GraphicsOptimization Software Review: PPTminimizer
Submitted by: Derek Tonn, October 13, 2007 (revised May 11, 2008)
PPTminimizer, produced by balesio, a German-based company which offers a wide array of software solutions in the marketplace, is absolutely outstanding at effectively reducing the size of one's PowerPoint presentations with little/no noticeable impact on the appearance or performance of the files. One of the things which I absolutely insist upon in any of my own optimization work is that the resulting (optimized) files not sacrifice image quality or file performance or any way. After experimenting with this program for several weeks and optimizing a few dozen files, I feel confident in saying that PPTminimizer meets this very strict criteria.
Positive Features:
My favorite feature related to the software is its simplicity of use. One simply clicks an "Open Presentations" button to open the presentation(s) you wish to optimize, then click "Optimize Presentations" to have the software regularly achieve well-over fifty (50) percent reductions in final file sizes. The program also offers a very easy to use Custom Compression settings dialog box to give users the ability to choose the settings they feel most comfortable with.
Screenshot of PPTminimizer Custom Compression Settings Dialog Box.
I will typically choose to "Keep the original JPEG compression factor" check-box selected within custom settings, being careful not to allow for any image degradation as a result of the compression process. Even without further compression to the imagery embedded within a PowerPoint file, the compression results achieve with this software are outstanding.
Another setting I really find helpful with this product is having the option of choosing to either overwrite the original .ppt file during the optimization process, or creating a second new file that allows for a bit of compare and contrast. I've yet to experience an optimized .ppt file that had noticeable image degradation or had other elements of the presentation malfunction following the optimization process. However, it is added peace of mind to know that if something unexpected did occur to the file during the optimization process, I can easily go back to my original file and try and dissect the problem.
The 4.0 release of this particular software program added a very interesting new feature as well: the ability to optimize and compress Microsoft Word (.doc) files. One may also compress StarOffice and OpenOffice documents, provided that they are saved into .doc format. This added functionality with the 4.0 release makes this piece of software that much more appealing to purchase.
Drawbacks or Limitations:
I personally found the process of selecting multiple files to simultaneously optimize a bit cumbersome the first time I attempted to optimize multiple files. However, I quickly got the hang of things after that experience and corrected my behavior going forward. That could easily have been as much to do with "operator error" as it did with the user interface of the software, and I felt that was very minor in the larger scheme of things.
Overall Recommendation:
PPTminimizer is a fabulous program that has helped me reduce the size of the .ppt files on my own computer by over 100 MB. Starting at a price of $39.95 (US), $25.95 for upgrades, it is well-worth the purchase. One can also download a trial of the software, which will allow you to optimize up to 12 .ppt files before making a purchase decision. After I optimized my first 3-4 files though, I knew it was a program that I HAD to have on my computer (as well as tell people about on this web site). I highly, highly recommend the purchase PPTminimizer in the name of faster, more efficient file sharing and storage!
Other: