How can insert text balloons (call-outs) into JPEGs for e-mailing

[Guest]

In sending e-mails it's sometimes fun to add "dialog balloons" (rectangular
text boxes with dialog therein..and an arrow extending to the persone doing
the "talking" or "thinking". I've tried it with Powerpoint, but don't seem to
be able to save in JPEG format which can then be de-resolved and e-mailed.
I've tried paint, but that doesn't seem to work either.
Somehow, I did it once successfully, but can't duplicate it regardless of
what I try.
Thanks.

 

[Echo S]

Add a "callout" (dialog balloon) from the autoshapes. Type in your text and
format as desired. Right-click and choose Save as Picture.

Is that what you're after, maybe?

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the help. 'Problem is, I know about the autoshapes and can use
them as intended...IN THE POWERPOINT PROGRAM.
BUT (you knew there'd be one), having created a modified picture, with the
autoshape and text inside, I am unable to then send it to my photo program
(Finepix) from which the original JPEG was taken.
If I could "export" the modified picture, back to Finepix as a JPEG, I could
then reconfigure the resolution (read: reduce) and send the captioned pic as
an e-mail.
Thanks again.

Add a "callout" (dialog balloon) from the autoshapes. Type in your text and
format as desired. Right-click and choose Save as Picture.

Is that what you're after, maybe?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

In sending e-mails it's sometimes fun to add "dialog balloons"
(rectangular
text boxes with dialog therein..and an arrow extending to the persone
doing
the "talking" or "thinking". I've tried it with Powerpoint, but don't seem
to
be able to save in JPEG format which can then be de-resolved and e-mailed.
I've tried paint, but that doesn't seem to work either.
Somehow, I did it once successfully, but can't duplicate it regardless of
what I try.
Thanks.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks for the help. 'Problem is, I know about the autoshapes and can use
them as intended...IN THE POWERPOINT PROGRAM.
BUT (you knew there'd be one), having created a modified picture, with the
autoshape and text inside, I am unable to then send it to my photo program
(Finepix) from which the original JPEG was taken.
If I could "export" the modified picture, back to Finepix as a JPEG, I could
then reconfigure the resolution (read: reduce) and send the captioned pic as
an e-mail.

If you have PPT 2002 or later, re-read Echo's post. Here:

That last bit is key.

If you have an earlier version, draw your stuff to fill the slide as much as
possible. Then choose File, Save As. Pick JPG or PNG in the Save As Type list
box, give it a name and click OK. That'll export the entire slide, not just the
selected bits. You can crop out unwanted stuff in an image editing program.

Is that what you're after, maybe?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

In sending e-mails it's sometimes fun to add "dialog balloons"
(rectangular
text boxes with dialog therein..and an arrow extending to the persone
doing
the "talking" or "thinking". I've tried it with Powerpoint, but don't seem
to
be able to save in JPEG format which can then be de-resolved and e-mailed.
I've tried paint, but that doesn't seem to work either.
Somehow, I did it once successfully, but can't duplicate it regardless of
what I try.
Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat year ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text balloon).
We produce about four or five CDs a year, each using about 100 photo images,
with frequent "animation" and other visual and audio effects.
We have found as the interplay with fade up, music, text, fly-ins, etc.
becomes more complex, we're not able to reliably duplicate CDs from the
computer to distribute to friends. Concerns include timing, pacing, multiple
animations on one slide, etc.
Is there a program better than Powerpoint for what some would term
"elaborate" slide programs on CD? We don't do video. For example, Roxio has a
slide master program.
Also, we have tried to copy one of our Powerpoint presentations to DVD,
using Dell hardware and Roxio software (came with computer) and the
resolution quality suffers mightily.
We are retired outdoor writer-photogs, and would like to produce pro-quality
resolution and effects, for free distribution to friends and collegues.
Sorry to be a pest, but frankly, we're pretty flush with the help you've
provided and figured it wouldn't hurt to toss another bird in the air.
Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the help. 'Problem is, I know about the autoshapes and can use
them as intended...IN THE POWERPOINT PROGRAM.
BUT (you knew there'd be one), having created a modified picture, with the
autoshape and text inside, I am unable to then send it to my photo program
(Finepix) from which the original JPEG was taken.
If I could "export" the modified picture, back to Finepix as a JPEG, I could
then reconfigure the resolution (read: reduce) and send the captioned pic as
an e-mail.

If you have PPT 2002 or later, re-read Echo's post. Here:

That last bit is key.

