ink Color option.
• Choose between Pen or Highlighter .
• Left-click and move your mouse to draw on the slide.

How to erase a drawing

To erase what you have drawn:

• Select the Slide Show with your drawing.
• Right-click on the slide.
• Click on Pointer Options .
• Select Eraser .
• Click on each drawing or line to delete it.
• Select Erase All Ink on Slide to remove all drawings.

How to deactivate a PowerPoint drawing tool

To deactivate the drawing tool:

• Select Pointer Options in the list.
• Select Arrow to return to slide navigation.

Drawing shapes

How to add a predetermined shape.

To add a preset shape:

• Select a slide to add a shape.
• Click on the Insert Tab in the navigation ribbon.
• Select Shapes from the Illustrations group.
• Select a shape or option from one of the 10 categories
• Click on any point on the slide to add the shape to your cursor location.
• Click on any of the basic edit points to resize the shape or invert the shape.
• Click on the rotate icon to change its direction.

How to add a freeform shape with straight and curved segments

To add a freeform shape:

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• Click the Insert tab in the ribbon.
• Navigate to the Illustrations group.
• Select Shapes .
• Choose the Freeform option from the Lines category.
• Click on the slide show to create a starting point.
• Click on another section of the slide to create another point. (A line will appear between them.)
• Click and hold while moving the mouse to create curved lines in a hand-drawn style.
• Click near the first point to finish with a closed shape.
• Double click at any moment to finish with an opened shape.

You can also choose to draw freehand, as though you were using a pen. If Scribble has been selected, left-click and hold on any point of the slide and move the mouse to draw freehand.

How to edit points of a shape

While the preset shapes provided can be used in most situations, you may find that they would better suit the slide if you tweak its shape.

To edit the points of the shape:

• Select a shape on the slide.
• Select the Format tab in the ribbon.
• Select Edit Shape from the Insert Shapes group.
• Select Edit Points .
• Click and drag the highlighted connection points between lines to alter the path of the lines.
• Click the shape outline while pressing CTRL to add another movable connection point.
• Right-click on any connection point to delete it.

When you right-click on any connection point, you are given access to other options that help you modify your shape. You can transform the connection points to one of the following:

• Straight point — This connection point joins two line segments without a corner.
• Smooth point — This connection point joins also joins two line segments in a non-sharp corner.
• Corner point — This connection point joins two segments in a sharp corner shape.

With time, patience and effort, you could create unique, detailed art without having to use a preset shape.

Photos and images are often a nice touch in a presentation. They generate a sense of connection and familiarity that draw an audience in.

How to add a picture

To add pictures in PowerPoint:

• Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon
• Click Pictures from the Images group.
• Locate the picture you want to add in the dialog box.
• Select the picture.
• Click Insert .
• Click on endpoints to resize the image.
• Click on Picture Styles under the generated Format tab to choose a frame option.

How to adjust the colors on Pictures

To adjust the color of a picture:

• Add a color effect.
• Click on a picture.
• Click on the Picture Tools - Format tab.
• Select Color from the Adjust group.
• Browse through options from the dropdown list. Effects are grouped by Saturation , Tone or Recolor categories.
• Click on an effect to apply to the image.

How to add an artistic effect

To add an artistic effect:

• Ensure the picture has been selected.
• Select the Picture Tools – Format tab in the ribbon.
• Select Artistic Effects from the Adjust group.
• Browse through the effects. (Live Preview will provide a sample of the results of an effect.)
• Click on the chosen effect to apply to the picture.

How to add additional effects to shapes and images

How to fill a shape in powerpoint.

To fill a shape:

• Select the shape or picture on the slide.
• Click on the Drawing-Tools tab.
• Navigate to the Shape Styles group.
• Click Shape Fill to open the drop-down.
• Select a fill color.
• Select a gradient effect.
• Select a texture.

Each style option also offers a greater selection of fill colors, gradients and textures, which opens up a Format Shape box on the right side of the window. Here you can access transparency settings and quick style selections.

How to add shape and picture effects

In the Shape Styles group of the Format tab, you will see the option to add a Shape Effect. These effects provide a measure of depth to both shapes and images. There are seven categories to choose from; Preset, Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, Bevel, and 3-D Rotation.

How to modify shape and picture effects

To modify effects:

• Select the Format tab from the ribbon.
• Select Shape Effects from the ribbon. (If using a picture, this will be called Picture Effects .)
• Select a category from the drop-down list.
• Click 3-D Options at the bottom of the secondary list.
• Locate the Format Shape/Format Picture pane on the right side of the window.
• Choose values for each section the list.

The formatting pane allows you to change a multitude of effects. You can change the distance, angle or transparency of shadows, change the lighting source or even blur reflections. The same effects are available for pictures you have also added.

To apply a grouping:

• Click on the slide that contains the images and shapes you wish to group.
• Press and hold CTRL as you click on the images and shapes.
• Click on the Drawing Tools - Format Tab in the ribbon.
• Click Arrange under the Drawing group.
• Select Group from the dropdown list.

You can ungroup your images by clicking on Arrange in the Drawing group and then selecting Ungroup . If you have changed your mind, or mistakenly ungrouped the images or shapes, the Arrange command also provides a regroup option.

Wrapping up

These are the basics to get you started on your new career as a PowerPoint artist. Do you already add shapes and images to your slides? What is the most creative graphic that you created in PowerPoint? Let us know in the comments.

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• Presentations

How to Choose the Right Images for Your Presentation

Do you want to add images to your PowerPoint presentation but don’t know what makes a good image? Here are specific tips for choosing photos and graphics to make sure that your presentation looks good.

The images and graphics you add to your presentation are important. Good images can help get your message across. Bad images do the opposite.

In this tutorial, we’ll look at tips for choosing images for a PowerPoint presentation. We’ll also look at some images and graphics that you might want to use in your next presentation.

Jump to content in this section:

What Makes a Good Presentation Image?

25+ images and graphics from envato elements, learn more about powerpoint presentations, your top source for premium images (unlimited downloads).

If you want to add an image to your PowerPoint presentation, then you should know how to do it and make it look good. This tutorial will help with the technical aspects of adding images to PowerPoint:

But even if you know how to add an image to your presentation, how do you know if the image you've got in mind is a good one? Here are some tips on choosing effective images for your presentation:

1. Be Consistent

When choosing your presentation images, choose an image that's consistent with the message of your presentation and with your organization's brand.

If you add an image that doesn’t match your message or theme, it can look bad. It could even confuse the audience.

2. High-Quality

High-quality images for presentations are important because if the image is blurry, it can look unprofessional. Envato Elements has thousands of high-quality stock images.

3. File Size

When looking for pictures for presentations, look at the image file size.

Remember, the bigger the image file, the longer it'll take to load, which means it can take your presentation longer to load. You also want to look at the image size.

The image should be big enough that a person standing in the back of the room can see it.

4. Keep It Simple

Another tip for an image in a PowerPoint presentation is to keep it simple. Pick graphics and photos that are neat and simple.

When choosing an image, choose a simple but powerful image. Using a simple image is the best way to get your message across quickly and clearly.

5. Natural Images

When choosing a presentation image, look for a natural image. If you use an image that is obviously staged, it can look cheesy. Stick to real-life scenarios or images.

6. Images That Are Focused

The best pictures for a PPT presentation are images that focus on one area. If there are too many details, it could confuse the audience. You want the image to have a key message that it's focused on, and your image should reflect that.

7. Photos That Tell a Story

Choose presentation images that tell a story. Images are meant to help further the message. So, look for an image that illustrates the concept you're trying to get across.

You don’t want the images to cause a distraction. So avoid images where the story isn't clear.

8. Connect It to Your Message

Finally, check these three items when choosing an image or graphic:

• Images for presentations should first support your message of the content.
• It should add aesthetic value to your slide.
• Your image should always be relevant to the message and theme of the slide.

Are you looking for some inspiration to help you choose a graphic illustration or photo? Here are over 25 effective presentation images and graphics to get you started on your search for the right images for your next PowerPoint presentation:

This image can be used to discuss anything fashion-related. For example, you could use this picture to discuss fast fashion or sustainable fashion.

2. Warehouse Clipart

This graphic can be used on your slide when you discuss factories, product processes, or more. It shows boxed goods in a warehouse and the goods being loaded in a truck.

3. Color Theory

You can use this image to discuss a large variety of topics. One topic you could discuss in your presentation using this image is color theory.

4. Influencer

This image features an influencer talking about makeup. This is another image that can be used with a variety of topics, such as influencer marketing, influencers, and makeup.

5. Social Media

Images like this can be used for many different topics. Since there are many different social media symbols in this picture, you could talk about one of the social media platforms separately. Or you could talk about them as a whole.

6. Outdoor Adventure Patterns

The Outdoor Adventure Patterns are great to use as backgrounds. They look like the graphics of a video game with a nature theme, so if you want to add some fun to your presentation, try these.

7. Marketing

If you’re talking about marketing in your presentation, then this image is a good option. This image features words that are typically associated with marketing.

8. Virtual Reality

Virtual reality glasses are the latest technology. If you want to discuss the latest technology, there are many pictures on Elements that you can use!

Artificial Intelligence is another technology that's trending. This image is an interesting image to use in your presentation about AI.

10. Fitness

Do you need to do a presentation on fitness or health? This graphic illustration of a person exercising in front of their workstation can help you make your point. 

11. Virtual Events

Another topic is the future of virtual events. Virtual events allow people from all over the world to meet and have discussions using tools like Zoom .

12. Board Games

A presentation topic could be to discuss the graphic design of board games. Some games have intricate designs, and some have simple designs. Or you could use games as a metaphor for a business topic.

13. Exploring Cultures Through Food

A fun presentation topic would be discussing discovering other cultures through food. You can talk about what makes each food unique and what meaning it holds.

14. Abstract Gradient Image

If you want to add pictures for a PPT presentation but don’t want them to distract from your text, an image like this one is a good choice. This image can be used as a background for your slide.

15. Nature Background

This is another photo for PowerPoint presentations that can be used as a background. This image is great if you've got a nature-themed presentation or are discussing nature.

16. Work In Office

This presentation image that features office workers is great if you're talking about any professional work-related topic. You could even use this image to discuss work statistics.

17. Office Workers

This picture for presentations is a closer image of office workers at their desks. Use this image for any purpose that is relevant to your presentation topic.

18. Cloudy Sky

Cloudy sky images for PowerPoint presentations are good to use as backgrounds or break slides. Images like this one are calming and nice to look at.

19. Interior Design

Interior design presentation images have been recently trending. Use these images to discuss interior design or anything having to do with a home.

20. Salad Spread

This photo for PowerPoint presentations is great to use if you're going to be discussing healthy food in your presentation. If you’re opening a business with similar food, you can also use this image for that purpose.

24. Tea Background

In the graphics section of Envato, there are many graphics that you can use as a background. This one is a cute teapot background that can add some fun to your slide.

25. Extinguished Fire Backgrounds

These backgrounds feature calm images with a dark theme. If you're looking for dark nature background graphics, these are a great option.

26. Confetti Style Patterns

If you’re looking for another background, this one is one that can add whimsy to your background. It comes with twelve different confetti-style patterns.

To learn even more about improving your PowerPoint presentations, read these helpful tutorials:

Envato Elements is the best site for high-quality presentation images. What is Envato Elements? It’s a subscription service that gives you access to premium digital assets. These assets include resume templates, fonts, images , audio, etc. If that sounds useful, sign up for a subscription, and you get unlimited access to as many digital assets as possible.

Find Elements Images Now

If you like the sound of saving time and will use stock images or digital assets often, then take advantage of this deal and sign up today!

If you're in a creative field and are working on other projects, try using Envato AI Search to find the right images for your project. All you've got to do is put in the details of your project, and it'll tell you what digital assets you can use. Try it today !

Download a Premium PowerPoint Image for Your Presentation Today!

Now that you’ve read some tips on how to add images to your presentation and make it look professional.

If you want to save time, then try downloading a premium presentation template today. Envato Elements has premium templates, images, fonts, graphics, and more. Sign up for Envato Elements today!

How to Insert Images in Google Slides? [Complete Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Presentations are visually attractive and engaging when you have images on your slides. However, since Google Slides is hosted on the cloud, adding images to your presentation requires a slightly different process than traditional methods.

Here’s how you can add an image to your Google Slides presentation –

To insert images in Google Slides, click on the “Insert” menu and select the “Image” option from the dropdown. Next, choose any one source to add the image to Google Slides. You can add an image from your computer, search the web, or use Google Drive, Google Photos, image URL, or your PC’s camera.

You can also add images to your Google Slides presentations when using your phone, Mac, or iPad! In this article, I’ll show you the complete step-by-step process to insert images in Google Slides.

1. What Image Formats are Supported by Google Slides?

Google Slides supports all the major and common image formats. You can insert almost any image into the Google Slides presentation. The supported image formats are “Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpeg and .jpg)” , “Portable Network Graphics (.png)” , “Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)” , “Bitmap (.bmp)” ,  “Tag Image File Format (.tiff and .tif)” , and “Scalable Vector Graphics (.svg)” .

2. Adding Images in Google Slides?

Using the “Insert” menu in Google Slides, you can easily insert an image into a slide. All you have to do is follow the 2 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” menu

In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on the “Insert” menu. This will open the “Insert” dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on the “Image” option

In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Image” option (as shown in the image in step 1). Then select the image source from the pop-up menu by the “Image” option

2.1 Method 1 – Upload from Computer

To upload an image into Google Slides from your computer, you have to first open the “Insert” menu. Then follow the 2 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Upload from computer” option

In the pop-up menu by the “Image” option in the “Insert” menu, you have to click on the “Upload from computer” option. This will open a file explorer dialog box.

Step-2: Click on the “Open” button

In the “Open” dialog box, select the image that you want to upload to the presentation slide. Then click on the “Open” button at the bottom of the dialog box to insert the image into the slide.

2.2 Method 2 – Search the Web

The “Search the web” option allows you to insert an image into Google Slides directly from the internet. To insert an image from the web, follow the 3 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Search the web” option

The first step is to open the “Insert” menu. In the pop-up menu by the “Image” option in the “Insert” menu, click on the “Search the web” option.

Step-2: Click on the “Search for images” box

In the sidebar on the right side of the screen, click on the “Search for images” box. Then type in the keywords for the image that you want to insert into the slide. The search result will appear in the sidebar.

Step-3: Click on the “Insert” option

The final step is to click on the image that you want to insert from the sidebar. Then all you have to do is click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

2.3 Method 3 – Using Google Drive

The “Drive” option allows you to insert an image into Google Slides from your Google Drive folders. To insert an image from Google Drive, follow the 2 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Drive” option

In the pop-up menu by the “Image” option in the “Insert” menu, click on the “Drive” option. This will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Insert” option

In the “Google Drive” sidebar, select the image that you want to insert into the open slide. Then all you have to do is click on the “Insert” option at the bottom of the sidebar.

2.4 Method 4 – Using Google Photos

You can insert an image into Google Slides directly from your Google Photos. To do so, follow the 2 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Photos” option

The first step is to click on the “Photos” option in the pop-up menu by the “Image” option in the “Insert” menu.

In the “Google Photos” sidebar, click on the image that you want to insert. Then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the sidebar to insert the image from your Google Photos

2.5 Method 5 – Using a URL

The “By URL” option in Google Slides allows you to add an image from the internet using its link. To insert an image using the URL, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “By URL” option

The first step is to click on the “Insert” menu in the menu bar. In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Image” option and select the “By URL” option as the image source.

Step-2: Paste the image URL

In the “Insert image” dialog box, you have to now paste the link of the image that you want to insert into the slide. The image preview will appear in the dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “Insert” button

The final step is to click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the “Insert image” dialog box to insert the picture into the slide.

2.6 Method 6 – Using a Camera

Google Slides also allows you to add a picture directly using the camera on your device. To insert an image using the camera, follow the 3 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Camera” option

In the pop-up menu by the “Image” option in the “Insert” menu, you have to first click on the “Camera” option. This will open a dialog box.

Step-2: Click on the camera icon

In the dialog box, you can now take pictures with your camera. Click on the yellow camera icon to take a picture. You can also take multiple pictures to insert all of them together.

The final step is to click on the “Insert” option at the bottom of the dialog box to insert the photos taken with your device camera.

3. How to Add Pictures to Google Slides on Mac?

Since Google Slides is an online application, it is similar to all computer operating systems. To add a picture in Google Slides on a Mac device, follow the steps detailed in section 2 of this article.

4. How to Put Pictures on Google Slides from Your Phone?

On your phone, you can easily insert an image in Google Slides using the “Insert” menu. All you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Tap on the “Insert” option

In the toolbar at the top of the screen, tap on the “Insert” option which is the “+” icon.

