Let me start by saying this may be one of my favorite design hacks in PowerPoint, in part because it looks cool but also because it’s super easy to do.
When creating slides, one of your primary goals should always be to help your audience focus in on your key message and avoid any distractions. One way you can help draw focus—particularly when displaying busy or complex images—is to highlight the area(s) that you are discussing. See my example:
In this slide design, I’ve drawn attention to the key focal area of the photo by making the majority of the image a darkened black-and-white; highlighted the space that I want the audience to zero in on; and added a bright yellow circle and callouts to provide a three-part process that my audience can remember.
So, how do I highlight portions of images in PowerPoint?
The good news is, this technique is super easy to do. Follow below for a quick tutorial.
Step 1: Insert Image
Step 2: Make the image black and white
- Right-click image
- Choose “Format Picture”
- Choose “Picture” Icon at the top
- Under “Picture Color,” select “Recolor”
- Choose options that says “Grayscale”
Step 3: Darken Image
- Go to Insert > Shapes
- Choose rectangle shape
- Draw rectangle over image, ensuring it’s the same size as image
- Right-click shape and select “Format Shape”
- Set color to black
- Adjust transparency to get desired darkness (I set mine at 45% in this image)
Step 4: Insert Color Picture Again
- Insert original full color picture. Ensure it aligns exactly with originally placed photo.
Step 5: Crop Picture to Shape
- Right-click the top image and select “Format Picture”
- In top control panel, select “Crop” > “Aspect Ratio” and choose 1:1 under “Square.” This will allow you to make a perfect circle in the next step.
- Select “Crop” > “Crop to Shape” and choose “Oval”
Step 6: Crop Image to Area You Want to Highlight
- Click on image and choose “Picture Format” tab at the top
- Select “Crop.” The circle image should now have square brackets on the corners.
- Hold “Shift” and click and drag on one of the corners to make the shape smaller or larger. The “Shift” key keeps the perfect circle shape.
- Move your cursor to the edge of the square frame and click and drag to move the crop area to where you want to highlight.
Step 7: Format Image Shape
- Click on circle image
- Under “Format Picture” on right, choose “Fill and Line” icon
- Edit as you wish. I chose to do a solid line, dark yellow color, with 7pt width on the stroke
Step 8: Add Shapes, Text Boxes, and Lines as You See Fit
At this point, you can stylize as it meets your needs. In my example, I created a few callout lines with potential areas for descriptor text. Have fun with it!