If you have an earlier version, draw your stuff to fill the slide as much as
possible. Then choose File, Save As. Pick JPG or PNG in the Save As Type list
box, give it a name and click OK. That'll export the entire slide, not just the
selected bits. You can crop out unwanted stuff in an image editing program.

Is that what you're after, maybe?

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com


In sending e-mails it's sometimes fun to add "dialog balloons"
(rectangular
text boxes with dialog therein..and an arrow extending to the persone
doing
the "talking" or "thinking". I've tried it with Powerpoint, but don't seem
to
be able to save in JPEG format which can then be de-resolved and e-mailed.
I've tried paint, but that doesn't seem to work either.
Somehow, I did it once successfully, but can't duplicate it regardless of
what I try.
Thanks.

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

 

[Echo S]

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of
Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat year
ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text balloon).

This is unusual. What alterations are you losing?

The "save as picture" option doesn't even exist in PPT 2000 and earlier, so
I'd imagine you're using either PPT 2002 or 2003 if you do have the "save as
picture" option available on the right-click menu.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat year ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text balloon).

Is there someplace you can post a screenshot of what you see in PPT vs what you get
when you save as picture?

Is there a program better than Powerpoint for what some would term
"elaborate" slide programs on CD? We don't do video. For example, Roxio has a
slide master program.

I'm not the one to ask about this ... don't do any of this sort of thing myself, but
there are plenty of people who'll offer suggestions, I'm sure.

Also, we have tried to copy one of our Powerpoint presentations to DVD,
using Dell hardware and Roxio software (came with computer) and the
resolution quality suffers mightily.

You have to remember that DVD is TV-quality resolution (read: low. trash compared
to what you're used to on a computer screen). Image quality will never be anywhere
as good on TV as on a computer screen.

 

[Guest]

Again, we are grateful for your help.
I checked the "About MS Powerpoint" pull-down in the Help section of the
topmost toolbar...and find our program is an "SP2" version. It does have the
feature whereby we can right click on a slide (the picture) and a box comes
up, on the picture , including "save as picture". If I then left-click on
that I get a box headed "save as picture" and a listing of potential folders
where the selection can be saved as a JPEG file interchange format. But when
I type in a name and click to save (momentary hourglass), the picture is
saved, apparently in the same original condition as when earlier extracted
from the folder in order to alter (as, for example, to add those text
balloons). In other words, the balloon inserted from Autoshapes and the text
within is not saved in the "save as picture" version.
Dave Buckley.

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of
Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat year
ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text balloon).

This is unusual. What alterations are you losing?

The "save as picture" option doesn't even exist in PPT 2000 and earlier, so
I'd imagine you're using either PPT 2002 or 2003 if you do have the "save as
picture" option available on the right-click menu.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

 

[Guest]

Thanks again, Steve. We'll plow around in the links you sent. It occurs to me
that our P/P program may be in need of updating.
We put in many hours polishing our CD programs which have drawn gratifying
praise from pro-photographer friends, some of whom are practiced P/P users.
For our next effort (October) we'll try to batch downsize the resolution of
the photographs we've been using (typically 2.3-3.5mb) to a file size with
only 72dpi. This should make for less material on the CD and hopefully,
better timing, effects, multiple animations and interaction between music and
pictures. To down-size the JPEG photo files, we figure to use Photoshop 5.0.
Your comments concerning the resolution of DVDs will save us a lot of time
trying to do the un-doable.
And, if the "save as picture" proves not to work, we can get along with the
"save-as" in the file pull-down.
Again our thanks.

 

[Echo S]

Ah, so you're trying to save a balloon *and* a picture together using Save
as Picture?

In that case, select the objects you want to be in the picture and use
Draw|Group. THEN right-click and Save as Picture.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

Again, we are grateful for your help.
I checked the "About MS Powerpoint" pull-down in the Help section of the
topmost toolbar...and find our program is an "SP2" version. It does have
the
feature whereby we can right click on a slide (the picture) and a box
comes
up, on the picture , including "save as picture". If I then left-click on
that I get a box headed "save as picture" and a listing of potential
folders
where the selection can be saved as a JPEG file interchange format. But
when
I type in a name and click to save (momentary hourglass), the picture is
saved, apparently in the same original condition as when earlier extracted
from the folder in order to alter (as, for example, to add those text
balloons). In other words, the balloon inserted from Autoshapes and the
text
within is not saved in the "save as picture" version.
Dave Buckley.

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of
Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat
year
ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text balloon).

This is unusual. What alterations are you losing?