Step-2: Tap on the “Image” option

In the “Insert” menu, you have to now tap on the “Image” option. Then select the source of the image that you want to insert into the presentation slide.

Step-3: Tap on a photo

Finally, all you have to do is tap on your preferred photo to insert it into the Google Slides presentation.

5. How to Insert Images in Google Slides on iPad?

Since the Google Slides application is the same for both Android and Apple devices, you can insert an image on an iPad in a similar way as on your phone. To insert an image into Google Slides on an iPad, follow the steps detailed in section 4 .

6. How to Insert Image Behind Text in Google Slides?

In Google Slides, you can easily insert an image behind text on a slide. All you have to do is follow the 4 easy steps. 

The first step is to click on the “Insert” menu. In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Image” option. Refer to section 2 for the detailed steps on inserting an image into a slide.

Step-2: Move and resize the image

The next step is to move the image on top of the text on the slide. Click and drag the image to move it.

Step-3: Click on the “Arrange” menu

In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on the “Arrange” menu. Make sure that only the image is selected on the slide. 

Step-4: Click on the “Send backward” option

In the “Arrange” menu, click on the “Order” option. Then all you have to do is click on the “Send backward” option in the pop-up menu by the “Order” option to send the image behind the text.

7. How to Insert Image as Slide Background in Google Slides?

Google Slides allows you to add a picture as the slide background. To insert an image as a slide background, follow the 4 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Background” option 

The first step is to open the slide where you want to insert the image. Then click on the “Background” option from the toolbar at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Choose image” option

In the “Background” dialog box, click on the “Choose image” box. This will open another dialog box.

Step-3: Select the image source

In the “Insert background image” dialog box, click on the image source. The selected source will open in a new window where you can select the image to insert it into the slide.  

Step-4: Click on the “Done” button

Finally, all you have to do is click on the “Done” button to insert the image fitted to the open slide.

8. How to Insert Image Placeholder in Google Slides?

In Google Slides, you can add image placeholders in the slide layout. All you have to do is follow the 5 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Theme builder” option

The first step is to click on the “View” menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen. In the “View” menu, click on the “Theme builder” option.

Step-2: Click on a slide layout

In the left column of the “Theme builder” view, click on the slide layout thumbnail where you want to insert the image placeholder. Then slide layouts are the thumbnails under the “Layout” section.

Step-3: Click on the “Image placeholder” option

The next step is to click on the “Insert image placeholder” option in the toolbar. In the dropdown menu, click on the “Image placeholder” option. You can then select the placeholder shape from the pop-up menu by the “Image placeholder” option.

Step-4: Draw the image placeholder

You can now draw the image placeholder in the slide layout. You can also move and resize it.

Step-5: Click on the “X” icon

Finally, all you have to do is click on the “X” icon at the top right corner of the “Theme builder” screen to return to normal view.

9. How to Insert Image into a Shape in Google Slides?

The “Mask image” option in Google Slides allows you to insert an image into any of the preformatted shapes available. To insert an image into a shape, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Insert image” option

In the toolbar located under the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on the “Insert image” option. Then select the image source to insert the picture into the open slide.

Step-2: Click on the “Mask image” option

The next step is to add a shape to the inserted picture. Click on the “Mask image” option in the toolbar. It is the down arrow beside the “Crop” option.

Step-3: Select a shape 

In the dropdown menu under the “Mask image” option, click on the type of shape that you want to add to the image. Then select the shape from the pop-up list to insert the picture into it.

10. How to Insert Image into a Table in Google Slides?

In Google Slides, you cannot insert an image into a table. However, you can insert an image to the slide and move it to the table. To do so, follow the 4 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Table” option

The first step is to insert the table. Click on the “Insert” menu at the top of the screen. Then click on the “Table” option in the “Insert” menu. You can select the table dimensions.

Step-2: Click on the “Insert image” option

The next step is to insert an image into the slide. Click on the “Insert image” option in the toolbar. 

Now you have to select the image source. Refer to section 2 for detailed steps on inserting images from each source.

Step-4: Move and resize the image 

The image will be inserted outside of the table. Click and drag the image to move it inside the table. You can click on the corners of the image to resize it to fit inside a cell.

11. How to Get Free Images for Google Slides?

In Google Slides, there is no separate source for free stock images. To get free images, you have to check the license for the images that you want to use. All you have to do is follow the 6 simple steps.

The first step is to click on the “Insert” menu in the menu bar. In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Images” option. 

Step-2: Click on the “Search the web” option

In the dropdown menu beside the “Images” option, click on the “Search the web” option. This will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen. 

Step-3: Click on the “Search for images” option

Now you have to click on the “Search for images” box at the top of the sidebar. In the box, type in the keywords for the image that you want to insert.

Step-4: Click on the “+” icon

The search results will appear as thumbnails in the sidebar. Click on the “+” icon on the right corner at the bottom of the preferred picture to view it.

Step-5: Click on the image link

At the top of the screen, click on the image description. This will open the image source. If the picture is licensed as “Creative Commons” or “Public Domain” , you can use the picture for free.

Step-6: Click on the “Insert” button

Now all you have to do is click on the “Insert” button at the top of the screen to insert the free image into the presentation slide.

12. Getting Unsupported Image Type Error in Google Slides? Here’s How to Fix It! [Link to Another Article]

The “Unsupported Image Type” error in Google Slides shows that the application is unable to upload an image to insert into the slide. The error occurs when you try to insert an image file that is not supported by Google Slides.

To fix the issue, you have to change the file type of the image. You can do so using image converters available online. You can also manually change the file extension of the image. For more detailed steps on these fixes, you can read my previous article here.

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How to Add Background Graphics to Powerpoint

Last Updated: March 19, 2024

Adding a Picture

Applying effects, using slide master view.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 419,542 times. Learn more...

How do you edit background graphics in PowerPoint?

• You can add a background image to an individual slide or to all slides in your presentation.
• To create repeating wallpaper-like background, you can tile any photo as a texture.
• Adding backgrounds in the Slide Master makes it easy to apply the one background to all slides using the same layout.

• If you want to apply the background to every slide in your presentation, you can do so at the end of this section.

• There are other fill options you can choose from, such as solid colors, gradients, and patterns. Selecting one will display additional options for that type of fill. This guide focuses on adding images and graphics to the background.

• Click the "File" button to select a picture from your computer. A file browser will open, and you can navigate to the image you want to use.
• Click the "Online" button to find pictures from online sources. You can perform a Bing web search, choose images stored in your OneDrive, or grab pictures from your Facebook or Flickr account.
• Click the "Texture" menu to select from a premade texture background. There are a variety of premade textures that you can pick from if you'd rather not insert your own image.

• Click the "Artistic Effects" menu and select the effect you want to use.
• When you select an effect, additional options may appear beneath it. The options vary depending on the effect you chose.

• Different slides in the master list are for different slide layouts. Changes made to that master will apply to all slides with the same layout. The slide at the top of the master list will apply yo all slides in the presentation.

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• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-a-picture-as-a-slide-background-4b0b98d4-774c-4e08-9c38-e8c92f58c957
• ↑ http://www.presentationpoint.com/blog/best-powerpoint-screen-resolution/
• ↑ http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_powerpoint-mso_other/how-can-i-edit-a-background-graphics-object/94ef97f5-8e95-4d90-b0aa-d61a7095b9a8?auth=1
• ↑ http://www.gcflearnfree.org/powerpoint2013/slide-master-view/1/

About This Article

To add an image to the background of one or more PowerPoint slides, start by selecting the slides you want to edit in the left panel. To select multiple slides, hold down the Control key on a PC or the Command key on a Mac as you click each slide. If you just want to edit one slide, click it once. Next, click the "Design" tab, and select "Format Background" in the toolbar's top-right corner. The Format Background panel will expand. In the "Format Background panel," select "Picture or texture fill" under "Fill" options. To select an image from your computer or a network drive, click "File." Browse for the picture, select it, and then click "Open." PowerPoint will automatically resize the image to properly fit the slide. Since slides are in landscape orientation, or wider than they are tall, try choosing a background image with a similar orientation. If you don’t have a background image in mind, click the "Online" option, which allows you to search for an image by keyboard using Bing Image Search. Once you've placed your image, you can make some modifications. First, if the image is a pattern or texture and not intended to stretch across the whole slide, check the box next to "Tile picture as texture" so it repeats across the slide like wallpaper. If the text on your slide becomes hard to read now that there's an image in the background, drag the "Transparency" slider to the right until the image fades enough to make the text legible. You can also edit the picture itself after placing it. Click the photo icon at the top of the Format Background to find Picture Corrections and Picture Color tools, such as brightness, contrast, and saturation controls. Your new background image is automatically applied to any slides you selected. However, if you want to apply the background to all slides in the presentation, you can click the "Apply to All" button at the bottom of the "Format Background" panel to do so. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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700+ Presentation Images That Will Enhance Any Presentation [Free Images]

Written by: Chloe West

When creating a speech or a pitch to present to an audience, there’s one element that you especially want to focus on to create an engaging experience – your presentation images.

