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How do I put a PDF page into a PowerPoint slide as a crisp picture?

Convert the page to PNG at 150 to 200 DPI and insert it as a picture. An A4 page at 200 DPI becomes 1654 × 2339 px, more than a slide shown full height on a screen or projector can use. PNG keeps text edges sharp, though the words will not be editable.

Published · 3 min read

How many pixels does a slide really need?

The screens and projectors common in meeting rooms show 1080 pixels of height or fewer. If you place a portrait A4 page at the full height of a slide, no more than 1080 of its pixels can appear vertically, however sharp it is. So:

  • 96 DPI: the page is 794 × 1123 px. Just enough to fill the height, with no room for zooming.
  • 150 DPI: the page is 1241 × 1754 px. Comfortable, and holds up when a viewer zooms on their own device.
  • 200 DPI: the page is 1654 × 2339 px. Right when you will crop part of it and enlarge it, such as a table or a chart.

Going beyond that weighs the deck down for no visible gain. A presentation with twenty images at 300 DPI becomes slow to open and awkward to email.

The steps

  1. Open PDF to images, choose the file and type the page number you want.
  2. Choose PNG, and 150 or 200 DPI.
  3. Convert and download the image.
  4. In PowerPoint, choose Insert, then Pictures, and pick the downloaded file.
  5. Drag a corner handle to resize without distorting it.

When the page is already a slide

Sometimes you receive a presentation saved as a PDF and want one of its slides in your own deck. Those pages are usually 16:9, for example 720 × 405 points. The maths changes: at 150 DPI the image is 1500 × 844 px, and at 200 DPI it is 2000 × 1125, slightly more than a 1920 × 1080 screen. Pick 200 if the image will fill the whole slide.

What you give up when the page is a picture

  • You cannot edit a figure or fix a word inside the slide. If you need that, copy the text with the PDF text extractor and restyle it on the slide.
  • PowerPoint's search will not find words that sit inside the image.
  • If the page has a white background and your slide is coloured, it shows as a white rectangle. PNG from this tool does not make the background transparent; the page is drawn as it looks.

Common questions

Why PNG rather than JPEG for slides?

Pages taken from PDFs are usually text and tables, and PNG keeps their edges clean. JPEG suits a page that is a photograph.

Can I put several pages on consecutive slides?

Yes. Convert them together, download the ZIP, and the names sort by page number, so you can insert them in order.

The picture looks washed out on the projector. Is it the DPI?

Usually not; projectors reduce contrast. Look at the slide on your own screen, and if it is sharp there, the projector is the cause.