The "save as picture" option doesn't even exist in PPT 2000 and earlier,
so
I'd imagine you're using either PPT 2002 or 2003 if you do have the "save
as
picture" option available on the right-click menu.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

 

[Echo S]

Oh, also, I would suggest saving as PNG so you don't get a solid (black, I
believe) background to the group -- you'll get that if you save as JPG, and
it might not match your desired background later.

 

[Guest]

Echo:
You got it.
We're trying to pull a photo from our Finepix photo program as a JPEG,
insert it in PP, then add a text balloon (or call-out), some text...and then
save the altered photo WITH the call-out intact.
I tried select all, then tried to group, preparatory to saving as picture.
Problem is, the group icon is greyed out and I can't get it to work.
Wheras, I can save from the "save-as" in the left hand pull down (open, I
think) and we prefer to save as a JPEG as this is how the photo will land in
Finepix, which apparently doesn't recognize the PP file format (PNG?).
Mostly, we would expect to then e-mail the revised photo/call-out...and so
far as I know, Outlook Express requires JPEG format.
Anyway, thanks again. I'm sorry to be so dense.

Ah, so you're trying to save a balloon *and* a picture together using Save
as Picture?

In that case, select the objects you want to be in the picture and use
Draw|Group. THEN right-click and Save as Picture.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

Again, we are grateful for your help.
I checked the "About MS Powerpoint" pull-down in the Help section of the
topmost toolbar...and find our program is an "SP2" version. It does have
the
feature whereby we can right click on a slide (the picture) and a box
comes
up, on the picture , including "save as picture". If I then left-click on
that I get a box headed "save as picture" and a listing of potential
folders
where the selection can be saved as a JPEG file interchange format. But
when
I type in a name and click to save (momentary hourglass), the picture is
saved, apparently in the same original condition as when earlier extracted
from the folder in order to alter (as, for example, to add those text
balloons). In other words, the balloon inserted from Autoshapes and the
text
within is not saved in the "save as picture" version.
Dave Buckley.

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of
Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat
year
ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text balloon).

This is unusual. What alterations are you losing?

The "save as picture" option doesn't even exist in PPT 2000 and earlier,
so
I'd imagine you're using either PPT 2002 or 2003 if you do have the "save
as
picture" option available on the right-click menu.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

 

[Echo S]

Well, as long as that works for you, then that's fine.

Just to clear up a couple of issues, though...

Outlook Express does not require JPG. I don't know if FinePix recognizes PNG
or not.

Probably the issue is when you inserted the image into PPT in the first
place. If you inserted it into a placeholder, then it cannot be grouped. If
you used simply Insert|Picture|From File, it would (more than likely) not be
in a placeholder and could be grouped with other items such as the callout
autoshape.

And you're not being dense. But when you don't give us the necessary
details, well, that does make it more difficult for you to get a complete,
accurate answer. As Steve once said, we can't see what you're doing, so you
have to be our eyes.

At any rate, it seems you have worked out a process to do what you need.
That's good.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

Echo:
You got it.
We're trying to pull a photo from our Finepix photo program as a JPEG,
insert it in PP, then add a text balloon (or call-out), some text...and
then
save the altered photo WITH the call-out intact.
I tried select all, then tried to group, preparatory to saving as picture.
Problem is, the group icon is greyed out and I can't get it to work.
Wheras, I can save from the "save-as" in the left hand pull down (open, I
think) and we prefer to save as a JPEG as this is how the photo will land
in
Finepix, which apparently doesn't recognize the PP file format (PNG?).
Mostly, we would expect to then e-mail the revised photo/call-out...and so
far as I know, Outlook Express requires JPEG format.
Anyway, thanks again. I'm sorry to be so dense.

Ah, so you're trying to save a balloon *and* a picture together using
Save
as Picture?

In that case, select the objects you want to be in the picture and use
Draw|Group. THEN right-click and Save as Picture.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

Again, we are grateful for your help.
I checked the "About MS Powerpoint" pull-down in the Help section of
the
topmost toolbar...and find our program is an "SP2" version. It does
have
the
feature whereby we can right click on a slide (the picture) and a box
comes
up, on the picture , including "save as picture". If I then left-click
on
that I get a box headed "save as picture" and a listing of potential
folders
where the selection can be saved as a JPEG file interchange format. But
when
I type in a name and click to save (momentary hourglass), the picture
is
saved, apparently in the same original condition as when earlier
extracted
from the folder in order to alter (as, for example, to add those text
balloons). In other words, the balloon inserted from Autoshapes and the
text
within is not saved in the "save as picture" version.
Dave Buckley.