Your presentation images allow you to showcase your story through visuals. Whether you choose photography, graphic design elements and so on, your imagery is key to helping you make your main point.

Helping your audience to visualize your point is essential to a good presentation . While your overall content and your slide design matters as well, you need high-quality images to really prove your point to your audience.

Not only that, but people are visual learners. They want to see what you’re talking about.

So we’ve put together a list of over 700 presentation images that will enhance even the driest slideshow.

Plus, s croll down to the bottom for some tips on using these presentation images within your slides.

Click on the image gallery under each category to view tons of handpicked images to use for your presentation.

1 Business Presentation Images

There are so many different types of presentations that you’ll need to do in business or in your career. Whether it’s a sales presentation, a marketing presentation, a pitch to an investor, a presentation for a conference or networking event and more.

And these are typically made in an effort to promote your business. So you really don’t want your audience to get bored due to a lack of visuals.

Including images within your business presentation is the perfect way to keep your audience engaged and interested in what you’re saying.

However, we don’t mean you want these images to take up your entire slide and nothing else. You need to work it into your slide in a way that simply boosts your content. Add these presentation images as a background to your slide.

Place an image on one side of your slide and your content on the other slide. Add an image into your presentation as an accent.

There are many different ways to include imagery in your business presentation.

And to help you find the perfect images to include, we’ve created a huge list of presentation images that you can find right in Visme’s photo library and easily drop right into your slides.

Click on the image gallery below to view business presentation images.

2 Nature Presentation Images

Are you looking for some compelling and beautiful nature photography to use in your next nature presentation?

When you’re leading a presentation for your environmentally friendly nonprofit or sharing a nature-focused movement, you want to use photos that help to argue your main point and sell your presentation to your audience.

There’s no shortage of beautiful imagery of the earth, and your presentation should show off everything that this planet has to offer.

Fighting climate change? Trying to save an endangered species? Working against littering and pollution? Share photos of how the earth and wildlife is supposed to look.

To help you do this, we wanted to put together a comprehensive list of all of the nature presentation images we have right in Visme’s photo library.

Browse through our nature photos below, then dive right into your Visme design dashboard to create a beautifully captivating presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view nature presentation images.

3 Marketing Presentation Images

When marketing your business, you really need to sell in your presentations. If you’re marketing your business at a networking event, tradeshow or conference, your presentation's visuals really matter.

They also matter in a sales pitch, or even just in a marketing presentation or report with your team. Keep your team and your supervisors engaged using a combination of data visualization tools and beautiful images.

Peruse Visme’s photo library to find photos that represent your target audience for your buyer personas. Search for images of social media users to help prove your point about the importance of social media.

You can even find images with analytics and data that will help visualize the statistics you’re working to convey. 

Picture this: your interactive charts on one side with a high-quality stock photo right next to it to really pull your entire slide design together.

Scroll through our top marketing presentation images to find the ones that work best in your presentation design.

Click on the image gallery below to view marketing presentation images.

4 City Presentation Images

Show off your city in your next presentation. These images can be useful to present an idea to the city council or to share a local movement or project with an audience.

Visme’s stock photo library has a plethora of images from cities around the world. Show off your landscape, sights to see and more for free.

It doesn’t matter if your beautiful city includes more skyscrapers or shopping centers, farms or amusement parks. Regardless, you can find the perfect stock photos to represent your city within Visme’s searchable library.

Your city presentation will hold that much more emotion and power if it includes visual representations of the exact locations you’re talking about.

Check out our city presentation image options below to start your search for the perfect photos for your slideshow.

Click on the image gallery below to view city presentation images.

5 Political Presentation Images

Whether you’re running a local, statewide or national campaign, you’re going to have to give a few speeches and presentations. And it’s essential to include visuals and imagery inside any presentation slides you create alongside your speech.

People are passionate about their political views, and integrating visual aids to support your speaking points can make your stance on the issues seem even more impactful.

Help to rally your supporters by including patriotic photography alongside imagery that speaks to your focal campaign messaging.

Share images of the area that you’re running to represent to showcase your love for your district and how you want to change it. 

Whether you’re running for student council, city council, or even president or prime minister, you need to include photos that help to sell your messaging and let people know why they should vote for you.

Click on the image gallery below to view political presentation images.

Visme gives you access to over a million high quality photos .

• Photo editor included
• Access gorgeous photo filters
• Add text, graphics and more to your designs

6 Animal Presentation Images

Who doesn’t love animals? And when you’re putting together a presentation about animals (whether it’s to help animals get adopted, share information on an endangered species, combat animal cruelty, etc.), what better way to appeal to your audience than with photos?

Visme’s photo library includes images of pets as well as images of wildlife so that you can find photos that suit any presentation talking points.

Search for photos of lions, tigers, bears and more. Or on the tamer side, find images of some puppies, kittens and bunnies.

Looking for something a bit more exotic? Check out our selection of reptiles, like alligators, lizards and snakes.

Simply dive into Visme’s design dashboard, click over to Graphics in the left sidebar and start searching through the massive photo library to find the perfect animal presentation images for your slides.

Click on the image gallery below to view animal presentation images.

7 Holiday Presentation Images

There’s a never ending list of holidays, so the list of stock photos needs to be just as long! If you’re referencing holidays in your presentation or putting together a report that covers a single holiday extensively, we’ve got your images covered.

Find any and all holiday presentation images in Visme’s stock photo library. Whether it’s winter holidays like Christmas or Hannukah or summer holidays like Fourth of July or Cinco de Mayo, you’ll find the perfect images in our photo resource.

Remember, an image is worth a thousand words, so you always want to have a few good photos to visually represent what you’re saying.

Do a quick search of holiday presentation images in this gallery as well as in Visme.

Click on the image gallery below to view holiday presentation images.

8 Educational Presentation Images

Whether you’re putting together a report for school or giving a presentation on the importance of education, the need for photos to accompany your words is essential.

Showcase children sitting at their desks, eager to learn. Share images of kids at play during recess. Visualize what it means for students to make friends in class. 

There are so many different ways to show off education in stock photos through your presentation, and we’re only here to help.

Take a look at the photos included in our roundup below, but don’t forget to conduct a thorough search in Visme’s design dashboard.

You can use imagery as the background of a slide or to simply create an accent or emphasis on your slide content.

But one thing is for sure: you need to visually represent your words with graphics and photography. Browsing through the gallery below can help.

Click on the image gallery below to view educational presentation images.

9 Nonprofit Presentation Images

There are many different reasons someone involved in a nonprofit might need to give a presentation. There are donor pitches, fundraising events, speeches and more.

And each of those presentations is made up of two components: words and images.

When it comes to a nonprofit presentation , the need for an emotional appeal to the audience grows exponentially. The purpose of these presentations tends to be to generate or increase donations, because nonprofits operate exclusively through donations.

Including imagery that represents what your nonprofit is fighting for or against is the best way to appeal to your audience’s senses. Even more than words, visuals help people to understand or relate to an issue.

And Visme’s photo library is full of images that your nonprofit can use in its next presentation. Just start browsing through our selection below.

Click on the image gallery below to view nonprofit presentation images.

10 Financial Presentation Images

Putting on a presentation to talk finances? Maybe you’re a financial planner, and you’re trying to show potential clients why they need your help.

Or perhaps you’re putting together a presentation to let the board on your nonprofit or supervisors in your company know about your revenue and spending.

Either way, a presentation is a great way to visualize the dollars and cents and help to create a compelling argument for how well your company is performing.

And any compelling presentation needs visuals. While financial presentations will also require some powerful data visualizations , don’t forget about the images.

Financial presentation images can provide context for your argument, add an accent to a slide, or give you a background to overlay your information onto.

Check out the images we have in our massive photo library that can help improve your financial presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view financial presentation images.

11 Motivational Presentation Images

If you’re giving a motivational speech , you definitely need presentation images to accompany your content. An image is worth a thousand words, and incorporating photos into your motivational presentation is the perfect way to inspire your audience.

