Image Resolution Gotcha

Here’s a weird one for you.

An old PowerPoint trick is to set a registry entry that controls the resolution of images that you save from PowerPoint.

For example, if you set the registry entry to 200, then PowerPoint will save your images at 200 pixels per inch; for a standard 10” wide slide, that’d be 2000 pixels (10 inches times 200 pixels per inch). 

If you have an add-in like our <a href=http://www.pptools.com/imageexport/>ImageExport</a> or write your own code using PowerPoint’s Slide.Export method, you can control the resolution yourself, so you don’t need to bother with this registry entry.

Or do you?  There’s a problem.  If this registry entry is set and you or your add-in call for a higher resolution export, you get a corrupted image, at least from PowerPoint 2010.  You end up with a partially correct image in the upper left corner but the rest of the image will be gray.

Solution:  remove the registry entry if you see this effect.

The registry entry in question is at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\PowerPoint\Options\ExportBitmapResolution

Delete it and all will be well.