:

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of
Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat
year
ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text
balloon).

This is unusual. What alterations are you losing?

The "save as picture" option doesn't even exist in PPT 2000 and
earlier,
so
I'd imagine you're using either PPT 2002 or 2003 if you do have the
"save
as
picture" option available on the right-click menu.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

 

[Guest]

Echo:
I can do it, in spades. Your comment concerning how the photo was inserted
into PP was very helpful. I was using a template which had imbedded title and
text boxes (though I wasn't using them to create the callout text
alterations). When I went to a blank presentation with no pre-formatting, I
was able to move from Finepix to PP, alter the photo, group the components,
and return it to Finepix at will...either through the "save as picture" or
the "save as" mechanism.
I mention this as it may be helpful to someone else thrashing with a similar
problem.
Thanks and I'll stay out of your hair.

Well, as long as that works for you, then that's fine.

Just to clear up a couple of issues, though...

Outlook Express does not require JPG. I don't know if FinePix recognizes PNG
or not.

Probably the issue is when you inserted the image into PPT in the first
place. If you inserted it into a placeholder, then it cannot be grouped. If
you used simply Insert|Picture|From File, it would (more than likely) not be
in a placeholder and could be grouped with other items such as the callout
autoshape.

And you're not being dense. But when you don't give us the necessary
details, well, that does make it more difficult for you to get a complete,
accurate answer. As Steve once said, we can't see what you're doing, so you
have to be our eyes.

At any rate, it seems you have worked out a process to do what you need.
That's good.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

Echo:
You got it.
We're trying to pull a photo from our Finepix photo program as a JPEG,
insert it in PP, then add a text balloon (or call-out), some text...and
then
save the altered photo WITH the call-out intact.
I tried select all, then tried to group, preparatory to saving as picture.
Problem is, the group icon is greyed out and I can't get it to work.
Wheras, I can save from the "save-as" in the left hand pull down (open, I
think) and we prefer to save as a JPEG as this is how the photo will land
in
Finepix, which apparently doesn't recognize the PP file format (PNG?).
Mostly, we would expect to then e-mail the revised photo/call-out...and so
far as I know, Outlook Express requires JPEG format.
Anyway, thanks again. I'm sorry to be so dense.

Ah, so you're trying to save a balloon *and* a picture together using
Save
as Picture?

In that case, select the objects you want to be in the picture and use
Draw|Group. THEN right-click and Save as Picture.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com


Again, we are grateful for your help.
I checked the "About MS Powerpoint" pull-down in the Help section of
the
topmost toolbar...and find our program is an "SP2" version. It does
have
the
feature whereby we can right click on a slide (the picture) and a box
comes
up, on the picture , including "save as picture". If I then left-click
on
that I get a box headed "save as picture" and a listing of potential
folders
where the selection can be saved as a JPEG file interchange format. But
when
I type in a name and click to save (momentary hourglass), the picture
is
saved, apparently in the same original condition as when earlier
extracted
from the folder in order to alter (as, for example, to add those text
balloons). In other words, the balloon inserted from Autoshapes and the
text
within is not saved in the "save as picture" version.
Dave Buckley.

:

Steve:
Thanks a lot. I did as you suggested (save as) and the text balloon
transferred with the picture, as a JPEG. Apparently, my version of
Powerpoint
is older (which is surprising, as I bought with Dell computer a fat
year
ago)
and if I use "save as picture", I lose the alterations (text
balloon).

This is unusual. What alterations are you losing?

The "save as picture" option doesn't even exist in PPT 2000 and
earlier,
so
I'd imagine you're using either PPT 2002 or 2003 if you do have the
"save
as
picture" option available on the right-click menu.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/
PPTLive! Sept 17-20, 2006 http://www.pptlive.com

 

[Echo S]

Thanks and I'll stay out of your hair.

Thanks for the followup, and honestly, no worries -- you're not in my hair
at all. That's what we're here for.

I was seriously happy to hear you found a way that worked for you.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks again, Steve. We'll plow around in the links you sent. It occurs to me
that our P/P program may be in need of updating.
We put in many hours polishing our CD programs which have drawn gratifying
praise from pro-photographer friends, some of whom are practiced P/P users.
For our next effort (October) we'll try to batch downsize the resolution of
the photographs we've been using (typically 2.3-3.5mb) to a file size with
only 72dpi.

Working with dpi is liable to lead you astray. Forget DPI, go for pixels. Typically,
you want a 1024x768 image, assuming that the bulk of your viewers will be using a monitor
set to that resolution.