Your motivational presentation images can range from photos of inspirational sayings or scenes to photos of people working hard to succeed at something.

Consider what your topic is, and find photos that are relevant. You want to inspire and motivate your audience to take action to better themselves and their lives.

Browse our extensive photo library to find the perfect motivational photos to accompany your presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view motivational presentation images.

12 Art Presentation Images

Are you discussing art? Whether it’s the history of art, modern art or simply how art can be found in life, you’re in luck.

Our library of stock images can help you find the beautiful and artistic presentation images that you need to amplify your message. 

Showcase the exact types of art that you’re discussing in your presentation by sharing photos of it directly in your slideshow. You can use those photos as a background to your slide, as an accent that appears alongside your content or as the feature photo on a slide.

Art is such a visual concept anyways, that it should be fairly simple for you to find the perfect stock photography to match your information.

Browse through just a few handfuls of the photos that Visme’s presentation image library has to offer.

Click on the image gallery below to view art presentation images.

13 Travel Presentation Images

Our last section of presentation images for your slideshow needs covers travel presentations . If you’re a travel agent making a pitch or a digital nomad teaching others how to do the same, you need some stellar travel photos to show off.

Sharing photos from around the world is a huge incentive to get people on your side, listening to what you can teach them or do for them.

After all, who doesn’t love the idea of vacationing and traveling the world?

Find the perfect travel photos to pop into your presentation slides with Visme’s stock photo library. With hundreds of thousands of photos to choose from, you’re sure to find some beautiful travel presentation images that are perfect for your message.

Check out the gallery below to find a few that will fit perfectly in your next presentation.

Click on the image gallery below to view travel presentation images.

How to Use These Presentation Images

So now that we’ve shown you over 700 of the thousands of presentation images we have available for free use, we know what you’re thinking.

How can you use these photos in a presentation? And furthermore, how can you use them and ensure your slides still look well designed ?

There are several different ways to use images in your presentations, so let’s go over how you can do these right in Visme’s presentation maker.

Color Overlay

A color overlay is a transparent color on top of a photo. These are great to use when you want to add a photo onto a slide for emphasis, but you still need to include text on the slide.

Because it tends to be difficult to see text directly on top of a bright, busy photo, a color overlay is a great way to soften the photo and ease it into the background.

You can create a color overlay in Visme by clicking the Filter setting, choosing your color and selecting the opacity percentage. Check out a few other photo filter options here .

Create an accent in your slide by using an accent photo. The photo can be in the corner of your slide, covering the top or bottom half, taking up the left or right side or even right in the middle of your slide with your content surrounding it.

You can easily create an accent photo by selecting your photo from our photo library or uploading your own, then sizing it and dragging it to the area you want to accentuate.

You can easily upload a background photo by clicking the slide background and selecting a photo from the stock image library.

If the photo doesn’t fit perfectly, you can drag it around to ensure the area that you want to be visible is shown in your slide.

When using a background image with no color overlay, it’s a good idea to choose a photo with a lot of white space. This allows you to add visuals to your presentation slide while also including copy from your slide content.

If you’ve found a photo that is partially perfect, don’t worry. You can quickly and easily crop photos directly in the Visme design dashboard so that you’re only showcasing the part of the image that you want to be visible on your slide.

To crop a photo, select the Crop setting and drag the corners until the area that you want to see is selected. Then click Apply .

Last, but not least, is our feature image.

If you’ve found a photo that conveys your messaging perfectly, but you don’t want any text to distract your audience, you can include it as a feature image on a slide.

All you do is upload it as a background image or resize it so it covers the entire screen and let your words speak for themselves.

Not every slide needs to have copy on it. You can include feature images every few slides so that your audience still has something engaging to look at while you continue speaking.

To learn even more about using images in your presentation design, check out this video from our Make Information Beautiful series:

Create Your Own Presentation

Ready to take charge of your next presentation? All you need are the right presentation images to engage your audience and help to illustrate your point.

Jump into our Visme design dashboard with one of these pre-designed presentation templates , input your content, choose your images and you’re ready to present!

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Chloe West is the content marketing manager at Visme. Her experience in digital marketing includes everything from social media, blogging, email marketing to graphic design, strategy creation and implementation, and more. During her spare time, she enjoys exploring her home city of Charleston with her son.

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11 Dos and Don'ts of Using Images in Presentations

Anuj Malhotra

Many presenters are using images horribly in their presentations!

From pixelated visuals to copyright images with watermarks clearly visible on them to many other disasters, presenters are coming up with unique ways to kill all the fun. Are you guilty of poor selection of visuals? Are your experiments at creating visual slides turning into disasters?

Lucky for you, we have put together a complete list of dos and don’ts for adding images to slides. You won’t believe how a little care while handling images can make your presentation a visual success. Ready for some introspection? Compare yourself with these 11 yardsticks to determine your visual literacy:

Visuals in Presentations: Best and Worst Practices

Sin 1: Using pixelated or blurry images

It’s not that presenters do not see that the image in their slide is of poor quality but that is the last desperate move they make when they can’t find any better visual in its place. Sorry folks, you have to search harder for that high quality image. If you have to shell out a few dollars, then do. But a blurry image casts a very poor impression.

Sin 2: Tiny Images

Don’t use tiny images that require audience to carry binoculars. A high quality image lets you play up that visual on your slide, so go for it. For instance, in the Don’t slide below, the presenter has killed the action picture of football by using it up in such small space.

WHAT TO DO: If you have lots of text to incorporate, allocate half the slide to text and half to the image as you can see in the Do slide below:

Sin 3: Overuse of visuals

These presenters are the ones who have taken the use-image-advice a bit too seriously. They collect as many images as can be fit into a slide and squeeze their content into the space left. Why do they do this? They find several relevant visuals for a single slide. For instance, in the Don’t slide below, the presenter has a slide on business goals and objectives of a start-up. All visuals used in the slide are pretty relevant and the slide would have been great if the presenter went with a single, big image.

WHAT TO DO: Choose one high quality image that sums up the main theme of the slide. Choose any visual that represents Goals and Objectives; it’s not necessary to pick an image for each of those goals. If you want to show each goal visually, dedicate a complete slide to each. Check out the difference:

Sin 4: Multiple pictures arranged poorly

Yes, there are times when the slide warrants multiple pictures. A campus view, various benefits of a product, trip collage, etc. require you to arrange multiple visuals aesthetically. This, however, requires basic design knowledge such as giving frames or borders to each image. The Don’t slide below is a bad way to arrange your images.

WHAT TO DO: Place your image along grids using the Gridlines feature ( View tab) in PowerPoint. Or give them a frame using the default frames in PowerPoint ( Format tab). The Do slide below is a good way to arranged multiple pictures in a single slide.

Sin 5: Cliparts that add no value, except shock value

If you haven’t heard so many presentation experts screaming their heads off calling clipart crappy and tacky, hear us now. These cartoonish characters add absolutely no value to your slide and make you look a tacky presenter too. An exception is always there, say designing a cartoonish slide is your purpose, but they don’t stand a chance in a corporate presentation. In the Don’t slide below, the clipart of suited professionals can still be forgiven but why not show your awesomeness like the Do slide shows.

WHAT TO DO: Nothing, just forget about clipart. Any visual would look better than it.

Sin 6: Watermark Images

This is the worst sin of all. Even if you make the image small enough to hide the watermark, many in the audience would be quick to spot it and trust us, it’s the worst thing that can mar the reputation of a presenter.

WHAT TO DO: Need we say anything here? Please buy the image; don’t attempt to blur or remove the watermark even if you know how to do it.

Sin 7: Pictures with headache-inducing backgrounds

Unless your objective is to perform a hypnosis session or cause excruciating pain to audience’s eyes, never choose a visual that has swirls, rainbows and other distracting elements in the background. Moreover, the content fails to stand apart from the background making it very difficult (practically impossible) for the audience to read the content. The Don’t slide below is a perfect example of what not to do.

WHAT TO DO: Choose an impressive visual that covers the whole slide. If you want to show growth, there are hundred options you can choose from- towering building, bar diagram, growth of a plant from sapling to tree, ladder steps, etc. If you have lots of text to accommodate within the slide, add a transparent layer over the complete image and then place your content. As you can see in the Do slide below, the image and content complement each other to create a professional, sophisticated presentation slide.

