In one of my recent Optimizing PowerPoint for eLearning & Presentations classes, I demonstrated how to adjust the saturation of an inserted image to take the image to grayscale. After the class, one of the students asked how to make this adjustment on clip art images.
Clip art illustrations insert as WMF pictures by default. Because they are WMF files, you have the ability to Recolor the image, but not to fully adjust the saturation. What if you've made changes to the clip art image by ungrouping it and converting it to a drawing object? Drawing objects don't have Recolor or Saturation controls. Only files saved as PNG or JPG have options for adjusting color saturation from within PowerPoint. However, I do have a work-around that allows you to adjust the saturation for a clip art illustration or other drawing object.
Adjust the saturation for inserted images:
- Insert a picture (Insert > Images > Picture).
- Ensure the picture is selected.
- From the Picture Tools Format tab, choose Adjust > Color and adjust the saturation level.
If you're dealing with a drawing object (or an ungrouped clip art image):
- If the object is still ungrouped, ensure all of the shapes making up the clip art image are selected.
- Press [ctrl] [g] on your keyboard to group the shapes.
- Right-click the grouped object and select Save as Picture.
- PowerPoint may attempt to save the image as a WMF file by default. To change this, click the Save as Type drop-down menu and select either JPG or PNG.
- Follow the first group of steps above to adjust the saturation of the picture.
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