Sin 8: Amputating people while cropping images

Don’t be merciless while cropping images. Place yourself in the shoes of the person you are cropping. Would you like to see your photo with one arm missing? Obviously not. But yes, cropping an image to make it fit within the slide and to accommodate text at the same time is indeed tricky. As a presenter, you have to cut off portion of an image without making it look awkward. How do you that?  

One tip that all professional photographers give, while composing an image or cropping it post production, is to “never crop at joints”. Don’t cut off the person’s feet, fingers, and at the points dissecting any body part. See the Don’t slide below; the image composition doesn’t give due respect to the CEO.

WHAT TO DO: If the image itself is poorly composed, you need to take it again or choose a different picture. In the Do slide below, a different image has been taken and it’s taking up the same area without any need for cropping.

But what do you if you have a large-sized image that covers the complete slide space? Chop off all body parts left and right so that you can show the faces? Let’s take another example. Check out the Don’t slide below which has been brutally cropped to fit the content. Even the head and the crucial handshake signifying partnership has been hacked for convenience.

Now, check the Do slide- you only need to minimise the photo, crop the unnecessary portions (not the limbs, please), give it a nice frame (Go to the Format tab and check out the default Picture Styles) and tilt the photo to make it stand out and relevant to the slide. Not bad, uh?

Sin 9- Badly stretched photos

This sin is unforgivable and makes your slide an eyesore of the worst kind. Even if the stretched photo is of a high quality! What was the presenter thinking? We know. The presenter has a picture of a certain dimension, say in a portrait style, but wants to display it in the landscape format. So he stretches it to accomplish his mission knowing the damage he is doing to the image and the complete slide.

The Don’t slide below is an adaptation of a similar slide I came across on a presentation sharing platform. This also happens when a presenter chooses a shape and uses the Picture fill option in PowerPoint to fill the area with an image. If the image has a different aspect ratio than the area of the shape, PowerPoint will stretch the photo to fill the area, distorting the image in this process.

WHAT TO DO: If you use the Picture Fill option in PowerPoint and the image gets stretched, follow these simple steps:

• Click the stretched photo
• Go to the Format tab on PowerPoint ribbon
• Under the Crop dropdown menu, choose the Fill option (see the screenshot below)

PowerPoint will resize the image while maintaining the original aspect ratio of the image:

You can now drag the photo to adjust the required portion within the area. This might not work in your favor because you can’t have the teacher, student as well as the book within the small rectangular shape.

Check out what we did in the Do slide again. We cropped the photo and removed the white space in the image, chose a white background so that the image gels in smoothly, drew a circular outline around the image and placed our content alongside the image. You can try this or some other design trick, but stretching won’t do. Even a slight stretching distorts the image and is easily noticeable casting a bad impression on the presenter.

Sin 10: Using irrelevant silhouettes or other images

Silhouettes aren’t all that bad. They can be used if you want a visual element in your presentation but don’t want the audience to be distracted by the details. But adding silhouette just for the sake of it distracts the audience even more.

In the Don’t slide, the silhouette of a businesswoman doesn’t say anything. In a slide already having one visual element- a line chart- adding the silhouette is unnecessary and makes it difficult for the audience to read the chart values.

WHAT TO DO: Choose an image that adds value to your content. If it doesn’t, simply scrap it. The Do slide looks much better and cleaner with simply the graph:

Sin 11: Image with a thick outline

Creativity sometimes misfires and gives an unpleasant look and feel to your slide. One such creative effort is giving very thick border line to an image. The frame becomes as heavy as the image itself making one wonder what is more important- the image or the frame. Even if you picked the same from PowerPoint’s default Picture Styles, it doesn’t mean it is suitable for your presentation. In the Don’t slide below, the frame seems to be jumping from the slide and is too harsh on the eyes.

WHAT TO DO: If you wish to give it an outline, don’t keep the width of the line more than 1 point. Pick a light color for the outline if the background is dark. In the Do slide below, we encapsulated the image within a circle so that it doesn’t look jutting out of the slide. The outline was also chosen white and the width was kept at 1 point. The color of the text was picked as white to have a soothing contrast and not as jarring as black and red.

BONUS TIP 1: Characters in the image should look within the slide

Now this is a small error that dilutes the impact of a slide. It’s a basic human behavior to look where others are looking. This knowledge of eye movement should guide you while choosing images for your PowerPoint presentation too.

If you have an image looking out of the slide, the audience tends to look there too and returns to the slide to read the content. For a brief second or so, you disconnect with the audience. If the image, instead, looks into the slide towards the content, the audience first looks at the image and then reads the content, their attention focused within the slide. This is exactly what you want. The Don’t slide below is an example how you should not be placing your image.

WHAT TO DO: You can move the image to the other side of the slide like we did in the Do slide below. Else, you can flip the image within PowerPoint using the Rotate feature. Select the image, go to the Format tab, locate the Rotate dropdown menu and click Flip Horizontal . That solves the problem too!

BONUS TIP 2: Maintain consistency of images throughout the presentation

You should not be using a clipart on one slide, an image on another and an illustration in a different slide. Avoid too much variation as it breaks the smooth flow of a presentation. It makes you look like an amateur presenter.

There can be countless other ways to screw your slides. To save your skin, show your presentation to your family member or close friend before putting it online or broadcasting it before an audience. Trust us, you’ll be saved from many embarrassing mistakes with this exercise. If you have come across any other visual disasters, share with us in the comments below.

Spread the visual literacy by sharing this article with your friends and followers. Here’s a pre-populated tweet to get you started!

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How To Insert Many Pictures into Individual Slides in PowerPoint

How To Insert Many Pictures into Individual Slides in PowerPoint

There are many reasons why you may be interested to insert many pictures into individual slides at once using PowerPoint . For example, if you’d like to protect your PowerPoint presentations by avoiding users to change editable fields or data values, then importing the slides as pictures into a new presentation could be a possible approach.

If you want to import hundreds of pictures into PowerPoint slides then it can be really tedious to add each picture file as as an individual slide. However, here we propose a method that let you easily import multiple photos or picture files into PowerPoint as individual slides . The best of this is that you just need to select which files to import from your hard disk (doesn’t matter if it is only one file or 100’s of files) and then PowerPoint will insert all the pictures into individual slides.

Using Photo Album to Batch Import Many Pictures into PowerPoint

Photo Album is a feature available in Microsoft PowerPoint that let you create a photo album from picture files easily. This can be very handy for people who want to create a family photo album but it is also a very powerful tool for professional presenters that need to import many pictures as slides. You can also use this approach to insert multiple pictures into PowerPoint on different slides.

1. Go to Insert > New Photo Album in PowerPoint

Let’s start creating a New Photo Album. Go to Insert -> Photo Album -> New Photo Album and then a new dialog box will appear.

2. Choose the Picture Files to Insert as PowerPoint Slides

Below is an example of the Photo Album dialog box where you can setup how to build a photo album, select the pictures to include in the album, choose the layout and see a preview. If you need help creating the images you can use an AI Image Generator .

Now, click File/Disk to pick picture files from your computer. This new file dialog let you select which files will be inserted in the album. As soon as you pick the files and accept the changes the pictures will be displayed under Pictures in album check list.

For this example we have exported all the slides from Metro Dashboard template to JPG images and saved them in our local hard disk. Then, we chose all these JPG images in order to make a new photo album following this approach.

You can use the File Dialog to save multiple files at once (keep Shift key pressed and then select all the files) and then the file names will appear in the file name text box. Then click All Pictures and these files will be selected for the photo album.

3. Choose Fit to Slide Option in Picture Layout

Unless you want to import many pictures in the same slide, make sure to choose Fit to slide option under the Album Layout section in the Edit Photo Album dialog. This will make the pictures to fit the whole slides making them look as the original presentation file but using a background image instead.

Tip: If you want to protect your presentations from edit then you can use this method proposed here to include pictures as PowerPoint slides removing any editable field from the PowerPoint presentation. This can be good while sharing a PowerPoint presentation with colleagues and co-workers for review or sharing a PowerPoint online and at the same time prevent the original file to be copied or edited. Interestingly, this method can be safer than other methods which involve protecting presentation files with password or converting the presentation to slideshow (.ppsx).

The method proposed here let you convert multiple images you have in your hard disk to PowerPoint slides without losing too much time (only a few clicks are required if you have the picture files already saved in your hard disk). Also, this method can be used if you need to add multiple images to an existing PowerPoint presentation .

Protect a PowerPoint Presentation by Inserting Pictures as Individual Slides

If you want to protect PowerPoint presentations by inserting slide pictures as individual slides without editable elements then you can follow the instructions below:

• Open the original presentation (the presentation file you want to protect).
• Go to File -> Save As and save PowerPoint Slides as Images.
• Choose the output folder where presentation files will be saved.
• Open a Blank Presentation in PowerPoint
• Go to Insert -> Photo Album -> New Photo Album
• Using the method proposed in this article, insert all the images previously saved in your hard disk.
• Save the new presentation with a new file name by going to File -> Save As and now choose the .pptx file format. We recommend you to identify the file name with a suffix my-presentation-noedit.pptx or something like that, in order to recognize easily that it is the modified version.

Now you can safely share the presentation with any colleague, co-worker or classmate or even publish the PowerPoint online.

Protecting the images using this approach does not guarantee someone won’t be able to edit the images. It is not the same as protecting the document with advanced protection mechanisms, for example, the ones that you could get by using digital signature protection. The protection mechanism we describe here is a high-level solution to prevent images from accidentally moving among the slide canvas.

The screenshot below shows an example we have created following the steps above. As you can see, the final result looks very close to the original template. The only difference for the end user is that the slides appear as images and there are no editable fields. Shapes nor pictures inside the dashboard can not be copied neither.

Alternatively, if you are looking for an additional layer of protection for your presentation, you may consider adding a watermark picture on top of each slide. This can be easily accomplished with the use of an AI picture generator or other graphic design tools. Be sure to add the watermark before exporting the slides as JPG images to ensure that the watermark cannot be edited along with the background pictures.

This feature is only available on Windows versions of Microsoft PowerPoint but if you are a Mac user then there is a workaround. You can use the Batch Image Importer tool provided by Andrea Frank from Boston College or a batch import images add-in for PowerPoint on Mac.

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Batch, Bulk, Import, Photo Album, Slides, Watermark Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

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11 Responses to “How To Insert Many Pictures into Individual Slides in PowerPoint”

How can i do this in Powerpoint 2016 mac, that does not have the PhotoAlbum button

Use Keynote which is included Free when you install OS X then export as pptx if you wish

Thanks! This is the best suggestion yet for mac users!

What is the 2016 version of this? I have no album option anywhere. I only have Photo Browser and Picture from File.

This works fine to load a100 images into separate slides in seconds, and fit them to the frames. However many of the images then show as very coarse, as though only a thumbprint had been expanded. I can get the full detail of the images back by “changing” the image to the same file.

Second try. This works fine, except that many slides show the images as very coarse, as if a thumbprint had been expanded. How can I get the full details of the images into the slides? I can get around this by “changing” the image for the original file, when all comes right, but this is a nuisance! Thanks Sean Karley

3/17/2018 Sean: i am having the same problem. i loaded 200 slides and about 30% of them were very coarse. i think this occurs because the default setting in Power Point 2016 is to “compress pics” to 220kb? I couldn’t figure out how to prevent this in advance of creating the new photo album, because when you hit the “create” tab, it automatically creates a “new” presentation, with the auto-compress feature as the default. so i had to use your work-around (“change picture” option) to correct all the coarse photos. definitely a nuisance.

I am able to create ppt but in black and white. How to change this into colour photos and what is the options.

I do believe all of the ideas you have presented to your post. They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, thhe posts are very quick for starters. Could you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time?

Thanks for tthe post.

This is great, a big timesaver – thanks so much!

Nope. I have PP 2020 and there NO “photo album” button. I taught MS Office back in the 90s – Powerpoint, Word, Excel, Access, Outlook. It was brilliant and worked effortlessly. It’s got progressively worse since then. I find it surprising MS even still in business, appalling.

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How to add image captions in microsoft powerpoint.

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Adding a caption to an image is an effective method for providing additional context of the image or giving proper credits to the image owner. Here is how to insert image captions in Microsoft PowerPoint .

Open PowerPoint and insert the image you would like to add a caption to. To insert an image, navigate to the “Insert” tab and select “Pictures,” found in the “Images” group.

In the drop-down menu that appears, select where you would like to insert the image from. You can choose to insert an image from:

• Your local device
• Stock images
• Online Images

Once you’ve added the image, it’s time to insert the caption. In Word, Microsoft actually provides a feature for embedding an image caption. Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t exist for PowerPoint, so we have to manually insert the caption ourselves by adding a text box under the image.

Related: How to Add Alternative Text to an Object in PowerPoint

Back in the “Insert” tab, select the top half of “Text Box” in the “Text” group, which allows you to draw a horizontal text box anywhere on the slide.

To draw the text box, click and drag your cursor.

With the text box ready, input the caption.

Once you’ve entered the text, resize it as necessary.

Finally, you’ll want to group the image and text together. This is necessary if you plan to move the image around the slide.

To group the image and text together, hold “Ctrl” ("Cmd" on Mac) and select both the image and text box.

With both items selected, click the “Group” button in the “Arrange group of the “Picture Format” tab.

In the drop-down menu that appears, select “Group.”

When selected in the future, the text box and image will appear as a single item.

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10 Free PowerPoint Templates to Present Your Photos With Style

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You might think Photoshop is the best tool for putting together a photo collage, but actually PowerPoint offers plenty of free templates for you to use instead. Here's how to use a template in PowerPoint along with all the best PowerPoint photo collage templates you have to choose from.

Why Use PowerPoint Photo Collage Templates?

Share your photos: For our most popular preoccupation with photos—sharing.

Show off photos with style: A professional photo collage template can add gravity and enhance your photos.

Save time: Microsoft PowerPoint templates for photos are molds for standard layouts. Why reinvent the wheel? Save time with pre-made photography templates so you can focus on other things instead.

Showcase creativity: Turn a long-term photography project into a creative PowerPoint photo album presented as a slideshow.

How to Search for Free PowerPoint Photo Collage Templates

The most common use of Microsoft PowerPoint with photos is to use it as a photo album. PowerPoint ships with some default photo templates, but you can also use free templates in the Office Online Template & Themes gallery.

Follow these steps in Office 365. It should be similar for other versions of Microsoft Office as well.

• You can tweak your slides further by applying Themes from the Design tab with just a click. A theme is a predefined combination of colors, fonts, and effects. Different themes are suitable for different slide layouts.

Tip: You can pin your favorite templates to the New screen.

The 10 Best PowerPoint Photo Templates

Good presenters know not only what to present but also how to present. These 10 professional photo collage templates do some of the handholding for you.

1. Stay Minimal With the Classic Photo Album

The Classic Photo Album PowerPoint template is a minimal theme suitable for black and white street photography. Use this to create a personal portfolio. Limited to two colors, it doesn't distract from the photos you use the template for.

If you want to go with color, customize the default theme background, colors, number of images, alignment of thumbnails, and more by using the Ribbon.

2. Make a Baby Photo Collage

This PowerPoint photo slideshow template presents your cute baby pictures in a vertical style. You can use a different number of photos in the slides and write down memories associated with the photos.

3. A PowerPoint Collage for Wedding Photos

The elegant Wedding Photo Album is a compilation of 17 slides in different layouts. You will find other wedding album templates in the gallery, but this is an understated photo collage. You can add up to five wedding photos to create a collage. For more choices, search with a "wedding photo album" keyword.

4. Birthday Photo Album Template for Any Age

A common use of collages is to put together a birthday photo album. This PowerPoint template for birthday photos is easy to adapt to your needs. The 15 deck template also comes with editing instructions if you are a beginner on PowerPoint and need some help.

5. A Stylish Biography Template for Class

Studying the biographies of achievers is required reading in many grade levels. This is not for your photos but for profiling the life of famous men and women in the class. The Biography Presentation template is a well-designed template with space for photos and biographical information. Use each slide to focus on a single aspect of the achiever's life.

6. Escape With a Road Trip Photo Album Template

Just looking at the collage of placeholders for your road trip photos might make you want to take one. This beautiful PowerPoint template has eight slides, so you might need more of them if you bring back lots of memories.

7. Have Fun With a Party Photo Album Template

A fun party can throw up a lot of little moments. Capture them all in a slideshow with this 21-slide PowerPoint template. This photo collage template is colorful to match any fun theme for your party.

8. Remember Someone With a Memorial Album

Use the Floral memorial album template to pay tribute with a PowerPoint slideshow. The eight slides in the template are designed for different photos and one of the slides can even hold eight photos. This presentation design is somber but stylish at the same time.

9. Send a Reunion Reminder With a Family Photo Album

Present a few loving family photos to inspire everyone to start preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The theme of these PowerPoint slides is simple, and you can easily add a few more slides to the default five this deck comes with.

10. Create a Stunning Photo Book

You might feel overwhelmed if someone asked you to put together a quick photo book. But use this subtle yet stylish PowerPoint photo book template to get the job done in no time. The name and the placeholder images might suggest a fashion theme, but you can easily repurpose it for any photos.

Let's Not Forget Office Online

You might not use PowerPoint Online for crafting that killer presentation, but it's still a free alternative to Microsoft Office with plenty of templates.

While most of the online photo templates are crossovers from the Office suite gallery, there are still some exceptions. For example, the Animated picture collection template.

You can always download a template from the online gallery to your desktop. And you can save your presentation to a web location just as easily with OneDrive, then access it from there with Office 365.

Other Sources of Free PowerPoint Templates

There also lots of non-Microsoft sources of free Microsoft PowerPoint templates and backgrounds. Search with a keyword like "photos" or "photo album" to find them. Here are a few suggestions:

• SlideHunter
• PPTtemplate.net
• PresenterMedia
• Powered Template
• Graphic River (paid)

Templates can help you take shortcuts through the time-consuming task of designing a presentation. That way you can save more time for perfecting the look of your presentation with a few profession design tips.

• Productivity
• Photo Sharing
• Presentations

Simple Steps to Add Pictures and Shapes in Google Slides

With the pictures and shapes, you can not only spice up your presentations but can also add meaning to your content and retain the audience’s sight throughout the slideshow. However, this doesn’t mean you should load your presentations with lots of pictures. Just add relevant images and put brief text to make them look more presentable. 

In this guide, you will learn to add images and use in-built picture and shape tools in Google Slides. Further, this tutorial will help you customize the images by cropping, changing colors, and other formatting options. Let’s start! 

Inserting Pictures

You can insert any picture stored on your computer in the slide. Google Slides also allows you to find pictures online and add screenshots to your presentation. 

To insert a picture:

Step 1: Open your Google Slides presentation and pick the slide in which you want to add a picture. 

Step 2: In the main menu, click Insert > Image.

Step 3: You can choose the picture from the available options. Here we have selected the option of ‘Search the Web.’ 

Step 4: A new window of the Google images search pane will appear where you can find the relevant image (s) using the appropriate terms/keywords.

Step 5: Select the desired picture and click Insert.

Step 6: The selected image will appear on the slide. 

Formatting Pictures

Users can resize, rotate, crop, and adjust the image as needed from the in-built tools available in the Google Slides library. 

To crop an image: 

Step 1: Select the image and click the Crop in the toolbar.

Step 2: The cropping handles will appear around the boundaries of the picture. You can crop the image by clicking and dragging one of those handles. Ensure that your mouse is over the cropping handle instead of the resizing one to avoid accidentally resizing the picture. 

Step 3: Click the Crop button again; the image will be cropped. 

To crop an image to a shape:

Step 1: Select the image you want to crop and click the drop-down arrow adjoining the Crop button. In the drop-down list, hover over a category and choose the desired shape.

Step 2: The image will appear in the selected shape. 

Note: Click the Crop button and use the crop handles to adjust the size and proportions of the shape.

Image Options

Click Format Options in the toolbar to open the format options pane. Using the options, you can style the image and adjust its brightness, transparency, contrast, and more. 

To move an image: Select and drag the image to place wherever you like in the slide. 

To resize an image: Select the image to bring the sizing handles around the boundaries of the picture. Click and drag the handles invertedly to resize the picture to the desired size. Using the handles at the corner, you can change the image’s height and width. 

To rotate an image: Select the picture, click and drag the rotation handle above the image.

Inserting Shapes

Using shapes, you can give your textual information a visual perspective while making the presentations look more appealing. In Google Slides, many preformatted shapes are stored in the library, which users can choose and customize as needed. 

To insert a shape: 

Step 1: Click the Shape button on the toolbar, hover over the categories, and choose the desired shape. 

Step 2: Select the shape and drag it wherever you like in the slide. We have drawn a shape on top of the selected image.

Step 3: The shape will be visible on the slide. 

Formatting Shapes

Google Slides lets users modify shapes in various ways. You can resize and move the shape just like the images and use other options for adjustment. 

The proportion of some shapes can also be adjusted by clicking the diamond handle. 

Reordering Objects

A slide in a presentation can have multiple objects like shapes, images, text boxes, etc. When these are inserted into a slide, they are in the order in which they were inserted. 

In the below image, we drew a teardrop shape, which obscures the picture. To make the picture visible, we can reorder it to put it behind the other objects. 

To reorder an object: 

Step 1: Select the object to reorder.

Step 2: Click Arrange > Order to get the options for reordering the objects. Choose the appropriate option. Here, we have selected Send to back to bring the image ahead of the shape. 

Step 3: We have used the shape as a background for the image. 

You can also style the shapes using fill color, line color, line weight, and line dash formatting options. 

Note: Using Order commands, you can arrange multiple overlapping objects. 

That’s all! You have successfully made it to learn this way to add pictures and shapes in Google Slides!

Keep following us for more such guides!

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Add a background picture to slides

You can use a picture as the background for a slide or slides.

You can adjust the picture's transparency after you add it to the slide.

Insert a background picture on a slide

Right-click the margin of the slide and then select Format Background .

In the Format Background pane, choose Picture or texture fill .

Under Insert picture from , choose where to get the picture from:

To adjust the picture's relative lightness, slide the Transparency bar to the right.

To apply the background picture to all slides in your presentation, choose Apply to All . Otherwise, simply close the Format Background pane.

Remove a background picture

In Normal view, select a slide that has the background pattern or picture you want to remove.

On the Design tab of the toolbar ribbon, in the Customize group at the far right end, select Format Background .

In the Format Background pane, under Fill , select Solid Fill .

Select the down arrow next to the Color button. A gallery of colors appears. Select the white color.

Your current background is removed, and the background of the slide is now white.

If you want to make the same change to the other slides in the presentation, choose Apply to All at the bottom of the Format Background pane.

Add a video to the background of your slides

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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How to add images to the slides using python?

I am doing process automation. it involve adding of images to the slides (total 8 images, 2 per slide, even some text below it.). I could add the image using pptx. but images need some cropping. How do I go about cropping it ? I also need to use some specific format for the slide. How to use that layout ? If someone can give process flow for doing it, would be grateful.

• python-pptx

• pillow.readthedocs.io/en/4.3.x , python-pptx.readthedocs.io/en/latest –  kaidokuuppa Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 7:35
• I dont know why there is a downvote. but I have those docs provided. I didnt get idea there, so came here to ask. –  Sushant Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 9:09
• What kind of cropping do your images need exactly? What is the layout you want to use? What have you tried so far? –  kaidokuuppa Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 10:05
• My image has two parts on white backgrnd (cannot put the image here). I want them to be placed on particular slide side by side. its a common layout we use in our organisation. what i have tried so far >>> normal way of inserting picture using python-pptx. –  Sushant Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 13:16

2 Answers 2

A picture shape in python-pptx has four crop properties ( .crop_left , .crop_top , etc.). These each take a float value with e.g. 0.1 corresponding to 10%.

but unfortunately these are read-only at present. If you need to crop your photos, you'll need to do it by hand or perhaps pre-process the images with something like the Python Imaging Library (PIL/Pillow) to modify their extents before inserting them.

An image can be added to a slide in two ways. Either you can add it as a separate shape at an arbitrary location using slide.shapes.add_picture() , or you can add an image placeholder to the layout you use to create the slide and use placeholder.insert_picture() . This latter approach automatically draws the position and size from the placeholder, which helps keep those consistent across slides using that layout.

• Picture-crop setters were added in release 0.6.9 of python-pptx on Wed May 9, 2018. So these are now read/write properties on Picture . –  scanny Commented Dec 21, 2021 at 4:19

Maybe you could use SlideMight , a data merge tool for PowerPoint.

Suppose you have the images in files, and a data file listing the file locations or URLs. You would then make a "pattern file", which is much like a PowerPoint template. There you make a slide with a table having 2 rows or columns; each image will get into a cell. You may add extra rows for some texts. Alternatively you can predefine 4 slides each having 2 placeholders for images, which are then named like image1 to image8.

Then let SlideMight generate the desired presentation. SlideMight will do the resizing, and span the table over extra slides as needed. Normally SlideMight runs in a GUI. It should also be able to run as a command line program, although this has not been tested lately (please let me know if you need it).

Would this be of use?

Disclaimer: I am the developer and vendor of SlideMight.

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